How To Become A Special Education Para Professional: What It Is and Career Path

What is a special education para professional and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted experts

Patricia Rogan Ph.D.,

Tara Kirton

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a special education para professional. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.87 an hour? That's $33,013 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 20,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a special education para professional?

Patricia Rogan Ph.D.

Professor, Special Education/Urban Teacher Education, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

Education graduates should work to stand out in the crowd during their Student Teaching experiences and make connections with school administrators. After graduation, they should tap all possible personal/professional contacts for job leads, stay in touch with their university faculty, and NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. Our grads should interview schools as much as schools are interviewing them, so they find the right fit. Education graduates should remember that when they are interviewing and seeking employment, they should be asking questions that are important to them and align with their teaching values. It may make sense to take a short-term appointment (e.g., for maternity leave) in order to get a foot in the door in a district in which the graduate would like to work.

ScoreSpecial Education Para ProfessionalUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $33,013

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.38%

Asian 3.64%

Black or African American 9.33%

Hispanic or Latino 11.74%

Unknown 3.97%

White 70.95%

Gender

female 77.89%

male 22.11%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.5

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a special education para professional

Explore special education para professional education requirements

Most common special education para professional degrees

Bachelor's

58.5 %

Associate

19.5 %

Master's

8.3 %

Start to develop specific special education para professional skills

Skills	Percentages
Autism	28.67%
CPI	10.40%
Mathematics	9.00%
Instructional Support	8.33%
Student Learning	7.37%

Research special education para professional duties and responsibilities

Perform responsible human support and paraprofessional work assisting classroom teacher or other professionals, achieve institution objectives.
Work with the vocational classroom teaching student life skills * CPI certify
Assist in establishing unique programs and initiatives for students, para-professional educators, and substitutes in both academic and occupational environments.
Plan and instruct professional development for peers on RTI regulations, various educational computer software, and PowerPoint presentations.

Prepare your special education para professional resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your special education para professional resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a special education para professional resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable special education para professional resume templates

Build a professional special education para professional resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your special education para professional resume.

Apply for special education para professional jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a special education para professional job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do special education para professionals rate their job?

4/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Special education para professional reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2024

Cons

As a paraprofessional, you often get left out of Professional Development activities, vertical team meetings, etc. and have a limited capacity to influence educational decisions within the organization.

Pros

Helping students with various intellectual or behavior disabilities to be successful in the classroom and in life.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2023

Pros

The kids light up my days.

Cons

The demand and low pay. Teachers have families, too.

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2022

Pros

You got to work with learners who will love you unconditionally. It gives a great satisfaction to be able to help them. I love learners with Special Needs and I am a Mom of one.

Cons

I can't say, maybe because there is none.

What is a special education para professional and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a special education para professional?

Special education para professional career paths

Key steps to become a special education para professional

Explore special education para professional education requirements

Most common special education para professional degrees

Start to develop specific special education para professional skills

Research special education para professional duties and responsibilities

Prepare your special education para professional resume

Choose from 10+ customizable special education para professional resume templates

Apply for special education para professional jobs

How did you land your first special education para professional job

Average special education para professional salary

How do special education para professionals rate their job?

Special education para professional reviews