How to hire a school aide

How to hire a school aide, step by step

Here's a step-by-step school aide hiring guide:

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

What does a school aide do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the school aide you need to hire. Certain school aide 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a school aide 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 school aide that fits the bill.

   This list presents school aide salaries for various positions.

   Type of School Aide	Description	Hourly rate
   School Aide	Teacher assistants work under a teacher’s supervision to give students additional attention and instruction.	$10-18
   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
   Child Care Teacher	A child care teacher is responsible for educating young learners, observing their personal and social behaviors. They also prepare engaging and fun activities for the children, ensuring their safety and security... Show more	$6-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CPR
   • Role Model
   • Direct Supervision
   • Child Care
   • Behavioral Problems
   • Office Equipment
   • Lunch Periods
   • Lunch Room
   • After-School Program
   • Homework Assignments
   • Instructional Materials
   • Classroom Environment
   • IEP
   • Applied Behavior Analysis

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Train in CPR to effectively manage emergency situations.
   • Administer medication to members, CPR certify.
   • Provide support appropriate to the students' abilities and identify IEP goals.
   • Provide emotional support for one student with learning disabilities along with IEP procedures.
   • Evaluate all sorts of Mac/Windows software (PageMaker, PowerPoint, etc).
   • Conduct individual exercise instruction as prescribed by supervising therapist, significantly resulting in improving the overall well being of many patients.

   More school aide duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the school aide job description is a good way to get more applicants. A school aide 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 school aide in Louisiana may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level school aide. Additionally, a school aide with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average school aide salary

   $14.37hourly

   $29,896 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level school aide salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 30, 2026

   Average school aide salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$35,419	$17
   2	California	$34,655	$17
   3	New Jersey	$33,675	$16
   4	District of Columbia	$33,652	$16
   5	Illinois	$29,405	$14
   6	Utah	$28,675	$14
   7	Michigan	$28,516	$14
   8	Colorado	$28,488	$14
   9	Nevada	$28,135	$14
   10	Missouri	$27,995	$13
   11	Pennsylvania	$27,793	$13
   12	Arizona	$27,724	$13
   13	Georgia	$24,540	$12
   14	Florida	$24,386	$12
   15	South Carolina	$24,277	$12
   16	Indiana	$24,188	$12
   17	Texas	$22,917	$11

   Average school aide salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	St. Clare Catholic School	$36,986	$17.78	12
   2	Valley View School District	$36,250	$17.43
   3	Benicia Unified School District	$35,169	$16.91
   4	Hemet Unified School District	$34,501	$16.59
   5	Santa Rosa City Schools	$34,476	$16.57
   6	Westlake Charter School	$34,178	$16.43	3
   7	Bear Valley Unified School District	$33,721	$16.21	2
   8	EASTCONN	$33,630	$16.17	6
   9	Eastern Suffolk BOCES	$33,154	$15.94
   10	Newton Public Schools	$32,839	$15.79	4
   11	Hackensack Meridian Health	$32,833	$15.79	75
   12	Irving Isd	$32,753	$15.75	24
   13	Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District	$32,673	$15.71
   14	Visalia Unified School District	$32,218	$15.49
   15	Buena Vista University	$31,455	$15.12	21
   16	Yale New Haven Health	$31,208	$15.00	19
   17	American Medical Association	$31,096	$14.95
   18	Charter Schools USA	$31,024	$14.92	1
   19	Maxim Healthcare Group	$30,990	$14.90	44
   20	NORTH	$30,869	$14.84

4. Writing a school aide job description

   A job description for a school aide 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 school aide job description:

   School aide job description example

   SUMMARY DESCRIPTION:
   
   At the direction of the principal, assists teachers by performing a variety of tasks that promote student learning and well-being. Works individually and in small groups to reinforce instruction, monitor performance, and support learning. This position also performs a variety of instructional and classroom management supports, as well as related clerical tasks to support teachers and other professional staff in all classrooms or learning environments.
   
   CERTIFICATE LICENSE:
   
   None
   
   KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES:
   
   Knowledge of child development, instructional strategies and practices applicable to assignment, and instructional goals and policies of Montgomery County Public Schools. Ability to assist with implementation of the instructional program and to participate in monitoring and ensuring appropriate student behavior. Ability to exhibit patient behavior and to work effectively with children, young adults, and staff members. Ability to follow written and verbal instructions and to perform all required tasks. Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing. Ability to read/write/speak English. Ability to interact with and support students with special needs. Knowledge of standard desktop computer hardware and software such as MS Office products and database software. Knowledge of and the ability to meet the seven core competencies of the Supporting Services Professional Growth System (SSPGS).
   
   EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE:
   
   These requirements are in order of preference. 1. AA degree, required. Bachelor s degree preferred. College course work should include a minimum of nine credit-hours related to education field such as behavior management, instructional strategies, and one year experience working with students in structured educational (or academic) situations preferred. Or: If no related education course work, then two to four years experience working with children and adolescents required. I.e. working in a structured setting such as a daycare, pre-school, etc. required. 2. Or at least 48 college credits and two years of experience in an education related field including preschool, adult day program, after school program, extended day, or school/non-school based departments, etc. 3. Or two years of experience in an education related field including nursery school, adult day program, after school program, extended day, or school/non-school based departments, etc., and successful completion of the ParaPro Assessment with a qualifying score of 455 or higher is required. I.e. Opportunity for current supporting services employees 4. Any combinations of applicable education, training, and experience which provide the knowledge, abilities, and skills necessary to perform effectively in the position may be considered.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find school aides for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit school aides, 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.

   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 school aide

   Once you've found the school aide candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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 school aide 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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How much does it cost to hire a school aide?