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The differences between student teachers and teacher assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a student teacher has an average salary of $59,035, which is higher than the $27,103 average annual salary of a teacher assistant.
The top three skills for a student teacher include classroom management, math and language arts. The most important skills for a teacher assistant are CPR, child care, and mathematics.
| Student Teacher | Teacher Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $59,035 | $27,103 |
| Hourly rate | $28.38 | $13.03 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 79,071 | 77,358 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A student-teacher is responsible for assisting their supervising instructors in maintaining the class orderliness during lectures and class activities. Student teachers' duties include helping with lesson plans, organizing learning activities, managing student behaviors, observing classroom procedures, preparing visual materials and other educational equipment, providing feedback for students, and keeping students' records for evaluation. A student-teacher must maintain excellent communication and decision-making skills to set goals and make consistent progress to the class while keeping students engaged.
Teacher assistants are responsible for aiding teachers in their needs inside the classroom. They help teachers prepare for lessons in class, set up equipment, distribute educational materials to students, and monitor the progress of the students. Teacher assistants also help in managing the children in the classroom, as well as providing the necessary assistance a child may need. This may include helping with the lessons by going table to table, assisting in writing exercises, and tutoring kids one-to-one. Teacher assistants are required to have patience, flexibility, and classroom management skills.
Student teachers and teacher assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Student Teacher | Teacher Assistant | |
| Average salary | $59,035 | $27,103 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $74,000 | Between $21,000 And $34,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Coventry, RI |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Great Hearts Academies | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Education | Finance |
There are a few differences between a student teacher and a teacher assistant in terms of educational background:
| Student Teacher | Teacher Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Elementary Education | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between student teachers' and teacher assistants' demographics:
| Student Teacher | Teacher Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.4% Female, 73.6% | Male, 21.5% Female, 78.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 3.7% White, 69.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 7.8% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 6% |