How to hire an instructional paraprofessional

How to hire an instructional paraprofessional, step by step

Here's a step-by-step instructional paraprofessional hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an instructional paraprofessional job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new instructional paraprofessional
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the instructional paraprofessional you need to hire. Certain instructional paraprofessional roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect instructional paraprofessional also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of instructional paraprofessionals and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Instructional Paraprofessional	Description	Hourly rate
   Instructional Paraprofessional	Teacher assistants work under a teacher’s supervision to give students additional attention and instruction.	$12-18
   Teacher Aide	Teacher aides help lead teachers in managing the classroom. They assist teachers in conducting classroom sessions by setting up the classroom in advance, sourcing materials needed for class activities, helping in presentations, and guiding students during class activities... Show more	$11-17
   Substitute Teachers Aide	A substitute teacher's aide assists classroom teachers in executing their tasks such as evaluating the progress and needs of students. Substitute teachers' aides ensure education's progress by providing assistance to lead classroom teachers... Show more	$10-15

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Mathematics
   • Instructional Materials
   • IEP
   • English Language
   • Direct Supervision
   • Educational Materials
   • Student Performance
   • Classroom Management
   • Behavior Management
   • Classroom Environment
   • Instructional Support
   • Language Arts
   • Bulletin Boards
   • Autism

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Help ESL students achieve their academic goals while they learn a new language and adapt to a new community and culture.
   • Assist students with their educational needs in language arts, mathematics, social students and science.
   • Carry out behavior intervention techniques and ABA.
   • Provide administration and care of ABA and discrete trial training.
   • Verify the appropriate process and procedures that are necessary to fulfill IEP objectives.
   • Create a sensory chair to encourage a pre-k scholar to remain seat during the day.

   More instructional paraprofessional duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your instructional paraprofessional job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An instructional paraprofessional can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, instructional paraprofessionals' average salary in georgia is 38% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level instructional paraprofessionals 36% less than senior-level instructional paraprofessionals.
   • Certifications. An instructional paraprofessional with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an instructional paraprofessional's salary.

   Average instructional paraprofessional salary

   $15.31hourly

   $31,835 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level instructional paraprofessional salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average instructional paraprofessional salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$36,133	$17
   2	California	$35,522	$17
   3	Massachusetts	$35,238	$17
   4	Connecticut	$33,662	$16
   5	New Hampshire	$33,201	$16
   6	Ohio	$33,060	$16
   7	Indiana	$32,897	$16
   8	North Dakota	$32,672	$16
   9	Minnesota	$32,449	$16
   10	Illinois	$32,343	$16
   11	Colorado	$31,226	$15
   12	District of Columbia	$30,511	$15
   13	Montana	$30,452	$15
   14	Arizona	$30,035	$14
   15	Missouri	$28,065	$13
   16	Michigan	$28,065	$13
   17	Kansas	$27,818	$13
   18	Idaho	$27,027	$13
   19	Nebraska	$26,938	$13
   20	Florida	$25,990	$13

   Average instructional paraprofessional salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Boston Public Schools	$44,362	$21.33	33
   2	Dublin City Schools	$40,929	$19.68	7
   3	State College of Florida	$40,306	$19.38	2
   4	Deloitte	$39,908	$19.19
   5	Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES	$36,792	$17.69	7
   6	Andersen	$36,397	$17.50
   7	Cornerstone Care	$35,484	$17.06	4
   8	Antioch Unified School District	$34,836	$16.75	3
   9	Cincinnati Public Schools	$34,604	$16.64	171
   10	Brea Olinda Unified School District	$34,500	$16.59	3
   11	South Windsor Public Schools	$34,363	$16.52	2
   12	Hackensack Meridian Health	$34,314	$16.50	6
   13	Galt High School	$34,038	$16.36	2
   14	The Gramon Family of Schools	$34,023	$16.36
   15	Pace University	$33,549	$16.13
   16	Cooke School & Inst	$33,482	$16.10	2
   17	Joliet Schools 86	$33,477	$16.09	5
   18	Rochester City School District	$33,353	$16.04	8
   19	Friendship Public Charter School	$33,342	$16.03
   20	Highmark	$33,223	$15.97

4. Writing an instructional paraprofessional job description

   An instructional paraprofessional job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an instructional paraprofessional job description:

   Instructional paraprofessional job description example

   Go to the School City of Hammond website: www.hammond.k12.in.us

   Click on “Employment Opportunities”

   Click on the Application link and select the following job preference:

   Job Description:

   General Role and Responsibilities:

   The instructional aide will support students and the classroom teacher in the general education setting. This staff member will report to the building principal and is expected to meet the expectations set by the classroom teacher.

   General Skills and Education requirements:

   · 60 credit hours from an accredited college or university

   · OR successfully pass the Praxis Parapro Assessment

   · Must pass a required background check

   · Bilingual skills would be considered an asset

   Specific Responsibilities in This Position:

   · Support the instructional and emotional needs of students (work with small and large groups)

   · Establish positive and respectful relationships with students, teachers, and parents

   · Support and establish a safe and healthy learning environment for students

   · Perform all other duties as assigned by the classroom teacher and building principal

   Specific Skills and Knowledge for this position:

   · Ability to self-regulate emotions and model respectful behavior and language

   · Cooperate and work with other staff members

   · Basic computer skills (email, word processing, Google)

   · Maintain confidential student and school information

   Personal Attributes Desired:

   · Dependability

   · Honesty

   · Punctuality

   · High level of personal accountability

   · Confidentiality

   · Ability to accept constructive professional criticism

   Physical Requirements:

   · Ability to perform physical duties indoors and outdoors (walking students to and from recess and lunch)

   · Good physical health and ability to perform assigned duties

   · Ability to move freely without assistance and be mobile for several hours

   It is the policy of the School City of Hammond not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability in its programs or employment policies as required by the Indiana Civil Rights Act (I.C. 22-9.1), Title VI and VII (Civil Rights Act of 1964), the Equal Pay Act of 1973, Title IX (Educational Amendments), and Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973).

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right instructional paraprofessional for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your instructional paraprofessional job on Zippia to find and recruit instructional paraprofessional candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with instructional paraprofessional candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new instructional paraprofessional

   Once you have selected a candidate for the instructional paraprofessional position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new instructional paraprofessional first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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