what is a teacher aide?

You support the teacher in classroom duties as a teaching assistant. While you assist with the learning and development of students, you perform non-teaching tasks. For instance, you prepare to teach materials and resources and perform general administrative work.

A teacher aide's job is more than arranging desks and photocopying worksheets. A happy, productive learning environment depends on a great classroom atmosphere – and that's where you come in. Helping learners with their work and supervising student behaviour creates an environment where every child can learn.

Outside the school, you assist with school trips and other activities such as parent-teacher evenings. The personal attention you give your learners, both in and out of the classroom, is vital to creating engaging, fulfilling classes.

As a teacher aide, you require exceptional qualities. For instance, enjoying working with kids and having a friendly, warm attitude are both critical. You spend most of your day helping children achieve their learning outcomes, and having an encouraging and patient demeanour with the students is crucial. Technical knowledge of teacher aide strategies is also required since you prepare classroom resources and gather the materials needed for a lesson. Sometimes, you also assist teachers with preparing lesson plans which require knowledge of the teaching aide strategies.

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average salary of a teacher aide

You earn an average of $30 per hour as a teacher aide. The pay package depends on work experience and educational qualifications. When you are new to the role, your earrings are around $23 per hour. As your experience improves, you can earn up to around $37 per hour.

factors affecting teacher aide pay

As a teacher aide, your working hours differ from workers in typical teacher roles. For instance, you can work part-time or on contracts covering only the school term. With contracts like this, you have more free time and the opportunity for summer work, but it reduces your take-home pay.

Your pay also depends on your location and the type of school you work in. Many schools follow local government pay scales, making pay reasonably predictable. However, non-government and selective-entry high schools don't need to adhere to these guidelines, and not every local authority uses them. As a result, pay varies depending on the type of school. The location influences pay since schools in metro areas pay more than in other regions.

Your qualifications also determine your pay. You will attract higher offers if you have training or experience working with special educational needs (SEN) teachers.

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types of teacher aides

Some of the types of teacher aides include:

  • general teacher aides: as a general teacher aide, you help school teachers with daily tasks associated with running a classroom. Your job is to provide training materials and help children who have trouble concentrating on improving learning outcomes. You can work with students of various ages, from young to secondary school students.
  • integration aides: as an integration teacher aide, you help children with special needs to improve their learning outcomes. You can also support kids with social, intellectual and physical issues. As an integration aide, you work with children with various conditions like autism spectrum disorder or down's syndrome.
  • early childhood teacher's aides: you work with preschool children of five years and below. Your work is to prepare the teachers materials and assist with classroom activities. For instance, you help the teacher with story time and art projects and supervise children during play to allow the teacher to finish their work.
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working as a teacher aide

If you enjoy working with kids and helping them achieve their learning outcomes, discover a teacher aide's daily duties, responsibilities and career outlook.

male and female having a laugh during a meeting in a meeting room.
male and female having a laugh during a meeting in a meeting room.
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education and skills

There are no specific requirements to become a teacher aide. However, many employers prefer to hire teacher aides who have experience working with young people.

  • work experience: most employers prefer candidates with considerable work experience. You can go for internships or take on entry-level positions to learn the ropes.

skills and competencies

Some of the qualities of a teacher aide include the following:

  • multitasking skills: as a teacher aide, you require great multitasking skills. Sometimes, you monitor children transitioning from one activity to another as you complete administrative tasks. Your multitasking skills help you accomplish your tasks.
  • resourcefulness: as a teacher aide, you are expected to adapt to the changes in the daily schedule. For instance, if the schedule changes, you should align the new schedule to the classroom resources. Resourcefulness helps you adapt to changes and create a stimulating learning environment for students.
  • leadership skills: even as a teacher aide taking up a supportive role, you are expected to lead the students. Leadership skills help you instruct and oversee group projects and other class activities.
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FAQs about working as a teacher aide

Here are the most asked questions about working as a teacher aide:

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