Assistant Teacher: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire an assistant teacher?

Assistant teachers work closely with teachers, helping to instruct the class and help students with their tasks. A great assistant teacher will help create and implement lesson plans and keep records of student progress.

Contributions of a great assistant teacher:

• Help with classroom management
• Teach students with learning disabilities
• Help set up the classroom for different lessons

What are the different types of assistant teachers?

Assistant teachers can help in classrooms in many different ways. Some assistant teachers will be trained in working with special needs children who need one-on-one care. Others will work either within the elementary or secondary school system, assisting teachers in any way necessary. There are also teaching assistants in Universities and Colleges that can help professors with supervising/teaching tutorials or labs. Assistant teachers are very talented and are very valuable to any classroom.

• Special needs assistant teacher: Help with students who need one-on-one care.
• Elementary assistant teacher: Work with teachers in the elementary school system.
• Secondary teaching assistant: Work with teachers in the secondary system.
• Graduate teaching assistant: Graduate students who assist professors with teaching tutorials or labs.
• English as a second language assistant teacher: For children who do not know English. An assistant teacher can make sure such students understand the instructions for tasks and help them with their English.

Where to find an assistant teacher

To find the right assistant teacher for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Professional associations: Local assistant teacher associations can be an excellent place to find your next great assistant teacher. You can post your job on their job boards, and you will be hearing from candidates with significant experience in the field.
• Universities and Colleges with assistant teacher programs: By looking at Universities and Colleges that have assistant teacher education programs, you will find candidates that have all the up-to-date information about being an assistant teacher.
• Not-for-profit job websites: Some websites are dedicated to not-for-profit organizations and those who want to volunteer or work there. These websites are a great place to look for candidates with the job experience you are looking for.

Post your job online: Try posting your assistant teacher job on Indeed to find and attract quality assistant teacher candidates.

Skills to look for in a great assistant teacher

A great assistant teacher candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Expertise in test preparation processes
• Excellent time management skills
• Proficiency in math 
• Strong understanding of childhood development
• Great problem-solving skills

Writing an assistant teacher job description

A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified assistant teacher candidates. An assistant teacher job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities, and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your assistant teacher job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on assistant teacher jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Assistant teacher
• Teacher’s assistant
• Teaching assistant
• Education assistant
• Educational assistant

Interviewing assistant teacher candidates

Strong candidates for assistant teacher positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Experience working with challenging students
• Deep understanding of childhood development
• Experience with classroom management
• Ability to fill out forms and reports
• Experience talking with parent’s about their children’s development

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of interview questions for examples (with sample answers).