How to hire a reading assistant

How to hire a reading assistant, step by step

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

Post a reading assistant job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The reading assistant hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a reading assistant to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a reading assistant that fits the bill.

   This list presents reading assistant salaries for various positions.

   Type of Reading Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Reading Assistant	Teacher assistants work under a teacher’s supervision to give students additional attention and instruction.	$6-24
   Reading Teacher	Reactor Engineers are responsible for designing and developing nuclear reactor programs. Their duties include presenting design reviews, overseeing operations of the reactor core, conducting nuclear material tracking and new fuel receipt, facilitating control room, and producing document safety analysis... Show more	$18-37
   Reading Tutor	Typically working with children, a reading tutor facilitates activities that enhance students' reading and comprehension skills. They may provide tutoring sessions in a one-on-one or group setting, depending on their place of employment... Show more	$10-23

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Radiology
   • Data Entry
   • Patient Reports
   • CDS
   • Mathematics
   • Elementary Schools
   • ETS
   • MRI
   • Social Security
   • Literature
   • Statistical Data
   • Scan Sheets
   • Reading Comprehension
   • Classroom Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage a phonetic/whole language curriculum for middle/high school students with various learning differences.
   • Maintain knowledge of SSA organizational structure.
   • Attend IEP meetings per parental request.
   • Work with ESL students to improve learning English.
   • Maintain statistics, organize literature, assist students with research and references.
   • Assist in the classroom with attendance, grading, and constructing PowerPoint lectures.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your reading assistant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A reading assistant salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, reading assistants' average salary in iowa is 32% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level reading assistants earn 74% less than senior-level reading assistants.
   • Certifications. A reading assistant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a reading assistant's salary.

   Average reading assistant salary

   $12.41hourly

   $25,809 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level reading assistant salary

   $13,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

4. Writing a reading assistant job description

   A job description for a reading assistant role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a reading assistant job description:

   Reading assistant job description example

   Reading Assist Fellows serve in elementary schools across Delaware, providing one-on-one reading instruction to students in kindergarten through third grade who face significant reading challenges. Fellows teach foundational reading skills to students who might never learn to read through traditional classroom education. Fellows work with up to 8 students for 30-45 minutes each day and meet with an experienced coach every week for support and feedback. The Reading Assist Fellowship, an AmeriCorps program, requires 1200 service hours (900 if part-time) to be completed between August 15, 2022, and June 9, 2023 or September 6, 2022, and June 9, 2023. Fellows begin with five weeks of full-time, graduate-level training (conducted online) and then are embedded into high-needs elementary schools in Delaware. Fellows transform the lives of students who may have with have dyslexia or other reading disorders. Further help on this page can be found by clicking here.
   
   Member Duties : -Commit to a school year of service from August/September 2022 to June 2023, serving M-F from approximately 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in schools. -Work with children in K-3, including children who may have behavioral challenges in addition to academic needs. -Become an integral member of the AmeriCorps community and participate in all AmeriCorps trainings, events, and projects. -Attend all Reading Assist training sessions and events. -Teach students in schools according to the Reading Assist Intervention program: -Prepare lesson plans tailored to individual student needs. -Work with a coach to provide individualized instruction. -Meet with coach regularly to discuss intervention and student progress. -Monitor student progress and input data. -Communicate with coaches, school liaisons, and Reading Assist staff members in a timely and professional manner. -Maintain records as required, including student attendance and AmeriCorps hours. -Help to recruit additional Reading Assist Fellows.
   
   Program Benefits : Relocation Allowance , Health Coverage , Childcare assistance if eligible , Training , Education award upon successful completion of service , Living Allowance .
   Terms :
   
   Car recommended , Permits working at another job during off hours , Permits attendance at school during off hours .
   
   Service Areas :
   
   Children/Youth , Education .
   
   Skills :
   
   None

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find reading assistants for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any reading assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level reading assistants with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit reading assistants, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 reading assistant

   Once you've selected the best reading 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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new reading assistant. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a reading assistant?