How to hire a paraprofessional aide teacher

How to hire a paraprofessional aide teacher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step paraprofessional aide teacher hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a paraprofessional aide teacher, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   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 paraprofessional aide teacher 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 paraprofessional aide teachers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Paraprofessional Aide Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Paraprofessional Aide Teacher	Teacher assistants work under a teacher’s supervision to give students additional attention and instruction.	$9-17
   Para Educator	Paraeducators' primary role is to provide students with extra guidance and support outside or inside the classroom. They are also called paraprofessional educators or teaching assistants who are expected to support teachers... Show more	$11-18
   Aide	Aides are personal employees of their clients who commonly have health issues that render them unable to do certain tasks. They help out their clients with activities they may need assistance in... Show more	$10-16

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Behavioral Issues
   • Mathematics
   • Learning Environment
   • Classroom Management
   • Kindergarten
   • IEP
   • K-12
   • Behavior Management
   • Instructional Materials
   • Instructional Program
   • Public Schools
   • ABA
   • Behavior Modification
   • Learning Materials

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage behavior and teach mathematics in charter school specializing in educating children with autism and other learning and developmental disorders
   • Assist in implementing lesson plans for reading, writing and mathematics.
   • Implement ABA programs and behavior plans, assist in crisis management for severe disruptive self injurious behavior.
   • Present appropriate and specific information of student progress towards goals, including evaluation and progress data at IEP.
   • Assist teachers in developing, helping, and completing IEP's for children who have a learning disability.
   • Follow the curriculum as well as attend workshops head by apply behavioral analysis (ABA) consultant Dr. John McEachin.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, paraprofessional aide teachers' average salary in florida is 46% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level paraprofessional aide teachers 46% less than senior-level paraprofessional aide teachers.
   • Certifications. A paraprofessional aide teacher 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 a paraprofessional aide teacher's salary.

   Average paraprofessional aide teacher salary

   $13.37hourly

   $27,812 yearly

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   Entry-level paraprofessional aide teacher salary

   $20,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

4. Writing a paraprofessional aide teacher job description

   A paraprofessional aide teacher 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 a paraprofessional aide teacher job description:

   Paraprofessional aide teacher job description example

   Job DescriptionSalary: $22-$25
   

   Behavior Therapist, Paraprofessional at Autism Behavioral Links

   
   

   Autism Behavioral Links is seeking a behavior therapists to provide in-home & Center-Based ABA services to children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. We are seeking compassionate and passionate, team-oriented and highly motivated individuals with prior experience working with children.

   
   

   What you will do

   
   

   Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

   
   

   • Implement skill acquisition and behavior reductions plans in an in-home and/or community setting to effectively assist individuals with social skill development and/or manage maladaptive behaviors
   • Provides coaching, support, and guidance to the parent/guardian/caregiver in implementing the behavior reduction and/or skills acquisition plan
   • Collect quality behavioral data to monitor individual's progress and report any progress or regression in attaining objectives of behavior plan to supervisor and/or clinical director
   • Conduct behavioral assessments as assigned
   • Attend weekly supervision meetings
   • Take and pass the RBT test within 90 days of date of hire

   
   

   About your qualifications

   
   

   • must be 18 years old, and must have either
   • High School or GED Equivalent, and one year experience working with persons with developmental disabilities and children/adolescents/transition age youth and families; or
   • an associate’s degree in either a human, social, or educational services discipline, or a degree or certification related to behavior management, from an accredited community college or educational institution, and have six months experience working with persons with developmental disabilities and children/adolescents/transition age youth and families; or
   • An Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) and have three months experience working with developmental disabilities and children/adolescents/transition age youth and families;
   • Available to work between 10:00 AM and 9:00 PM
   • Able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
   • Able to use good judgment.
   • Access to reliable transportation
   • Authorization to work in the U.S.
   • Pass background checks

   
   

   Not required, but preferred

   
   

   • Previous experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities is a plus
   • Previous experience in Applied Behavior Analysis is a plus

   
   

   $500 sign on bonus distributed evenly in payroll within first 90 days of hire.

   
   

   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right paraprofessional aide teacher for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with paraprofessional aide teachers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit paraprofessional aide teachers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with paraprofessional aide teacher 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 paraprofessional aide teacher

   Once you've selected the best paraprofessional aide teacher candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new paraprofessional aide teacher 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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