Teacher's aide job description
Where we source our data
Let’s get real. Job information online can often be overly optimistic — conveniently glossing over the raw bits. But when you’re making decisions about your future, you need all the facts.
That’s why we anonymously surveyed teacher's aides about their job, with hopes of getting an honest insight into what it’s really like.
While we did our best to ensure respondents were Australians and verified their job titles with proof of employment, we can’t guarantee complete accuracy — or that your experiences in the field will reflect theirs. So, we suggest that you take these insights as a guide only and try to talk to people in the field before making an important decision.
Where we source our data
Let’s get real. Job information online can often be overly optimistic — conveniently glossing over the raw bits. But when you’re making decisions about your future, you need all the facts.
That’s why we anonymously surveyed teacher's aides about their job, with hopes of getting an honest insight into what it’s really like.
While we did our best to ensure respondents were Australians and verified their job titles with proof of employment, we can’t guarantee complete accuracy — or that your experiences in the field will reflect theirs. So, we suggest that you take these insights as a guide only and try to talk to people in the field before making an important decision.
Intellectual
Based on our career survey data, these are the words that workers would use to describe their jobs.
Cooperative
Based on our career survey data, these are the words that workers would use to describe their jobs.
Organising
Based on our career survey data, these are the words that workers would use to describe their jobs.
Tasks and responsibilities for a teacher's aide
Successful teacher’s aides are excellent multi-taskers. From general classroom administrative tasks to working closely with small groups of children and communicating with parents, teacher’s aides have a diverse range of duties. Typical teacher’s aide duties and responsibilities include:
- Helping with various admin, organisational and preparation tasks necessary for the smooth running of the classroom
- Communicating and planning lesson plans and teaching methods with teachers
- Supporting students' learning while encouraging independence and confidence
- Assisting with student behaviour management
- Providing care and support to special needs students (if you have the necessary qualifications and skills)
Reasons to choose this job
Based on our career survey data, these are the factors that workers said were most important to them when choosing this job.
Flexible hours
There are many opportunities to work on a part-time or casual basis as a teacher’s aide. Most work in a primary education setting within regular school hours, so you generally won’t have to work evenings or weekends.
Makes a difference
By giving extra support to children who need it, you are helping to foster a safe and comfortable environment for all learners. In this rewarding career, you’re making a difference to both the students’ and the teachers’ days.
Enjoyable
While you’re working one-on-one with students, you have the opportunity to nurture strong relationships and really get to know them well. The social aspect is a fun way to engage and build trust with your students, making each experience enjoyable and rewarding.
Job satisfaction
Overall job satisfaction
This overall score combines the critical factors in job satisfaction. It includes fulfilment, stress levels, and opportunities for advancement, based on our career survey data.
Stress level
How stressful workers feel their job is, based on our career survey data.
Fulfilment
How personally rewarding workers feel their job is, based on our career survey data.
Skill level
The skill level required to do this job is based on both our career survey data and official data from the Labour Market Information Portal.
Job market trends for a teacher's aide
Teacher’s aides make up 6.7% of the current early childhood education industry. This is set to increase, as teacher’s aides are projected to undergo one of the strongest job growth trends in the early childhood education industry — rising by 21.1% over the next five years, equating to 18,800 jobs.
Most teacher’s aides work part-time hours, with only 22% of the current workforce working full time. Those who choose to work part-time are usually paid on an hourly basis. A teacher’s aide average hourly rate is:
- Entry-level: $19.52
- Mid: $33.09
- Experienced: $33.16
Median salary
Where this data comes from
Median salary
We use the median salary over the average because it’s more realistic — unusually high or low salaries don’t skew the median. It shows the true middle point, which is what your typical worker in this job earns.
This figure is from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It’s the official median full-time adult salary for non-managers, before tax. (Includes salary sacrifice.)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), Customised Report
Projected job growth
Job growth projections, using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. These calculations were made before COVID-19 and may not accurately reflect the labour market. Use these numbers as a general guide only.
Where this data comes from
Median salary
We use the median salary over the average because it’s more realistic — unusually high or low salaries don’t skew the median. It shows the true middle point, which is what your typical worker in this job earns.
