Protective Service · Holland code SCR
School Bus Monitors
Maintain order among students on a school bus. Duties include helping students safely board and exit and communicating behavioral problems. May perform pretrip and posttrip inspections and prepare for and assist in emergency evacuations.
Also called: Bus Aide, Bus Assistant, Bus Monitor, Bus Paraeducator, Bus Attendant, School Bus Aide, School Transportation Aide, SPED Bus Aide (Special Ed Bus Aide).
O*NET 33-9094.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $35,100
- Middle half earn $31,760 to $37,760. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Buckle seatbelts or fasten wheelchair tie-down straps to secure passengers for transportation.
- Escort young children across roads or highways.
- Assist children with disabilities or children with psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues with boarding and exiting the school bus.
- Monitor the conduct of students to maintain discipline and safety.
- Evacuate students from the school bus in emergency situations.
- Direct students boarding and exiting the school bus.
- Direct students evacuating the bus during safety drills.
- Operate a wheelchair lift to load or unload wheelchairs.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Monitoring3.8 / 5
- Speaking3.3 / 5
- Active Listening3.0 / 5
- Critical Thinking2.9 / 5
- Reading Comprehension2.8 / 5
- Writing2.8 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Public Safety and Security3.7 / 5
- English Language3.5 / 5
- Transportation3.3 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service3.2 / 5
- Education and Training2.9 / 5
- Psychology2.8 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic41
- Investigative9
- Artistic12
- Social71
- Enterprising16
- Conventional63
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- bus route supervisor · DE Fahrdienstleiter Busverkehr/Fahrdienstleiterin Busverkehr · FR responsable exploitation bus
- school bus attendant · DE Schulbusbegleiter · FR accompagnateur de bus scolaire/accompagnatrice de bus scolaire
- crossing guard · DE Verkehrshelfer/Verkehrshelferin · FR signaleur/signaleuse
- vehicle maintenance attendant · DE Helfer im Bereich Fahrzeugbau und -instandhaltung/Helferin im Bereich Fahrzeugbau und -instandhaltung · FR mécanicien d’entretien en automobile/mécanicienne d’entretien en automobile
- train driver · DE Schienenfahrzeugführer/Schienenfahrzeugführerin · FR conducteur de train/conductrice de train
- patient transport services driver · DE Krankentransportfahrer/Krankentransportfahrerin · FR conducteur accompagnateur de personnes à mobilité réduite/conductrice accompagnatrice de personnes à mobilité réduite
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Bus and coach drivers (8212)117,600 employed
- Childminders (6114)42,900 employed
- Nannies and au pairs (6116)22,400 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €39,630 |
| Netherlands | €37,567 |
| Austria | €37,304 |
| Sweden | €36,005 |
| Germany | €34,433 |
| Ireland | €32,617 |
| France | €28,550 |
| Italy | €28,330 |
| Spain | €24,409 |
| Portugal | €11,309 |
| Poland | €10,259 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
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