Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary
What Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary Do
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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- 0.1%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 5 of 5Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Job training
- Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- English Languageimportance 4.7/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 4.5/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.5/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.3/5
- Communications and Mediaimportance 2.9/5
- Psychologyimportance 2.6/5
- Administrativeimportance 2.6/5
- Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 2.5/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- E-Mail4.8/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6/5
- Contact With Others4.6/5
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.2/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.2/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.0/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Physician Assistants98% skill match
- Self-Enrichment Teachers98% skill match
- Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary97% skill match
- Occupational Therapists97% skill match
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education97% skill match
- Special Education Teachers, Secondary School97% skill match
- Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary97% skill match
- Neurologists96% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Instructingimportance 3.5/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.1/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.4/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Optimism
- Cooperation
- Social Orientation
- Empathy
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Integrity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- SocialHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeMedium
- EnterprisingLow
- RealisticLow
- ArtisticLow
Specific Interests
A more detailed breakdown of this occupation’s interest profile, per O*NET.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where teaching assistants, postsecondary make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Ann Arbor, MI55.45× national avg
- 2College Station-Bryan, TX30.88× national avg
- 3Champaign-Urbana, IL22.30× national avg
- 4Lubbock, TX10.37× national avg
- 5Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL9.19× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special EducationLateral Move
- Special Education Teachers, Secondary SchoolLateral Move
- Physician AssistantsCareer Change
- Speech-Language PathologistsCareer Change
See the full career path from Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary →
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.