Education

Teaching Assistants, Special Education

Assist a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher to provide academic, social, or life skills to students who have learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Serve in a position for which a teacher has primary responsibility for the design and implementation of educational programs and services.

Median salary (BLS)

$36,780

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$27k – $50k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $85,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Teaching Assistants, Special Education

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Education

Typical entry: Associate degree

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Typical progression

Junior Teaching Assistants, Special Education
Entry / Junior
$27,150
~2 yrs to advance
Teaching Assistants, Special Education
Established
$36,780
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Teaching Assistants, Special Education
Senior
$43,410

Key skills

A typical day

•Provide assistance to students with special needs.
•Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
•Supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or on field trips.
•Provide students with disabilities with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
•Carry out therapeutic regimens, such as behavior modification and personal development programs, under the supervision of special education instructors, psychologists, or speech-language pathologists.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Education

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.