This figure is from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It’s the official median full-time adult salary for non-managers, before tax. (Includes salary sacrifice.)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), Customised Report
Projected job growth
Job growth projections, using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. These calculations were made before COVID-19 and may not accurately reflect the labour market. Use these numbers as a general guide only.
Projected job growth
Where this data comes from
Median salary
We use the median salary over the average because it’s more realistic — unusually high or low salaries don’t skew the median. It shows the true middle point, which is what your typical worker in this job earns.
This figure is from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It’s the official median full-time adult salary for non-managers, before tax. (Includes salary sacrifice.)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), Customised Report
Projected job growth
Job growth projections, using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. These calculations were made before COVID-19 and may not accurately reflect the labour market. Use these numbers as a general guide only.
Where this data comes from
Median salary
We use the median salary over the average because it’s more realistic — unusually high or low salaries don’t skew the median. It shows the true middle point, which is what your typical worker in this job earns.
This figure is from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It’s the official median full-time adult salary for non-managers, before tax. (Includes salary sacrifice.)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), Customised Report
Projected job growth
Job growth projections, using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. These calculations were made before COVID-19 and may not accurately reflect the labour market. Use these numbers as a general guide only.
Pathway options
Job pathways are drawn from the Australian Apprenticeships Pathways site.
As a teacher’s aide, you’re exposed to a wide range of responsibilities and tasks that can lead to new interests and more opportunities in the education industry. From early learning to primary and secondary school, there are multiple career choices available to you that can still satisfy your giving nature.
Junior
-
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education officer
Most common qualification: Certificate IV in Education Support (CHC40213)
-
Teacher’s aide
Most common qualification: Certificate IV in Education Support (CHC40213)
-
Childhood educator assistant
Most common qualification: Certificate III in Education Support (CHC30213)
-
Childcare worker
Most common qualification: Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care ( CHC30113)
-
Indigenous Language and Culture Teaching Assistant
Most common qualification: Certificate III in Education Support (CHC30213)
Mid
-
Early childhood teacher
Most common qualification: Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education)
Senior
-
Childhood education manager
Most common qualification: Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC50113)
-
Outside school hours carer
Most common qualification: Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC50113)
Skills you might already have
Based on our career survey data, the soft skills that workers said were most needed to do their job well.
A teacher’s aide is a support role that requires a diverse range of skills and a kind and caring nature.
If you’re considering becoming a teacher’s aide, chances are you already have many of the skills to be a good teacher. You may have honed them in previous roles, through life experience, or they may be your innate personal qualities.
Patience
Classrooms can become chaotic from time to time, and children can be difficult. Patience allows you to handle these moments with a clear head and helps you resolve issues more quickly.
Communication
Being able to articulate yourself clearly and calmly helps you work with other childcare professionals, parents, and students more effectively.
Organisation
Being organised ensures the classroom activities run smoothly throughout the day. By being organised and tidy, you can help classroom teachers more effectively and quickly.
Creativity
Creative and out-of-the-box lessons, activities and communication methods keep the work interesting and students engaged. Having a creative mind allows you to try new teaching methods, activities and ideas, and through these, you can reach more kids and help them learn.
Friendliness
Whether you’re working in a team, communicating with parents or playing with the kids, being kind and approachable encourages better communication and a more positive environment.
Encouraging
Being naturally empathetic and encouraging helps you support children who may struggle or become frustrated due to learning difficulties. Your encouragement helps these kids persist and develop to their potential.
Hard skills
The job-specific skills that workers said were most important, supplemented with data from JobOutlook and online job advertisements.
Along with your caring nature, patience and creativity, honing relevant technical skills and knowledge gives you the capability to truly make a difference. These teaching skills are learned through training and on-the-job experience.
Technical knowledge of teaching strategies
Teacher’s aides work with a broad range of kids with various learning capabilities. Drawing from multiple teaching strategies helps you better tailor your teaching method and communication style to each child.
Ability to simplify complex information
While working with kids, particularly kids with special needs or learning difficulties, you must be capable of breaking down ideas, instructions and lessons into easy and manageable pieces.
Conflict mediation
Conflict can arise in learning environments, whether it’s between kids in the classroom or yourself and a student. The ability to mediate and diffuse issues calmly and effectively makes for a much safer and calmer classroom environment for everyone.
