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The differences between teacher assistants and instructional assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an instructional assistant has an average salary of $32,170, which is higher than the $27,103 average annual salary of a teacher assistant.
The top three skills for a teacher assistant include CPR, child care and mathematics. The most important skills for an instructional assistant are CPR, math, and instructional materials.
| Teacher Assistant | Instructional Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $27,103 | $32,170 |
| Hourly rate | $13.03 | $15.47 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 77,358 | 50,185 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
An instructional assistant's role is to assist teachers and faculty members by performing various tasks. Their responsibilities will involve managing and monitoring the classroom environment, crafting visual aids and informative presentations, preparing laboratories and equipment, grading papers, recording data, and organizing schedules. An instructional assistant may also teach short courses when a teacher is not around, and provide tutorial sessions to small groups. Furthermore, they may also perform administrative tasks such as producing progress reports and necessary documentation, taking attendance, and responding to calls and correspondence.
Teacher assistants and instructional assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Teacher Assistant | Instructional Assistant | |
| Average salary | $27,103 | $32,170 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $34,000 | Between $23,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Coventry, RI | Salem, OR |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Alaska |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | Kern Community College District |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Education |
There are a few differences between a teacher assistant and an instructional assistant in terms of educational background:
| Teacher Assistant | Instructional Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Duke University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between teacher assistants' and instructional assistants' demographics:
| Teacher Assistant | Instructional Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.5% Female, 78.5% | Male, 27.3% Female, 72.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 8.2% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |