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The differences between teaching assistants and assistant professors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an assistant professor has an average salary of $87,099, which is higher than the $36,519 average annual salary of a teaching assistant.
The top three skills for a teaching assistant include lab experiments, laboratory experiments and TA. The most important skills for an assistant professor are patients, public health, and pediatrics.
| Teaching Assistant | Assistant Professor | |
| Yearly salary | $36,519 | $87,099 |
| Hourly rate | $17.56 | $41.87 |
| Growth rate | - | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 59,465 | 30,531 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
Teaching assistants are employees who aid teachers in activities needed to deliver lessons. They are usually junior employees or even students who are doing part-time work. Teaching assistants usually set up classrooms, prepare handouts, and give out these handouts in the classroom. They may also be tapped to help prepare presentation materials, source items for classroom demonstration purposes, and assist in the conduct of the lesson. Teaching assistants also help collect schoolwork from students and may also assist teachers in checking schoolwork.
An assistant professor is an entry-level position who teaches in a university, conducts research, and assists senior professors. Assistant professors supervise undergraduate and graduate students at the same time provide professors and department heads with feedback on the progress of their students. To be effective in teaching and mentoring students, assistant professors must possess strong communication skills with advanced knowledge of their field. They must also have a Ph. D degree in the relevant academic discipline as well as teaching experience in a university setting.
Teaching assistants and assistant professors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Teaching Assistant | Assistant Professor | |
| Average salary | $36,519 | $87,099 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $59,000 | Between $50,000 And $151,000 |
| Highest paying City | Philadelphia, PA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Pace University | UT Medical Group, Inc. |
| Best paying industry | Education | Government |
There are a few differences between a teaching assistant and an assistant professor in terms of educational background:
| Teaching Assistant | Assistant Professor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | - | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between teaching assistants' and assistant professors' demographics:
| Teaching Assistant | Assistant Professor | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.4% Female, 57.6% | Male, 55.5% Female, 44.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 11.6% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 17.4% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 16% |