What is it like to be a Teaching Assistant

As its name suggests, a teaching assistant (TA) or sometimes referred to as a teacher assistant or teacher aid, is a person who assists a teacher or a professor with instructional responsibilities. Through a teaching assistant, the teachers are given more time to do other responsibilities most especially making lesson plans and doing the actual teaching. TA’s practically are delegated with the tasks of supporting and assisting the children in learning during classes through individualized attention. They also supervise the students when in the schoolyard, cafeteria, and during field trips. A teacher assistant also does some things in behalf of the teachers so the burden is made lighter for the latter.

Teaching Assistant – Requirements

Like other professions and careers, there are certain requirements that must be met prior to becoming an official teaching assistant. The requirements vary from one institution to another and range from a high school diploma to some college training. Expectedly, employers are looking forward to have workers that have some related college coursework. They see it as an advantage if you are applying as a teaching assistant for them.

Many of the employers only require a high school diploma from someone who wishes to apply for a teaching assistant. However, it is imperative that he/she has undergone training and has Teaching Assistant Qualifications or some related work experiences. It is a plus if you have earned a college degree since it reflects the fact that you are now more knowledgeable and skillful and will be able to follow instructions more easily than the others. This is a very important requirement since a teaching assistant has a lot of responsibilities that mainly entail instructional and clerical works.

The employment rate for those wanting to become a teaching assistant has been widely known to increase as each year passes by. This can be best explained by the assumption that there will also be a direct increase of enrolees which include special education students and foreigners. With that said, it is clear that institutions will surely be needing a lot more of these teaching assistants to make the licensed teachers’ work load lesser and lighter. The greater focus on improvement of quality education and accountability has also definitely contributed to the dramatic growth of employment rate for teaching assistants. This only means that there are now more opportunities for people to get employed as a teaching assistant.