Teaching Assistant Job Description Example, Duties, and Responsibilities

This post provides detailed information on the teaching assistant job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements you may be expected to perform to be hired for the teaching assistant role.

What Does a Teaching Assistant Do?

Teaching assistants, who are also called teacher assistants, provide classroom support to teachers by performing teaching and teaching-related duties.

The teaching assistant job description entails assisting lead teachers in instructing and grading pupils.

Teaching assistants in performing their duties provide group or one-to-one teaching sessions for pupils.

They supervise children to ensure they engage in learning during lessons.

They also support the emotional and social development of pupils.

Assistants help teachers in preparing materials that address the development needs of school children.

They play an active role in supervising indoor and outdoor activities such as reading and sports events. They also assist in managing general class behavior.

Usually, teaching assistants provide extra help to children with special needs as well as those whom English is their second language.

They develop and implement programs to enhance learning and adaptation for these kids.

They also motivate and encourage pupils to put in best effort in learning.

As part of their responsibilities, teacher assistants enforce school and class regulations to teach students proper behavior.

They assist teachers with the marking and grading of pupils’ work.

They also track class attendance and individual academic performance.

Teacher assistants monitor pupils during lunch breaks and recess to ensure they are well-behaved.

They interact with upset children to address their concerns and ensure unruly pupils are disciplined.

They also make sure students board correct buses home.

In fulfilling their role, teaching assistants perform clerical tasks of writing, editing, and printing classroom newsletters for parents.

They often accompany pupils on field trips or other outing events.

Their work description also entails operating classroom equipment such as projectors or tape players.

Teaching assistants work closely with special education teachers to assist children with physical, emotional or learning disabilities.

They support these ones with their hygiene, feeding, and learning needs.

The teaching assistant job requires at least a high school diploma, although having a college degree increases job prospects.

Some of the needed qualities for success on this job include respect for diversity, team-working ability, and organizational skills.

Teaching Assistant Job Description Example/Template

Teaching assistants provide vital functions in the educational sector. The job description example below gives the major tasks, duties, and responsibilities that usually constitute their work activities:

• Assist with the coordination of pupils during extracurricular activities such as lunch breaks and revision sessions
• Guide and monitor pupil progress to identify areas that require improvement
• Support the emotional, physical, and social development of pupils
• Prepare classrooms prior to lessons; they also clean up afterwards
• Help teachers in preparing materials that meet the development requirement of children
• Organize and supervise pupils during project and sporting activities
• Mark and grade children’s homework and classroom exercises
• Attend to upset and ill children to ensure they receive proper attention
• Implement punitive measures to correct ill behavior and address indiscipline
• Assist physically or mentally challenged pupils with their feeding and personal hygiene
• Develop programs to enhance learning for children whom English is not their first language
• Support pupils in reading, writing, and understanding difficult subjects like math
• Accompany children on field trips and outings to ensure they are coordinated
• Keep track of pupil attendance as well as monitor children during tests
• Set up and operate classroom equipment such as projectors, tape players, and computers
• Supervise students to ensure they engage in learning during lessons
• Perform administrative functions of preparing classroom resources.

Requirements – Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge – for Teaching Assistant Role

Are you seeking to work as a teaching assistant? If yes, then here are major requirements most employers may want you to fulfill before hiring you:

• Education and Training: To become a teaching assistant, you require a minimum of a high school diploma; however, having a college degree will increase your job prospects. You can obtain qualifications such as Level 2 certificate for teaching assistants or NVQ Level 2 for teaching support in order to boost your resume
• Respect for Diversity: Teaching assistants are able to teach and instruct a class consisting of multi-ethnic pupils
• Team-work Skills: They are able to work with lead teachers to coordinate and instruct school children
• Organizational Skill: They are adept at controlling and organizing the activities of kids to enhance academic and social development.

Conclusion

If you are an employer, this post shows a sample job description for the teaching assistant role which you can apply as a template to quickly and easily design a complete work description when hiring for the position.

Job seekers interested in this position will also find this post useful in learning about the functions and responsibilities of a teacher assistant and with the knowledge gained are able to prepare themselves ahead for the position.