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The differences between instructional aides and teacher assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an instructional aide has an average salary of $30,993, which is higher than the $27,103 average annual salary of a teacher assistant.
The top three skills for an instructional aide include work ethic, CPR and math. The most important skills for a teacher assistant are CPR, child care, and mathematics.
| Instructional Aide | Teacher Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $30,993 | $27,103 |
| Hourly rate | $14.90 | $13.03 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 60,846 | 77,358 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An instructional aide focuses on performing support-related tasks for a teacher or faculty member. They are primarily responsible for helping teachers maintain a safe and healthy learning environment, recording attendance, creating visual aids or presentations, participating in the preparation of lesson plans and tests, and assisting students who are having difficulties in a particular task or lesson. An instructional aide may also take part in counseling and supervising students' behavior during class activities, all while adhering to the school's policies and regulations.
Teacher assistants are responsible for aiding teachers in their needs inside the classroom. They help teachers prepare for lessons in class, set up equipment, distribute educational materials to students, and monitor the progress of the students. Teacher assistants also help in managing the children in the classroom, as well as providing the necessary assistance a child may need. This may include helping with the lessons by going table to table, assisting in writing exercises, and tutoring kids one-to-one. Teacher assistants are required to have patience, flexibility, and classroom management skills.
Instructional aides and teacher assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instructional Aide | Teacher Assistant | |
| Average salary | $30,993 | $27,103 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $38,000 | Between $21,000 And $34,000 |
| Highest paying City | Columbus, OH | Coventry, RI |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Boston Public Schools | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Education | Finance |
There are a few differences between an instructional aide and a teacher assistant in terms of educational background:
| Instructional Aide | Teacher Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between instructional aides' and teacher assistants' demographics:
| Instructional Aide | Teacher Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% | Male, 21.5% Female, 78.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 25.2% Asian, 7.1% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 7.8% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |