How to become a Teacher’s Aide

Teacher’s aides help teachers in the classroom by preparing resources, setting up equipment for learning, supervising, and supporting student wellbeing. Their main role is to help students work towards their learning goals and make sure the lessons are understandable by all students. They do this by keeping students on task and ensuring they get the most out of the learning time.

Do you enjoy working with children? Are you patient, organised and fun-loving? If the answer is yes, then this career could be a great fit for you.

What skills do I need as a teacher’s aide?

Patient & trustworthy
First aid & CPR certification
Behavioural management skills
Approachable & encouraging
Creative & interactive
Collaborative mindset & multitasking ability
Good conflict resolution
Excellent communication skills

What does the job involve?

Organising, maintaining and preparing classroom resources for each lesson
Helping individuals or small groups of students with activities, additional learning support, or testing
Providing one-on-one assistance to children with special needs, disabilities, or those who have English as their second language
Carrying out basic administrative tasks including photocopying, filing, distributing information and ordering supplies
Attending staff and parent-teacher meetings if required
Support student behaviour by building rapport and close proximity
Help students by using prompting and questioning techniques
Assist the classroom teacher with behaviour management
Grade homework, update student records, and prepare the classroom for learning

What industries do teacher’s aides typically work in?

Education and Training.
Public Administration and Safety.
Health Care and Social Assistance.

What Career Cluster do teacher’s aides belong to?

Teacher’s aides tend to fit into the Informer Career Cluster, because they use their skills and knowledge to support and guide other people. Because of the kind of work they carry out, Coordinators who are good at planning, managing and administering also thrive in this role. You will also often find Guardians as teacher’s aides, because they have great people skills to support the people they work with.

What kind of lifestyle can I expect?

It’s very common for teacher’s aides to work part-time. For full-time employees, the work load averages around 40 hours per week, and most jobs are school hours and term time only – so you’d have holidays and weekends off.

Because it is such an interactive job, it is highly unlikely you’ll be employed remotely, so you’ll probably need to work on-site. Teacher’s aides work in kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools, and other training or education organisations.

Most teacher aides earn an average salary per year, but this can vary depending on experience and location.

How to become a teacher’s aide

Formal qualifications aren’t always necessary for this job, but because applications are often highly competitive, having one could help you find a job more easily. Also, once you secure a job, you may be eligible to earn a higher salary bracket if you have some qualifications.

If you’re interested in becoming a teacher’s aide, it could be worthwhile to undertake a qualification relevant to education, or look for a traineeship. Some examples of entry level certificates you could get that might help with a career as a teacher’s aide are:

Because you will be working with children, you’ll also need a Working With Children Check, and some employers also require you to have a first aid certificate.

If you’re in high school and you’d like to find out if a career as a teachers aide is right for you, here’s a few things you could do right now:

Work towards obtaining your driver’s licence
Apply for a National Police Check
Consider doing anaphylaxis training
Enrol in an e-learning course for working with disabled children
Familiarise yourself with the cultural background of your country’s migrant populations
Consider taking a neuro-Linguistic course for teachers to help with different kinds of communication
Take some teaching courses online

Find out more here:

Similar careers to teacher’s aide

Teacher
Youth Worker
Online Tutor
Auslan Interpreter
OSHC Coordinator
Early Childhood Educator
Carer
Special Needs Teacher
Aged Care Worker

Find out more about alternative careers.

Discover ACU Melbourne