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Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education

People classed as Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education assist a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher with instructional duties. The skills rated most useful are social perceptiveness, active listening, and speaking. A regular part of the work is to supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or on field trips. Interest ratings put Social on top at 6.5 out of 7 and Conventional second, so the code is SCE and the day leans toward helping, teaching or caring for people. Getting in usually takes one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree, a level O*NET calls medium preparation. If you want helping, teaching or caring for people, keep it on your list. If you need research, analysis and working through hard problems, it may feel thin.

What they do

Assist a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher with instructional duties. Serve in a position for which a teacher has primary responsibility for the design and implementation of educational programs and services.

Main tasks

  • Supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or on field trips.
  • Tutor and assist children individually or in small groups to help them master assignments and to reinforce learning concepts presented by teachers.
  • Enforce administration policies and rules governing students.
  • Teach social skills to students.
  • Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.
  • Discuss assigned duties with classroom teachers to coordinate instructional efforts.

Skills

  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Service Orientation
  • Coordination

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You get energy from helping other people move forward.
  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
  • You are comfortable relying on social perceptiveness and active listening.

May not suit you if

  • You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
  • You want to spend most of your time analyzing and researching. Investigative rates 2.3 out of 7 here.
  • You need to start within a few months, with no training period.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SCE takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.

Preparation

Medium preparation. Expect vocational school, an apprenticeship, related experience or an associate’s degree, usually one or two years in total.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Classroom Aide
  • Educational Assistant
  • Instructional Assistant
  • Kindergarten Assistant
  • Paraeducator

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.