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.
- O*NET-SOC code
25-9044.00 - Preparation Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$42,910
Employment, U.S.164,090
Median hourly wageNot available
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $28,600 | $35,270 | $42,910 | $60,510 | $76,420 |
By state (47)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $22,600 | ||
| Alaska | 70 | $35,790 | 0.22 |
| Arizona | 7,200 | $49,810 | 2.11 |
| Arkansas | 2,600 | $23,140 | 1.89 |
| California | 19,120 | $49,140 | 0.99 |
| Colorado | 530 | $37,450 | 0.18 |
| Connecticut | 4,700 | Not available | 2.62 |
| District of Columbia | 130 | $43,160 | 0.17 |
| Florida | 9,130 | $37,770 | 0.87 |
| Georgia | 2,470 | $48,800 | 0.48 |
| Idaho | 220 | $37,310 | 0.24 |
| Illinois | 12,340 | $36,040 | 1.92 |
| Indiana | 1,940 | $34,910 | 0.58 |
| Iowa | 560 | $38,960 | 0.34 |
| Kansas | 640 | $41,580 | 0.42 |
| Kentucky | 990 | $49,680 | 0.47 |
| Louisiana | 440 | $37,950 | 0.22 |
| Maine | 90 | $47,210 | 0.13 |
| Maryland | 5,030 | $58,330 | 1.73 |
| Massachusetts | 3,040 | $56,370 | 0.79 |
| Michigan | 18,440 | $39,830 | 3.97 |
| Minnesota | 600 | $53,380 | 0.19 |
| Mississippi | 390 | Not available | 0.32 |
| Montana | 380 | $30,070 | 0.71 |
| Nebraska | 730 | $39,650 | 0.67 |
| Nevada | 540 | $24,960 | 0.33 |
| New Hampshire | 480 | $26,810 | 0.66 |
| New Jersey | 3,390 | $54,260 | 0.75 |
| New Mexico | 370 | $48,270 | 0.41 |
| New York | 17,390 | $43,610 | 1.70 |
| North Carolina | 2,900 | $50,050 | 0.56 |
| North Dakota | 90 | $49,960 | 0.19 |
| Ohio | 2,210 | $48,710 | 0.38 |
| Oklahoma | 1,680 | $49,920 | 0.93 |
| Oregon | 880 | $49,550 | 0.43 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,480 | $38,020 | 0.39 |
| Rhode Island | 50 | $49,420 | 0.10 |
| South Carolina | 2,730 | $46,760 | 1.12 |
| South Dakota | 460 | $39,840 | 0.96 |
| Tennessee | 300 | $36,950 | 0.09 |
| Texas | 13,540 | $55,670 | 0.91 |
| Utah | 2,020 | $52,300 | 1.10 |
| Vermont | 60 | $48,620 | 0.18 |
| Virginia | 1,660 | $49,890 | 0.38 |
| Washington | 1,480 | $50,460 | 0.39 |
| West Virginia | 40 | $35,960 | 0.05 |
| Wisconsin | 4,210 | $47,990 | 1.36 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors | Negotiation | 0.87 | 0.961 |
| Speech-Language Pathology Assistants | Social Perceptiveness | 0.76 | 0.928 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary, excluding software Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Google Classroom | 9 of 20 | 18.9x |
| Schoology | 8 of 20 | 19.4x |
| Seesaw | 7 of 20 | 23.1x |
| EasyCBM | 6 of 20 | 34.6x |
| Flipgrid | 7 of 20 | 14.0x |
| Common Curriculum | 6 of 20 | 19.8x |
| Blackboard software | 9 of 20 | 7.3x |
| Edpuzzle | 5 of 20 | 33.0x |
| Padlet | 6 of 20 | 16.3x |
| Children's educational software | 5 of 20 | 25.6x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.25 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.62 | 4.00 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.62 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.25 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.38 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.50 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Science | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.25 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 4.68 | 5.50 |
| Education and Training | 4.45 | 5.15 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.52 | 3.88 |
| Mathematics | 3.27 | 3.71 |
| Communications and Media | 2.91 | 2.89 |
| Psychology | 2.65 | 2.93 |
| Administrative | 2.64 | 2.85 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 2.48 | 2.33 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.38 | 2.48 |
| Biology | 2.37 | 2.05 |
| History and Archeology | 2.29 | 2.31 |
| Administration and Management | 2.29 | 1.79 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.24 | 1.37 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 2.20 | 2.57 |
| Fine Arts | 2.17 | 1.78 |
| Design | 2.16 | 2.08 |
| Geography | 2.15 | 2.65 |
| Chemistry | 2.02 | 1.79 |
| Physics | 1.93 | 1.57 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.85 | 1.42 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 1.77 | 1.11 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.75 | 1.62 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.66 | 0.96 |
| Production and Processing | 1.64 | 0.82 |
| Foreign Language | 1.63 | 1.26 |
| Transportation | 1.61 | 0.97 |
| Telecommunications | 1.57 | 0.57 |
| Mechanical | 1.51 | 1.04 |
| Law and Government | 1.41 | 0.67 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.38 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.35 | not rated |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.30 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.14 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 4.12 | 4.62 |
| Oral Expression | 4.12 | 4.38 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Written Expression | 3.50 | 4.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.50 | 3.75 |
| Near Vision | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.12 | 3.75 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Originality | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Information Ordering | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.50 | 2.25 |
| Far Vision | 2.38 | 2.88 |
| Number Facility | 2.38 | 2.25 |
| Time Sharing | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Memorization | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Visualization | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Depth Perception | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Finger Dexterity | 1.62 | 1.12 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 1.62 | 0.88 |
| Control Precision | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Manual Dexterity | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.12 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.12 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
| Explosive Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
| Extent Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.00 | not rated |
| Multilimb Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Rate Control | 1.00 | not rated |
| Reaction Time | 1.00 | not rated |
| Response Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.00 | not rated |
| Stamina | 1.00 | not rated |
| Static Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Adobe Photoshop hot
- Google Docs hot
- IBM SPSS Statistics hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- SAS hot
- Structured query language SQL hot
- Blackboard Learn
- Collaborative editing software
- Course management system software
- DOC Cop
- Desire2Learn LMS software
- Email software
- Image scanning software
- Learning management system LMS
- Sakai CLE
- Web browser software
- iParadigms Turnitin
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ann Arbor, MI | 12,860 | 55.45 | $38,990 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 4,370 | 30.88 | $57,790 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | 2,480 | 22.30 | $50,110 |
| Lubbock, TX | 1,830 | 10.37 | $64,160 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 540 | 9.19 | $19,550 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 2,110 | 9.19 | $50,820 |
| Tallahassee, FL | 1,140 | 5.82 | $35,380 |
| Madison, WI | 2,420 | 5.62 | $47,990 |
| Tucson, AZ | 2,260 | 5.50 | $45,810 |
| Columbia, MO | 540 | 4.79 | $47,220 |