Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary
Assist faculty or other instructional staff in postsecondary institutions by performing instructional support activities, such as developing teaching materials, leading discussion groups, preparing and giving examinations, and grading examinations or papers.
- Median pay
- $42,910
- Doing it now
- 205,500
- By 2035
- Up 2.7%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
a year
across the country
25,700 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Lead discussion sections, tutorials, or laboratory sections.
- Evaluate and grade examinations, assignments, or papers, and record grades.
- Return assignments to students in accordance with established deadlines.
- Schedule and maintain regular office hours to meet with students.
- Inform students of the procedures for completing and submitting class work, such as lab reports.
- Prepare or proctor examinations.
- Notify instructors of errors or problems with assignments.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Teaching Assistants/AidesSee 7 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Helping and teaching
Organised and precise
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $42,910 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.