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Occupation Profile
Teaching Assistants, Special Education

What do they do?

Assist a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher to provide academic, social, or life skills to students who have learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Serve in a position for which a teacher has primary responsibility for the design and implementation of educational programs and services.
Typical interests of people in this field:
Conventional, Social

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What does this information tell me?

This description can give you a quick overview of what you might do if you worked in this job.

“Typical interests of people in this field” shows the main types of interests related to this occupation, based on categories from the Interest Assessment. You’ll see one, two, or three “interest types” that are strongest for the occupation.

You can read more about these interest types and learn more about your own interests by taking the Interest Assessment.

You can use this information to see if this career might be a good match for what you are interested in and like to do. 

What is the source of this information?

The occupation description and the related interests come from O*NET OnLine’s Occupation Information.

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Also known as

  • Special Education Aide
  • Special Education Paraprofessional
  • Special Education Teacher Assistant
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What does this information tell me?

This is a list of other names for the occupation you selected. Sometimes different employers, industries, or parts of the country use different names for the same career.

You can use these names as substitutes for the career name when you’re looking for more information online or searching for job postings.

What is the source of this information?

These alternate titles come from O*NET OnLine’s Occupation Information.

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Career video

https://cdn.careeronestop.org/OccVids/OccupationVideos/25-9041.00.mp4
Transcript:Teacher assistants work under a licensed teacher’s supervision to give students of all ages additional attention and instruction, either one-on-one or in small groups. Teacher assistants— also called teacher aides and paraprofessionals— monitor students’ progress, and help them to learn the material that teachers present. Assistants may grade tests and check homework, or for young children at childcare centers, they may supervise playtime, and help with feeding and basic care. Some teacher assistants work only with special education students. Assistants may adapt material to the student’s learning style and help with understanding, while for students with more severe disabilities, teacher assistants help with basic needs, such as eating and personal hygiene. With young adult students who have disabilities, assistants may teach skills necessary for finding a job or living independently after graduation. Some teacher assistants supervise students in a specific location, such as computer labs, recess, or in the lunchroom. Part-time schedules are common for teacher assistants, sometimes including riding the bus with students before and after school. Many work the nine-month school year, though some also work summers. Teacher assistants have a high rate of illnesses and injuries. Teacher assistants typically need to have completed at least two years of college coursework, or an associate’s degree.
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What does this information tell me?

This career video gives more information about the career you selected.

You can view the complete video script by clicking “View Transcript” above.

This video is one of hundreds of downloadable career videos in CareerOneStop’s Video Library.

What is the source of this information?

These career videos were produced by CareerOneStop (newer videos) or by a national video consortium, which includes many state workforce agencies. Data and information the videos are from the Occupational Outlook Handbook and O*NET OnLine’s Occupation Information.

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How much does it pay?

Annual wages for Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary* in United States


Wage Chart for Occupation
$29,500 $40,720


Wage Chart legend for lowest 25 percent
  One out of four earn less than $29,500
Wage Chart legend for middle 50 percent
  Half earn between $29,500 and $40,720
Wage Chart legend for highest 25 percent
  One out of four earn more than $40,720

* You’re seeing wage information for Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary because we don’t have information for Teaching Assistants, Special Education.

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What does this information tell me?

This chart shows you a range of how much most workers in this occupation earn per hour, in the location that you selected.

The lower rate on the left shows what 25 percent of all workers in this field earn less than, and 75 percent earn more than. If you are just starting out, you can assume you might make closer to this amount than the higher amount, although this is not necessarily a “starting wage.” Often workers with more experience and training earn wages at the higher end.

You can learn more about wages for this and other occupations by clicking “See more wages” above.

What is the source of this information?

The wage information comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Program, a semi-annual survey that provides wage and employment statistics for the nation, each state, and sub-state regions.

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Will there be jobs?

Image. Employment outlook for this occupation
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.


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What does this information tell me?

Outlook information can tell you whether a career is expected to be in demand in the future—that is, whether there are likely to be job openings if you choose this career. Please note that this does not account for the impacts of the current pandemic. Many occupations are likely to have very different outlooks due to the rapidly changing economy. When new outlook information is developed, it will be reflected here.

Careers can have one of three outlooks:

  • A Bright outlook means new job opportunities are very likely in the future
  • An Average outlook means that a small number of new job opportunities are likely in the future (less than an 8 percent increase)
  • A Below average outlook means new job opportunities are less likely in the future

You can also view local job listings in this field by clicking "Find job openings" above. This can help you see if local businesses are hiring—another way of looking at demand.

What is the source of this information?

This information comes from O*NET Bright Outlook occupations and My Next Move career outlook designations (based on Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2023-33). It is only available at a national level, so even if you selected a state, you’ll only see this information for the whole country.

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How much education do you need?

Typical education needed for entry: Some college, no degree
Chart. Percent of workers in this field by education level attained

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What does this information tell me?

There are two pieces of information here:

  • The first sentence tells you the typical level of education that you would need to start in this career. You can use this to see if you have, or want to get, the education level usually needed for this career.
  • The chart shows you the range of education levels that people who currently work in this field have. You can use this to see if you fit in this range.

Note that these two may be different since the chart includes ALL people who work in this field and not just those getting started.

For example, sometimes career requirements change. People already in the field may not be required to have the higher level of education that new workers need.

You can search for programs that lead to the education needed for this career in your local area, by clicking “Find local training” above.

What is the source of this information?

These data come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, Education and training assignments by detailed occupation, 2023; and Educational attainment for workers 25 years and older by detailed occupation, 2021-22.

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No work activities data found for the given occupation and location.