How to hire a speech pathologist assistant

How to hire a speech pathologist assistant, step by step

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

What does a speech pathologist assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the speech pathologist assistant you need to hire. Certain speech pathologist assistant 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

   A speech pathologist assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, speech pathologist assistants from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of speech pathologist assistant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Speech Pathologist Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Speech Pathologist Assistant		$18-42
   Speech Language Pathologist	A speech-language pathologist specializes in diagnosing disorders in speech, language, and communication among children and adults. They are also responsible for devising and providing suitable treatments and therapeutic solutions that would improve a patient's condition... Show more	$20-42
   Speech Pathologist	The job of speech pathologists is to diagnose, treat, and prevent speech, social communication, language, swallowing, and cognitive-communication disorders in both children and adults. They are responsible for providing aural rehabilitation for people with hearing impairment and hearing loss, and alternative and augmentative systems for people with severe language comprehension disorders such as progressive neurological disorders and the autism spectrum... Show more	$20-42

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Home Health
   • Language Disorders
   • Autism
   • Rehabilitation
   • IEP
   • Language Therapy
   • Communication Disorders
   • ABA
   • Therapeutic Services
   • Group Therapy
   • Speech Therapy
   • Data Collection
   • Language

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Help students to achieve goals gear toward behavior, ADL, and safety skills.
   • Provide care for children with the following diagnosis: autism, articulation disorder, language disorder, and down syndrome.
   • Assist in administering individual speech therapy to pediatric patients in outpatient clinical setting under supervision of license speech-language pathologist.
   • Provide inpatient/outpatient speech and language rehabilitative services for adult patients ages 18 and older in a sub-acute 70 bed rehabilitative center.
   • Utilize tactile symbols and AAC devices, such as the GoTalk32.
   • Observe and record behavior of students applying ABA and collecting data for research.

   More speech pathologist assistant duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average speech pathologist assistant salary

   $58,474yearly

   $28.11 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level speech pathologist assistant salary

   $38,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average speech pathologist assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Illinois	$79,026	$38
   2	Texas	$73,616	$35
   3	Washington	$73,409	$35
   4	California	$71,978	$35
   5	Oregon	$63,445	$31
   6	Oklahoma	$62,436	$30
   7	Hawaii	$59,896	$29
   8	Missouri	$58,721	$28
   9	New Hampshire	$58,129	$28
   10	Florida	$57,994	$28
   11	Arizona	$56,224	$27
   12	Ohio	$50,438	$24
   13	Colorado	$47,926	$23
   14	Maine	$42,383	$20

   Average speech pathologist assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Encompass Health	$87,584	$42.11	440
   2	Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	$85,854	$41.28
   3	Maxim Healthcare Group	$84,736	$40.74
   4	National Mentor Holdings Inc.	$79,642	$38.29
   5	Reliant Rehabilitation	$79,395	$38.17	8
   6	Accountable Healthcare Holdings Corp.	$79,091	$38.02
   7	Legacy Healthcare	$75,893	$36.49	122
   8	Therapy Source	$75,081	$36.10	61
   9	Soliant	$73,907	$35.53
   10	McAlester Regional Health Center	$73,610	$35.39	2
   11	Texana Center	$72,467	$34.84
   12	Chileda	$72,136	$34.68	1
   13	Spurwinkri	$71,158	$34.21
   14	ProCare Therapy	$69,660	$33.49
   15	Charter Corp.	$69,595	$33.46
   16	Seneca Resources	$68,295	$32.83
   17	Sunny Days	$67,496	$32.45	28
   18	Coe	$67,420	$32.41
   19	BrightStar Care	$67,011	$32.22	8
   20	Sheldon College	$66,643	$32.04

4. Writing a speech pathologist assistant job description

   A speech pathologist assistant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a speech pathologist assistant job description:

   Speech pathologist assistant job description example

   • Bachelors Degree in Speech Language Pathology or Communication Disorders
   • State SLP-A License
   • Experience working with K-12 kids

   A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A SLP-A

   As a Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant (SLP-A), you spend most of your day utilizing your excellent communication skills as you interact with a diverse population of students, teachers, specialists, parents, and colleagues to improve the lives of the children you work with. You provide high-quality speech-language therapy services to students based on their IEPs/504 plans. Conducting evaluations, assessments, analyzing results, and writing reports, you determine the strengths and areas of concern in speech, voice, fluency, pragmatics, language, and oral motor skills.

   In order to support students in their overall educational improvement, you assist in developing treatment plans (IEPs/504 plans). Helping students become successful in a school setting and beyond through speech-language therapy, is meaningful work that builds a rewarding career. Plus, boredom is never a factor because no two days are alike and every student is unique. As an SLP-A, you love being able to work with these exceptional students and aid them in their success.

   Do you have strong communication skills? Are you self-motivated? Are you patient and willing to problem solve? Can you easily connect with children and their parents? If so, you may be perfect for this SLP-A position!

   ARE YOU READY TO JOIN OUR TEAM?

   If you feel that would be right for this SLP-A position, please fill out our initial 3-minute, mobile-friendly application so that we can review your information. We look forward to meeting you!

   ABOUT PEDIATRIC DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES

   Pediatric Developmental Services (PDS) provides the nation's public school districts, charter schools, and communities at large with highly qualified pediatric therapists, including speech, occupational, and physical therapists. At PDS, we want to make a difference in the lives of children. From finding and training the best pediatric therapists to partnering them with the right schools and clinics in need, PDS supports win-win initiatives for all. From speech-language therapy to school psychology, our children deserve the best care possible, and at PDS, we make that happen.

   For every therapist that works for us, we offer real support and a tailored mentorship program . We know that they are essential in our mission to make a difference in the lives of children. This is why we also offer competitive compensation and great benefits .

   
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right speech pathologist assistant for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with speech pathologist assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit speech pathologist assistants who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your speech pathologist assistant job on Zippia to find and attract quality speech pathologist assistant candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with speech pathologist assistant candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 speech pathologist assistant

   Once you've selected the best speech pathologist 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 also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new speech pathologist assistant 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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