How To Become A Special Education Teaching Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a special education teaching assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Patricia Rogan Ph.D.,

Dr. Christian Wilkens Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a special education teaching assistant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.89 an hour? That's $33,060 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 55,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a special education teaching assistant?

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 Teaching AssistantUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $33,060

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.5

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.44%

Asian 8.73%

Black or African American 9.43%

Hispanic or Latino 16.37%

Unknown 4.69%

White 59.35%

Gender

female 76.08%

male 23.92%

Age - 45

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 - 45

Stress level

4.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

3.7

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a special education teaching assistant

Explore special education teaching assistant education requirements

Most common special education teaching assistant degrees

Bachelor's

65.5 %

Master's

14.9 %

Associate

13.4 %

Start to develop specific special education teaching assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Autism	20.69%
IEP	8.49%
CPR	8.19%
Professional Development	6.51%
Classroom Management	5.30%

Research special education teaching assistant duties and responsibilities

Lead small group and one-to-one lessons in science and mathematics which are tailored to individual student needs and learning styles.
Perform responsible human support and paraprofessional work assisting classroom teacher or other professionals, achieve institution objectives.
Experience in working with children with disabilities including autism, Down's-Syndrome, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Train in CPI restraints for combative children.

Prepare your special education teaching assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your special education teaching assistant 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 teaching assistant 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 teaching assistant resume templates

Build a professional special education teaching assistant 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 teaching assistant resume.

Apply for special education teaching assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a special education teaching assistant 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

Average special education teaching assistant salary

The average special education teaching assistant salary in the United States is $33,060 per year or $16 per hour. Special education teaching assistant salaries range between $25,000 and $42,000 per year.

Average special education teaching assistant salary

$33,060 Yearly

$15.89 hourly

How do special education teaching assistants rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Special education teaching assistant 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 teaching assistant and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a special education teaching assistant?

Special education teaching assistant career paths

Key steps to become a special education teaching assistant

Explore special education teaching assistant education requirements

Most common special education teaching assistant degrees

Start to develop specific special education teaching assistant skills

Research special education teaching assistant duties and responsibilities

Prepare your special education teaching assistant resume

Choose from 10+ customizable special education teaching assistant resume templates

Apply for special education teaching assistant jobs

How did you land your first special education teaching assistant job

Average special education teaching assistant salary

How do special education teaching assistants rate their job?

Special education teaching assistant reviews