How to hire a paraprofessional education assistant

How to hire a paraprofessional education assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step paraprofessional education assistant 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 education assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new paraprofessional education assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your paraprofessional education assistant job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a paraprofessional education assistant for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

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   Hiring the perfect paraprofessional education assistant 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of paraprofessional education assistants.

   Type of Paraprofessional Education Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Paraprofessional Education Assistant	Teacher assistants work under a teacher’s supervision to give students additional attention and instruction.	$10-18
   Instructional Aide	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... Show more	$11-18
   Education Technician	The job of an Education Technician is to provide support services to the teaching staff. As an Education Technician, you will be responsible for a variety of duties including reinforcing the academic skills of students in the classroom, the library, and individualized situations, assisting students with their learning materials, and developing student activity plans... Show more	$13-27

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Public Schools
   • Direct Supervision
   • One Assistance
   • Autism
   • Classroom Management
   • Pre-Kindergarten
   • Instructional Materials
   • Learning Environment
   • Mathematics
   • IEP
   • Pre-K
   • Classroom Environment
   • Bulletin Boards
   • Data Collection

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform responsible human support and paraprofessional work assisting classroom teacher or other professionals, achieve institution objectives.
   • Work with students who have autism.
   • Teach mathematics to students seeking their GED.
   • Assist students with daily living and provide support in meeting student IEP goals.
   • Train in ABA therapy, and necessary paperwork that goes along with it.
   • Assist in instruction of students one-on-one and /or in group settings according to individual needs and IEP assessments.

   More paraprofessional education assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the paraprofessional education assistant job description is a good way to get more applicants. A paraprofessional education assistant salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a paraprofessional education assistant in Louisiana may be lower than in Hawaii, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level paraprofessional education assistant. Additionally, a paraprofessional education assistant with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average paraprofessional education assistant salary

   $14.07hourly

   $29,268 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level paraprofessional education assistant salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average paraprofessional education assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Hawaii	$36,787	$18
   2	Ohio	$34,560	$17
   3	Michigan	$33,757	$16
   4	Massachusetts	$33,474	$16
   5	New Jersey	$32,830	$16
   6	Minnesota	$31,069	$15
   7	Pennsylvania	$30,901	$15
   8	California	$30,387	$15
   9	Illinois	$25,423	$12
   10	Arizona	$24,667	$12
   11	Florida	$23,411	$11
   12	Missouri	$22,528	$11
   13	New Mexico	$21,734	$10

   Average paraprofessional education assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Boston Public Schools	$53,144	$25.55	17
   2	Blue Bird	$38,772	$18.64	3
   3	Arts In Action Community Charter Schools	$34,742	$16.70	1
   4	South Washington County Schools	$33,381	$16.05	4
   5	Kelly Services	$31,897	$15.34	150
   6	Key Autism Services	$29,166	$14.02
   7	Eyas Landing	$29,081	$13.98
   8	Mastery Charter Schools	$28,713	$13.80	4
   9	OhioGuidestone	$27,115	$13.04
   10	BAYADA Home Health Care	$25,857	$12.43	1
   11	Gilbert Unified School District 41	$24,481	$11.77	35
   12	Santa Fe Public Schools	$23,655	$11.37	7

4. Writing a paraprofessional education assistant job description

   A good paraprofessional education assistant job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a paraprofessional education assistant job description:

   Paraprofessional education assistant job description example

   About Mastery:
   
   We believe educational inequity is the most pressing social problem facing our country and the civil rights issue of our day. Mastery exists to help solve this problem. Our ultimate goal is to create a model urban school district that serves all students with excellence. We are organized around one driving mission: All students learn the academic and personal skills they need to be truly prepared for postsecondary success and able to pursue their dreams. To fulfill this mission, we attend to the whole child - academically and emotionally - matching high expectations for students with high levels of support.
   
   Mastery Charter Schools is a nonprofit network of more than 24 schools serving over 14,000 students in Philadelphia and Camden. We are the largest turnaround school operator in the nation and have been lauded by President Obama and the US Department of Education for our ability to dramatically boost academic achievement in historically low-performing schools.
   
   We know neighborhood schools matter, all students deserve access to a great education, and the people in our buildings can grow and develop sustainably to make the biggest impact possible in this work.
   
   Mastery's Equity Vision:
   
   We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to achieving our mission.
   
   We strive to be an anti-racist school district that eliminates the inequities in academic achievement that limit our students' choices; that cultivates classrooms where every student is affirmed, supported, and held to high expectations; and that nurtures a diverse organization where students, staff, and families are valued, respected, and included.
   
   This role is eligible for a $500 signing bonus!
   
   The Opportunity:
   
   The paraprofessional shows an unwavering commitment to student achievement to improve the knowledge, skills, and lives of students. The paraprofessional works with children individually and in small groups to ensure that students meet academic and social-emotional success in the classroom as measured by mastery of IEP goals, progress monitoring data, and/or academic achievement data.
   
   Duties and Responsibilities:Ability to assist classroom teacher to teach and positively manage the behavior of special education students; this includes supporting students' behavior across all environments of the school including inclusion classes, lunch, and cooperative play Ability to assist with domestic and personal maintenance (including meal preparation, direct and assistive feeding, diapering, cleaning, sanitizing toys, play objects, etc.) Ability to provide small group instruction/interventions Ability to maintain sensitive, confidential information Must be able to work collaboratively in a non-traditional, urban environment Participation in relevant professional development
   Qualifications:Knowledge of and ability to apply relevant current special education methodologies and techniques Outstanding instructional skills, including the ability to motivate and challenge students and maintain an orderly classroom environmentA strong sense of personal accountability for student achievementA belief that all students should be held to high academic standards Demonstrated professionalism and responsibility, and a strong work ethicA positive, high-energy attitude and a drive for personal excellence The ability to problem-solve and a sense of humor are required
   Education and Experience:Associate's Degree (or at least 48 college credits) or passing score of ParaPro exam required; education-related field preferred Experience working with adolescents, school-setting experience preferred Experience working with students receiving special education services
   Physical Requirements:Standing, walking, sitting for long periods of time, speak loudly and clearly, seeing and hearing things both near and far away, stooping, kneeling, fine finger and hand manipulation in use of a computer, chalkboard, dry erase board or projector, repetitive hand and arm motion
   Mastery Charter Schools is an equal opportunity employer and actively encourages applications from people of all backgrounds. Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience. We offer a full benefits program and opportunities for professional growth.
   
   UPDATE AS OF MAY 2022 - Please review Mastery's Health and Safety Plans here to learn about our approach to vaccination and testing as well as our response to COVID-19 for the 2021-22 school year. For ongoing positions, Mastery roles are designated as in-person, with regular on-site responsibilities, unless otherwise noted. As such, Employees must be able to support Mastery Schools' academic plan and business strategies on-site - at a Mastery campus - as required.
   
   Exceptions to this requirement will be considered on an individualized basis.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right paraprofessional education assistant 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 paraprofessional education assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit paraprofessional education assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit paraprofessional education assistants, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to 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 education assistant

   Once you've selected the best paraprofessional education assistant 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.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new paraprofessional education assistant 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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