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The differences between instructional assistants and educational assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an instructional assistant has an average salary of $32,170, which is higher than the $31,100 average annual salary of an educational assistant.
The top three skills for an instructional assistant include CPR, math and instructional materials. The most important skills for an educational assistant are CPR, IEP, and direct supervision.
| Instructional Assistant | Educational Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $32,170 | $31,100 |
| Hourly rate | $15.47 | $14.95 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 50,185 | 49,979 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An instructional assistant's role is to assist teachers and faculty members by performing various tasks. Their responsibilities will involve managing and monitoring the classroom environment, crafting visual aids and informative presentations, preparing laboratories and equipment, grading papers, recording data, and organizing schedules. An instructional assistant may also teach short courses when a teacher is not around, and provide tutorial sessions to small groups. Furthermore, they may also perform administrative tasks such as producing progress reports and necessary documentation, taking attendance, and responding to calls and correspondence.
An educational assistant, or often called teaching assistant, assists teachers in instruction delivery and provides learning support to students. Educational assistants may perform classroom duties such as class preparations, taking attendance, and paperwork management. They help students by reviewing materials presented by teachers through one-on-one tutoring or in small groups. They may also supervise and monitor the educational activities of children, such as playing and other primary care. Educational Assistants can work in elementary, middle, and high schools while others work in preschools and childcare centers.
Instructional assistants and educational assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instructional Assistant | Educational Assistant | |
| Average salary | $32,170 | $31,100 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $44,000 | Between $20,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Salem, OR | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Kern Community College District | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Education | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between an instructional assistant and an educational assistant in terms of educational background:
| Instructional Assistant | Educational Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between instructional assistants' and educational assistants' demographics:
| Instructional Assistant | Educational Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.3% Female, 72.7% | Male, 23.2% Female, 76.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 8.2% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 8.1% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |