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The differences between professional research assistants and assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a professional research assistant and an assistant. Additionally, a professional research assistant has an average salary of $58,202, which is higher than the $37,363 average annual salary of an assistant.
The top three skills for a professional research assistant include research projects, data collection and patients. The most important skills for an assistant are patients, customer service, and patient care.
| Professional Research Assistant | Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $58,202 | $37,363 |
| Hourly rate | $27.98 | $17.96 |
| Growth rate | 19% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 91,813 | 557,900 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 38 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A professional research assistant works under the supervision of primary researchers leading research projects. Research assistants help the main researchers in different tasks supporting research activities. These tasks vary based on research conducted and their field. The assistants prepare the interview questions and provide a results summary. They respond to emails, participate in project meetings, and prepare progress reports. Skills necessary for this job include communication skills, critical thinking, attention to detail, scheduling, and planning.
An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.
Professional research assistants and assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Professional Research Assistant | Assistant | |
| Average salary | $58,202 | $37,363 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $88,000 | Between $16,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Siemens | Latham & Watkins |
| Best paying industry | - | Education |
There are a few differences between a professional research assistant and an assistant in terms of educational background:
| Professional Research Assistant | Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Biology | Business |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between professional research assistants' and assistants' demographics:
| Professional Research Assistant | Assistant | |
| Average age | 38 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9% | Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 6% |