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The differences between teaching assistants and instructional assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a teaching assistant has an average salary of $36,519, which is higher than the $32,170 average annual salary of an instructional assistant.
The top three skills for a teaching assistant include lab experiments, laboratory experiments and TA. The most important skills for an instructional assistant are CPR, math, and instructional materials.
| Teaching Assistant | Instructional Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $36,519 | $32,170 |
| Hourly rate | $17.56 | $15.47 |
| Growth rate | - | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 59,465 | 50,185 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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 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.
Teaching assistants and instructional assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Teaching Assistant | Instructional Assistant | |
| Average salary | $36,519 | $32,170 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $59,000 | Between $23,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Philadelphia, PA | Salem, OR |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Pace University | Kern Community College District |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a teaching assistant and an instructional assistant in terms of educational background:
| Teaching Assistant | Instructional Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | - | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between teaching assistants' and instructional assistants' demographics:
| Teaching Assistant | Instructional Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.4% Female, 57.6% | Male, 27.3% Female, 72.7% |
| 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, 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% |