Teacher Assistant

What is a teacher assistant?

A teacher assistant supports the teacher in planning and presenting lessons, and helps students learn. Teacher assistants may work part-time or full-time. They’re usually required to pass assessments before they can work with students, although a formal university degree may not be always required.

What does a teacher assistant do?

Teacher assistant duties often depend on their level. For example, a higher-level teacher assistant may be qualified to occasionally replace a teacher in their absence, apart from handling basic administrative tasks. The ages of students could affect the teacher assistant duties, too. For example, if a teacher assistant works at a preschool, they’ll supervise children during play or lunch. But, if they work at a high school, they’ll probably be more focused on creating lesson plans, preparing material for classrooms and assisting with remedial teaching.

Also, some teacher assistants work with students with disabilities, assisting special education teachers. In these cases, teacher assistants may need to provide basic care to students, too, such as help with personal hygiene.

• Helping teachers create lesson plans
• Working with small groups of students to enhance the learning process
• Making sure classrooms are safe and tidy

If you like this teacher assistant job description, see our other education job descriptions.

Job brief

We’re looking for a competent Teacher Assistant to help our lead Teachers in educating our students. You’ll get to work with children of various ages and educational needs, while learning how to craft effective lesson plans and organize classrooms.

As a Teacher Assistant, you’ll be responsible for individual students – or smaller groups of students – who need assistance to absorb the lesson material. You’ll work with the lead Teacher to build plans for class and you’ll also help them with record-keeping.

To do this job well, you should be smart and patient with a positive attitude. If you’re ready to develop yourself in the world of teaching and do some real good for our students, we’d like to meet you.

Responsibilities

• Help teachers prepare lesson plans
• Set up necessary material for classes (e.g. projectors, chemistry sets)
• Track student attendance and class schedules
• Review material taught in class with individual students with learning challenges
• Work with smaller groups of students for remedial teaching or reinforcing the learning process
• Escort and supervise students in field trips and school activities
• Make sure classrooms are safe and tidy before classes start
• Assist teachers with various tasks, like grading assignments and informing parents of their children’s progress
• Help students adjust, learn and socialize and report to teachers about possible behavioral issues

Requirements

• Experience as a Teacher Assistant
• Familiarity with school administrative tasks and learning methods
• Great communication and organizational skills
• Cool-tempered and positive attitude
• Firm but kind personality
• A love for teaching and the ability to build a trusting relationship with students, teachers and parents
• College or associate’s degree is preferred