Education, Training, and Library · Holland code SCI

Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary

Assist faculty or other instructional staff in postsecondary institutions by performing instructional support activities, such as developing teaching materials, leading discussion groups, preparing and giving examinations, and grading examinations or papers.

Also called: Graduate Assistant, Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA), Research Assistant (RA), Teaching Assistant (TA), Graduate Fellow, Graduate Research Assistant, Graduate Student, Graduate Student Instructor (GSI).

O*NET 25-9044.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $42,910; Middle half earn $35,270 to $60,510. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 57% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive 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.

Teach undergraduate-level courses.
Evaluate and grade examinations, assignments, or papers, and record grades.
Lead discussion sections, tutorials, or laboratory sections.
Develop teaching materials, such as syllabi, visual aids, answer keys, supplementary notes, or course Web sites.
Inform students of the procedures for completing and submitting class work, such as lab reports.
Return assignments to students in accordance with established deadlines.
Prepare or proctor examinations.
Tutor or mentor students who need additional instruction.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension3.9 / 5
Active Listening3.6 / 5
Speaking3.5 / 5
Learning Strategies3.4 / 5
Writing3.3 / 5
Critical Thinking3.1 / 5

Knowledge areas

English Language4.7 / 5
Education and Training4.5 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.5 / 5
Mathematics3.3 / 5
Communications and Media2.9 / 5
Psychology2.6 / 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.

Realistic19
Investigative36
Artistic17
Social92
Enterprising30
Conventional67

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)

university teaching assistant · DE Wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft · FR chargé de cours/chargée de cours

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Higher education teaching professionals (2311)258,500 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 “Professionals”. 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.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

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.

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test