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The differences between teaching assistants and student instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a student instructor has an average salary of $49,436, 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 student instructor are kids, professional development, and classroom management.
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.
Typically, a Student Instructor engages students in learning the assignments, materials, pacing, resources, and activities. Student Instructors learn and enforce questioning and discussion strategies in promoting knowledge acquisition and student participation. Typically, they are studying at a graduate or college level. They eventually assume most responsibilities of teachers in the class like lesson planning, class management, and assessment.
Teaching assistants and student instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Teaching Assistant | Student Instructor | |
| Average salary | $36,519 | $49,436 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $59,000 | Between $32,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | Philadelphia, PA | Bakersfield, CA |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | California |
| Best paying company | Pace University | Kern Community College District |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a teaching assistant and a student instructor in terms of educational background:
| Teaching Assistant | Student Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between teaching assistants' and student instructors' demographics:
| Teaching Assistant | Student Instructor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.4% Female, 57.6% | Male, 49.1% Female, 50.9% |
| 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, 11.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 11.1% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |