Description
Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants support students, and assist teachers and counsellors with teaching and non-instructional tasks. They assist in areas of personal care, teaching and behaviour management under the supervision of teachers or other child care professionals. They are employed in public and private elementary, secondary and special needs schools and treatment centres.
Job Titles
- Educational assistant
- Educational resources assistant
- Homework assistant
- Remedial education aide
- Special education assistant
Main Duties
- Assist students with integration into the classroom and school setting
- Help students individually or in small groups with assignments and reinforce learning and retention concepts under the supervision of the classroom teacher
- Assist students with special needs using techniques such as sign language, braille and remedial programs
- Monitor and report student progress to classroom teacher
- Accompany and supervise students during activities in school gymnasiums, laboratories, libraries, resource centres and on field trips
- May assist teacher in the operation of projectors, tape recorders and other audio-visual or electronic equipment
- May assist in school library or office and perform other duties assigned by the school principal
- May monitor students during recess, at noon hour or during the day.
Workplaces
- Private and public elementary schools
- Private and public secondary schools
- Special schools
- Treatment centres
Skills
- Learning and Teaching Strategies
- Social Perceptiveness
- Instructing
- Oral Communication: Oral Expression
- Persuading
Abilities
- Auditory Attention
- Far Vision
- Fluency of Ideas
- Near Vision
- Selective Attention
Personal Attributes
- Concern for Others
- Collaboration
- Leadership
- Social Orientation
- Active Learning
Similar Occupations
- Post-secondary teaching and research assistants (41201)
- Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (41221)
- Early childhood educators and assistants (42202)
- Instructors of persons with disabilities (42203)
- Student monitors, crossing guards and related occupations (45100)
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be moderate for Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants (43100) in Prince Edward Island for the 2022-2024 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
- A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Individuals working with special needs students should have better prospects for finding employment. The province in 2023 added a significant number of teaching positions to help support students’ social and mental challenges; as well as enhanced assistance to newcomers. Continued population growth may also contribute to increased demand for this occupation.
Some employment opportunities may become available for substitute teachers, which is usually on an “on-call” basis, and for part-time, occasional, and temporary work. Employers may prefer candidates with a college diploma or other post-secondary education in relevant fields such as Educational Assistant, Developmental Services, Early Childhood Education and Child and Youth Care. Teacher assistants working with special needs students require post-secondary education in a relevant field and may need to demonstrate additional skills such as knowledge of sign language, Braille, assistive/adaptive devices, and special education techniques.
Here are some key facts about Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 500 people work in this occupation.
- Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants mainly work in the following sectors:
- Elementary and secondary schools (NAICS 6111): more than 95%
- The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
- Full-time workers: 83% compared to 84% for all occupations
- Part-time workers: 17% compared to 16% for all occupations
- 12% of elementary and secondary school teacher assistants work all year, while 88% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 38 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: 8% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: 92% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations
- high school diploma or equivalent: 16% compared to 28% for all occupations
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 8% compared to 11% for all occupations
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 56% compared to 25% for all occupations
- bachelor’s degree: 16% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $19.75 | $24.00 | $30.00 |
| Canada | $16.50 | $23.56 | $29.75 |
Training
There are no known training programs for this occupation in PEI. If you are aware of a local training program, please contact us.
There are currently no job listings for this occupation on WorkPEI.