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The differences between teaching assistants and teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a teacher has an average salary of $47,989, 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 teacher are ESL, handle scheduling, and kids.
| Teaching Assistant | Teacher | |
| Yearly salary | $36,519 | $47,989 |
| Hourly rate | $17.56 | $23.07 |
| Growth rate | - | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 59,465 | 71,918 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.14 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| 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.
Being a teacher is one of the most passionate professions, among others. Teachers educate, motivate, and guide every generation of learners to prepare them for the real world. Every teacher is unique and has their own teaching styles and methods depending on the subject they teach and the age of their students. Oftentimes they also function as a parent, counselor, coach, friend, and even a lawmaker. There is essentially no limit to the roles a teacher portrays.
Teaching assistants and teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Teaching Assistant | Teacher | |
| Average salary | $36,519 | $47,989 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $59,000 | Between $32,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | Philadelphia, PA | Baltimore, MD |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Pace University | King Low Heywood Thomas |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a teaching assistant and a teacher in terms of educational background:
| Teaching Assistant | Teacher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Elementary Education |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between teaching assistants' and teachers' demographics:
| Teaching Assistant | Teacher | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.4% Female, 57.6% | Male, 25.7% Female, 74.3% |
| 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, 10.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 3.7% White, 68.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 9% |