How to Get a Job as a Teacher Assistant
Those interested in this profession should cultivate sound communication and instructional skills. Because teacher assistants interact with a diverse mix of teachers, students, parents, and administrators each day, patience and people skills are musts. “They have to be able to relate to a variety of folks, so communication skills, I think, are especially important,” Burcaw adds. “They have to deal with parents as well as principals and administrators.”
What is the Job Like?
Teacher assisting is not a particularly high-stress job, given that it allows for flexible work schedules. For instance, close to 40 percent of teacher assistants work part-time. Some even accompany the students they mentor on bus rides to and from school. Unless employed by year-round schools, these workers generally enjoy work-free summers. And the chance to better young lives, Burcaw says, is one of the job’s greatest perks. “Fortunately, most teacher assistants love children,” she says. “That’s why they do what they do.”
