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What is an instructional aide and how to become one
An instructional aide basically functions as a teacher's assistant. It is their job to assist the teacher in effectively carrying out their responsibilities. As an instructional aide, you would be responsible for the learning and understanding of a group of students. It would be your job to assess their progress by testing them, having discussions with them, and providing assistance to the students when needed.
All duties of an instructional aide are carried out at the command of the lead instructor. You might also find yourself developing lesson materials, offering extra tutorials, and helping the teachers maintain a safe and healthy learning environment.
The average instructional aide earns about $30,000 a year and $14.53 per hour. To become an instructional aide, you need a high school diploma or a bachelor's degree in education or a related field. You are also required to get a teaching assistants license. High on the employer's list of top skills are excellent communication skills, ability to follow instructions, crisis management skills, counseling, and empathy.
Avg. Salary $30,993
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 4%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.20%
Asian 7.14%
Black or African American 8.59%
Hispanic or Latino 25.21%
Unknown 4.44%
White 53.42%
Genderfemale 75.13%
male 24.87%
Age - 45American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 45Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity level is basic
7 - challenging
Work life balance is excellent
6.4 - fair
Instructional aide career paths
Key steps to become an instructional aide
Explore instructional aide education requirements
Start to develop specific instructional aide skills
Skills Percentages Work Ethic 12.40% CPR 8.98% Math 8.60% Instructional Materials 6.48% Mathematics 6.48% Gain additional instructional aide certifications
More About CertificationsInstructional aide certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific instructional aide certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.
The most common certifications for instructional aides include Advanced First Aid & CPR and First Aid Certification.
Research instructional aide duties and responsibilities
- Help ESL students achieve their academic goals while they learn a new language and adapt to a new community and culture.
- Perform responsible human support and paraprofessional work assisting classroom teacher or other professionals, achieve institution objectives.
- Provide individualize education to students with autism base on the science of apply behavior analysis.
- Implement IEP accommodations through modification of curriculum and classroom environment for students with moderate disabilities in a variety of inclusion classes.
Prepare your instructional aide resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your instructional aide resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an instructional aide resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable instructional aide resume templates
Build a professional instructional aide resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your instructional aide resume.
Apply for instructional aide jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an instructional aide job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first instructional aide job
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Average instructional aide salary
The average instructional aide salary in the United States is $30,993 per year or $15 per hour. Instructional aide salaries range between $24,000 and $38,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do instructional aides rate their job?
Instructional aide reviews
As a paraprofessional, you often get left out of Professional Development activities, vertical team meetings, etc. and have a limited capacity to influence educational decisions within the organization.
Helping students with various intellectual or behavior disabilities to be successful in the classroom and in life.
Days off
No support from administration, supervisor, no union representative in house at schools to support job issues and concerns .
nothing I like everything
I enjoy working as a teacher aide because of the children I love doing it
Updated January 8, 2025
