Education, Training, and Library · Holland code SCE

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

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.

Also called: Instructional Assistant, Paraeducator, Paraprofessional, TA (Teacher Assistant), Classroom Aide, Educational Assistant, Kindergarten Assistant, Preschool Aide.

O*NET 25-9042.00

At a glance

Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 27% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 3 of 5; Medium 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.

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.
Take class attendance and maintain attendance records.
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.
Present subject matter to students under the direction and guidance of teachers, using lectures, discussions, supervised role-playing methods, or by reading aloud.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.8 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.6 / 5
Speaking3.6 / 5
Writing3.4 / 5
Critical Thinking3.4 / 5
Learning Strategies3.4 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.1 / 5
English Language3.8 / 5
Psychology3.8 / 5
Mathematics3.5 / 5
Education and Training3.5 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.3 / 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.

Realistic26
Investigative22
Artistic30
Social92
Enterprising33
Conventional54

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)

special educational needs teacher · DE Sonderpädagoge/Sonderpädagogin · FR enseignant spécialisé/enseignante spécialisée
special educational needs teacher primary school · DE Sonderpädagoge Primarstufe/Sonderpädagogin Primarstufe · FR instituteur spécialisé d’école primaire/institutrice spécialisée d’école primaire
special educational needs teacher secondary school · DE Sonderpädagoge Sekundarstufe/Sonderpädagogin Sekundarstufe · FR professeur spécialisé de l’enseignement général/professeure spécialisée de l’enseignement général
sign language interpreter · DE Gebärdensprachdolmetscher/Gebärdensprachdolmetscherin · FR interprète en langue des signes
engineering assistant · DE Ingenieurassistent/Ingenieurassistentin · FR assistant d’ingénieur/assistante d’ingénieur
early years teaching assistant · DE Kindergartenhelfer/Kindergartenhelferin · FR assistant pédagogique en école maternelle/assistante pédagogique en école maternelle

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Higher level teaching assistants (3231)62,100 employed
Teaching assistants (6112)151,100 employed
Educational support assistants (6113)327,200 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 “Service and sales workers”. 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, Service and sales workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€32,957
Sweden	€32,596
Netherlands	€29,198
Austria	€29,068
Germany	€27,471
Ireland	€26,978
Italy	€24,995
France	€24,971
Spain	€18,303
Portugal	€10,656
Poland	€7,579

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.

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