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Teaching assistant vs graduate teaching assistant

The differences between teaching assistants and graduate teaching assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a graduate teaching assistant has an average salary of $44,994, 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 a graduate teaching assistant are lab experiments, laboratory sections, and undergraduate courses.

Teaching assistant vs graduate teaching assistant overview

Teaching AssistantGraduate Teaching Assistant
Yearly salary$36,519$44,994
Hourly rate$17.56$21.63
Growth rate--
Number of jobs59,46512,598
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age4444
Years of experience--

What does a teaching assistant do?

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.

What does a graduate teaching assistant do?

A Graduate Teaching Assistant may work in Learning Facilities by teaching short courses under supervision or assist the Faculty Staff in various aspects such as research. They can also lend a hand in preparing and creating learning materials such as presentations, handouts, and other teaching-related tasks. Furthermore, among the duties of a Graduate Teaching Assistant may include handling written reports, preparing or cleaning laboratories and facilities, grading and evaluating students' papers, and preparing examinations or other quiz material.

Teaching assistant vs graduate teaching assistant salary

Teaching assistants and graduate teaching assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Teaching AssistantGraduate Teaching Assistant
Average salary$36,519$44,994
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $59,000Between $27,000 And $74,000
Highest paying CityPhiladelphia, PATerre Haute, IN
Highest paying statePennsylvaniaPennsylvania
Best paying companyPace UniversityCalifornia State University, Fullerton
Best paying industryEducationEducation

Differences between teaching assistant and graduate teaching assistant education

There are a few differences between a teaching assistant and a graduate teaching assistant in terms of educational background:

Teaching AssistantGraduate Teaching Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common majorPsychologyBiology
Most common college-Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Teaching assistant vs graduate teaching assistant demographics

Here are the differences between teaching assistants' and graduate teaching assistants' demographics:

Teaching AssistantGraduate Teaching Assistant
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 42.4% Female, 57.6%Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6%
Race ratioBlack 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, 11.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between teaching assistant and graduate teaching assistant duties and responsibilities

Teaching assistant example responsibilities.

  • Lead well-received labs aim at students learning SAS including: data step, general regression models building and plots generating.
  • Develop and lead ELA lessons at the 8th grade level, with an emphasis on critical reading and literary analysis.
  • Assist classmates with developing positive study habits and strategies for managing classroom material.
  • Lead discussion sections for students to understand concepts including introductory quantum theory and statistical thermodynamics as well as their applications.
  • Develop expanded communication and teaching skills on explaining the human anatomy and its functions to achieve student understanding and patient education.
  • Organize and run review sessions design to help students better understand concepts of animal anatomy and physiology.
  • Show more

Graduate teaching assistant example responsibilities.

  • Accomplish assessment of PU foam samples base on morphology by SEM and optical microscope.
  • Assist classmates with developing positive study habits and strategies for managing classroom material.
  • Tutor calculus, algebra, probability, financial mathematics and others as requested.
  • Learned advance PCR techniques and troubleshooting.
  • Analyze yield of Suzuki reaction using HPLC.
  • Develop method for analysis of steroids in herbal medicines using HPLC.
  • Show more

Teaching assistant vs graduate teaching assistant skills

Common teaching assistant skills
  • Lab Experiments, 20%
  • Laboratory Experiments, 10%
  • TA, 6%
  • Organic Chemistry, 6%
  • Mathematics, 6%
  • Undergraduate Courses, 4%
Common graduate teaching assistant skills
  • Lab Experiments, 22%
  • Laboratory Sections, 8%
  • Undergraduate Courses, 8%
  • Organic Chemistry, 6%
  • Mathematics, 3%
  • Course Materials, 3%

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