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| Teacher Aides |
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| Employment Increase: |
43% |
| People In Field: |
1,266,000 |
| Average Salary: |
$17,430 |
| Qualifications: |
High School, Associate Degree |
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Nature of the Work:
Teacher aides provide instructional and clerical support
for classroom teachers, allowing teachers more time for
lesson planning and teaching. Aides assist and supervise students
in the classroom, cafeteria, schoolyard, or on field trips.
They record grades, set up equipment, or help prepare materials
for instruction. They also tutor and assist children in
learning class material.
Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement:
Educational requirements for teacher aides range from
a high school diploma to some college training. Those
aides with teaching responsibilities usually have more training
than those who don't have teaching tasks. Increasingly,
employers prefer aides who have some college training. Many
schools require previous experience in working with children.
Job Outlook:
Employment of teacher aides is expected to grow
much faster than the average for all occupations through the
year 2005. It is estimated that there will be
approximately 1,266,000 teacher aides by 2005. The increasing number
of special education classes, restructuring of schools, and the
rising number of students who speak English as a second
language will spur rapid growth of teacher aides. Numerous
job openings also will arise as workers transfer to other
occupations or leave the labor force for family responsibilities,
to return to school, or for other reasons—characteristic of
occupations that require limited formal education and offer
relatively low pay.
Sources of Additional Information:
Information on teacher aides and on a wide range of
education-related subjects, including teacher aide
unionization, can be obtained from:
American Federation of Teachers
Organizing Department
555 New Jersey Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20001
For information on a career as a teacher aide in
special education, contact:
National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals in Special Education
25 West 43rd St., Room 620
New York, NY 10036
School superintendents and state departments of
education can provide details about employment requirements.
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