Teaching Assistant Salary – What To Expect
Teaching assistant salary is influenced by many factors that include work place, one’s qualification, experience and also the level and time period for which they work. There are teacher assistants at day care centers, kindergartens, elementary and middle schools, and universities. They assist the teaching staff in keeping the class composed during lessons and help the students with different activities according to their grades. They have the tasks like taking attendance, monitoring play grounds and updating student records also. As a single person cannot give enough attention to every student present while teaching the teachers need someone who could help their students in keeping pace with the lesson. The assistant often can take the time to reinforce key points taught during the lesson by the teacher. Occasionally a student will need someone to work very closely with them to make sure they truly understand the given topic. These problems are solved by the presence of a teacher assistant.
Following the U.S. bureau of Labor Statistics, the average teaching assistant salary was $22,200 in 2008. Payscale.com also shows that the range of salary of a teacher assistant is from $17,823 to $25,964 in 2011. Benefits like health care coverage are generally available to full-time teaching assistants. According to the statistics, 40% of the teaching assistants are working part time. The employment market for the teaching assistants is expected to grow 10% more by 2018 according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now we will be discussing in details the factors which determine the teaching assistant salary.
Job training is a preliminary requirement for being a teaching assistant. They vary by state or school system. Normally, a high school diploma with some experience of working with children is the minimum requirement. The more education you have (yes a degree matters); the better your chance of getting a job earning more. Also increases the chance of promotion and additional benefits being offered to you. After your education and training, your experience counts the most. The salary of a teaching assistant with 1-9 years experience ranges from $12,842-$20,241. Thus, the salary is directly proportional to your experience. Those who have special education training and experience of teaching special students are paid higher salaries. Similarly, if a teaching assistant for special needs students, they will command higher salaries. Training in English as a second language is also very handy. Similarly, command in some foreign language is also very handy for job placements and promotions.
The location of the school also affects the teaching assistant salary. If you are in densely populated community where there is more need of teaching assistants, they may pay you higher than rural areas. The salary also depends on if the institute is private or public. Mostly private assistants are paid more than those in public schools. Also, they receive more benefits during their career and after retirement the pension really seems to be attractive.
The teaching assistant salary of those are self-employed are often paid higher than others. There are many families who teach their child at home, and when these assistants help the parents in lesson plans, offering extra tutoring, helping the child’s interest to remain there and evaluating child progress, they work on their own set rates. Thus, they not only earn more, but also work with more ease than those employed in institutions.