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Career profile Special Education Teaching Assistant

Also known as Special Education Aide, Special Education Paraprofessional, Special Education Teacher Assistant

Special Education Teaching Assistant

Also known as Special Education Aide, Special Education Paraprofessional, Special Education Teacher Assistant

Interests Profile
  • N/A
Pay Range
$19,610 - $44,290 (annual)
Required Skills
  • N/A
Knowledge Areas
  • N/A
Core tasks
  • N/A
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What does a Special Education Teaching Assistant do?

Special Education Teaching Assistants assist a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher to provide academic, social, or life skills to students who have learning, emotional, or physical disabilities.

In addition, Special Education Teaching Assistants serve in a position for which a teacher has primary responsibility for the design and implementation of educational programs and services.

What is a Special Education Teaching Assistant salary?

The median salary for a Special Education Teaching Assistant is $28,900, and the average salary is $30,630. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Special Education Teaching Assistant salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Special Education Teaching Assistants earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Special Education Teaching Assistants earn less than $19,610 per year, 25% earn less than $23,830, 75% earn less than $36,110, and 90% earn less than $44,290.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Special Education Teaching Assistants is expected to change by 8.9%, and there should be roughly 136,400 open positions for Special Education Teaching Assistants every year.

Median annual salary
$28,900
Typical salary range
$19,610 - $44,290
Projected growth (2020 - 2030)
8.9%

What personality traits are common among Special Education Teaching Assistants?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Data on vocational interests of Special Education Teaching Assistants is not yet complete. Please check back later.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Data on vocational interests of Special Education Teaching Assistants is not yet complete. Please check back later.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

Data on the specific demands for Special Education Teaching Assistants is not yet complete. Please check back later.

What education and training do Special Education Teaching Assistants need?

Special Education Teaching Assistants often have training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Special Education Teaching Assistants usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Special Education Teaching Assistants

  • 4.2% did not complete high school or secondary school
  • 25.7% completed high school or secondary school
  • 24.4% completed some college coursework
  • 14.4% earned a Associate's degree
  • 22.8% earned a Bachelor's degree
  • 7.1% earned a Master's degree
  • 1.4% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Special Education Teaching Assistants

Through education, training, or experience, most Special Education Teaching Assistants will need to be proficient in mutliple areas to perform their job well.

Data on the specific knowledge and expertise required for Special Education Teaching Assistants is not yet complete. Please check back later.

Important Abilities needed by Special Education Teaching Assistants

Special Education Teaching Assistants must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

Data on the specific abilities important for Special Education Teaching Assistants is not yet complete. Please check back later.

Critical Skills needed by Special Education Teaching Assistants

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Data on the skills needed by Special Education Teaching Assistants is not yet complete. Please check back later.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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