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What does a teaching assistant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
Quoted expert
David McMahan Ph.D.
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.

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Teaching assistant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real teaching assistant resumes:

  • 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.
  • Mentore and direct weekly study sessions for first year physical therapy students, emphasizing clinical and functional anatomy course content.
  • Guide students to understand and utilize mathematical concepts including algebra, geometry, and trigonometry.
  • Instruct students in composition and rhetoric.
  • Perform gel electrophoresis on multiple sample types.
  • Develop and implement a new lab unit focuse on plant ecology.
  • Help students conduct PCR, blotting, chromotography, and other techniques.
  • Answer questions and teach concepts within algebra, trigonometry, and calculus.
  • Instruct a variety of grade level students ranging from college freshman to senior.
  • Work with high school students in Pre-calculus by offering homework help and exam preparation.

Teaching assistant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 20% of Teaching Assistants are proficient in Lab Experiments, Laboratory Experiments, and TA.

We break down the percentage of Teaching Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Lab Experiments, 20%

    Assisted in the design of process control and data acquisition student lab experiments for junior and senior chemical engineering unit-operations courses.

  • Laboratory Experiments, 10%

    Developed and organized introductory undergraduate geology laboratory experiments for mineral/rock identification and structural analysis.

  • TA, 6%

    Prepared and delivered weekly lesson plans for an Introduction to Economics recitation in collaboration with another TA.

  • Organic Chemistry, 6%

    Supervised undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory.

  • Mathematics, 6%

    Guided student preparation for university mathematics

  • Undergraduate Courses, 4%

    Graduate courses: Introduction to Data Analysis Undergraduate courses: Quantitative Research Methods; Introduction to Comparative Politics; Environmental Public Policy

Common skills that a teaching assistant uses to do their job include "lab experiments," "laboratory experiments," and "ta." You can find details on the most important teaching assistant responsibilities below.

See the full list of teaching assistant skills

The three companies that hire the most teaching assistants are:

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Compare different teaching assistants

Teaching assistant vs. Math tutor

A math tutor's role is to provide mathematical lessons on an individual or small group setting. Most sessions take place after class or during the weekends, usually outside school premises or at home. The tutor's responsibility is to develop strategies for better learning, address difficulties, assist in homework and advanced studies, evaluate progress, and provide encouragement to a student. It is also essential for a math tutor to establish rapport, providing a student with a healthy learning environment.

If we compare the average teaching assistant annual salary with that of a math tutor, we find that math tutors typically earn a $1,910 lower salary than teaching assistants make annually.Even though teaching assistants and math tutors are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require organic chemistry, course materials, and review sessions in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, teaching assistant responsibilities require skills like "lab experiments," "laboratory experiments," "ta," and "mathematics." Meanwhile a typical math tutor has skills in areas such as "math," "kids," "linear algebra," and "geometry." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Math tutors earn the highest salaries when working in the professional industry, with an average yearly salary of $35,916. On the other hand, teaching assistants are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $35,860.The education levels that math tutors earn slightly differ from teaching assistants. In particular, math tutors are 7.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a teaching assistant. Additionally, they're 2.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Teaching assistant vs. Tutor

Tutors are individual contributors who make sure that students assigned to them can understand classroom lessons. They are often full-time educators themselves, but they may also be working in other fields and are only passionate about teaching. Tutors usually meet students after school to go over any lesson that the students find challenging. They assist students with their homework or other schoolwork that the students may need help in. At times, tutors are tapped to help students study for future lessons, meaning that they go through classroom lessons in advance.

Tutor positions earn lower pay than teaching assistant roles. They earn a $2,521 lower salary than teaching assistants per year.A few skills overlap for teaching assistants and tutors. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "organic chemistry," "mathematics," and "course materials. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real teaching assistant resumes. While teaching assistant responsibilities can utilize skills like "lab experiments," "laboratory experiments," "ta," and "undergraduate courses," tutors use skills like "math," "academic subjects," "muse," and "literature."

Tutors earn a lower average salary than teaching assistants. But tutors earn the highest pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $37,356. Additionally, teaching assistants earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $35,860 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Tutors tend to reach lower levels of education than teaching assistants. In fact, they're 6.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for teaching assistants in the next 3-5 years?

David McMahan Ph.D.David McMahan Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Charles A. Dana Professor of Religious Studies, Franklin and Marshall College

Technology is moving so fast that it is unpredictable. One of the most important skills you can have is working with a several thousand years old technology: writing. If you're a good writer, it opens up possibilities that aren't there for those who can't write.

Teaching assistant vs. Adjunct lecturer

An Adjunct Lecturer is responsible for teaching college classes. They prepare course guides, teach content that matches courses standards, and assist students with inquiries outside of class.

An average adjunct lecturer eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of teaching assistants. The difference in salaries amounts to adjunct lecturers earning a $43,138 higher average salary than teaching assistants.Using the responsibilities included on teaching assistants and adjunct lecturers resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "organic chemistry," "mathematics," and "undergraduate courses.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a teaching assistant is likely to be skilled in "lab experiments," "laboratory experiments," "ta," and "review sessions," while a typical adjunct lecturer is skilled in "excellent interpersonal," "rehabilitation," "course syllabus," and "literature."

Adjunct lecturers make a very good living in the education industry with an average annual salary of $95,827. On the other hand, teaching assistants are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $35,860.adjunct lecturers typically earn higher educational levels compared to teaching assistants. Specifically, they're 20.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 6.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Teaching assistant vs. Adjunct faculty

Adjunct faculty is the collective term for adjunct professors or lecturers. The adjunct faculty teaches students based on the limited-term of their contract. Oftentimes, they teach preparatory or introductory courses by semester arrangement for the entire academic year. Most of them are employed in higher education. Unlike regular professors, adjunct faculty do not have benefits and are not required to be present in meetings. They can work as either a contract professor or a part-time professor.

Adjunct faculties tend to earn a higher pay than teaching assistants by an average of $46,550 per year.While both teaching assistants and adjunct faculties complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like mathematics, undergraduate courses, and course materials, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between teaching assistants and adjunct faculties, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a teaching assistant might have more use for skills like "lab experiments," "laboratory experiments," "ta," and "organic chemistry." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of adjunct faculties require skills like "student learning," "philosophy," "professional development," and "course syllabus. "

In general, adjunct faculties earn the most working in the government industry, with an average salary of $115,189. The highest-paying industry for a teaching assistant is the education industry.The average resume of adjunct faculties showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to teaching assistants. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 16.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 5.9%.

Types of teaching assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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