It doesn’t matter their age or their disability, or their background. They’re just little people with big feelings. We need to let them know that it’s okay to have these feelings, but there are positive ways to exhibit them.
Julie-anne Tran, Teacher’s Aide
How to become a teacher's aide
-
Complete an Australian Working with Children Check
Before starting a childcare related qualification, you need to obtain two very important checks — a Working with Children Check (WWCC) and police check. A WWCC usually includes a police check and is mandatory for any worker who plans to work with or around children. This check helps employers verify that you’re not a risk to children and their wellbeing. A WWCC is easily attainable through your state government’s website — you just need to provide forms of identification.
-
Complete a Certificate III in Education Support (CHC30213)
At a minimum, teacher’s aides need to complete this entry-level qualification with an RTO (Registered Training Organisation). During your studies, you learn the technical and theoretical knowledge required to be a teacher’s aide. This teacher’s aide course helps you develop a strong basis of childhood learning techniques and strategies for various learning needs. You learn how to help develop children’s numeracy, literacy, and communication skills and obtain the critical health and safety skills required of a teaching aid.
-
Undertake a work experience placement during your studies
During a Certificate III in Education Support, you also complete a work placement. A typical work placement requires a minimum of 120 hours. Placement is generally incorporated into the course’s timeline. Sometimes, first aid training is required before commencing your work placement. Often, your education provider helps you organise your work placement via a network of childcare partners. We also suggest joining ‘Australian Teacher’s Aide’ — a national organisation that supports and develops teacher’s aide’s roles in schools.
Explore related qualifications
Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC30213)
This formal qualification is an excellent introduction to the world of education support work and covers essential, necessary skills all teacher’s aides should have. There are no entry requirements for this course, and the average duration is usually around 12 to16 months of full-time study. Study can be both in-person and online.
After completing this certificate III, you can start work as a:
- Teacher’s aide
- Teacher assistant
- Education assistant
- Education support worker
- Support worker (assisting children with disabilities)
- Learning support assistant
15 providers offer this course
Certificate IV in Education Support (CHC40213)
Those who want to work more closely with special needs children in a more educational capacity should consider completing a Certificate IV in Education Support. A Cert IV usually takes between 18 to 24 months of full-time study complete. This qualification also requires a work placement.
This qualification allows you to work as a:
- Teacher’s aide
- Education assistant
- Special needs teacher aide
- Language or literacy worker
5 providers offer this course
Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC50113)
A diploma care course is a more comprehensive course, providing you with more technical knowledge and sharpened skills. A Diploma qualification also has a longer work placement, with an average minimum of 240 hours. This qualification can take anywhere between 18 to 24 months of full-time study to complete, depending on your education provider and how they choose to incorporate work placement into the course’s duration.
After completing a diploma qualification, you can start work as a:
- Authorised supervisor (early childhood services)
- Early childhood services coordinator
- Centre manager (early childhood services)
- Director (early childhood services)
- Early Childhood educator
14 providers offer this course
Related subjects
The early childhood education industry is quickly growing and offering plenty of career opportunities for childcare professionals. If you’re passionate about working with children and helping them grow and succeed, there are so many other careers to explore. With your caring nature, all of these roles offer fulfilment and success.
Reviews
How we collect reviews
Reviews are from Australian workers with this job title or a very closely related one.
Is this your job title?
Share your thoughts and help people decide if this job is right for them.
How we collect reviews
Reviews are from Australian workers with this job title or a very closely related one.
Is this your job title?
Share your thoughts and help people decide if this job is right for them.
- All
- Positive
- Negative
Kylah
Sep 12 2021Helping students is very worthwhile
What are the best parts of the job?
If you're passionate about working with students, then you're already well on your way to thriving in this meaningful career. Being able to help children reach their full potential and motivate them to learn is extremely rewarding. Even the smallest wins make me feel so accomplished as a teacher's aide. No two days are the same, and I love the relationships I've built with both the team and my kids.
What's the most challenging part?
Deadlines and time management can be tough, and dealing with different kinds of people going through their own challenges can be quite stressful.
Sandra
Sep 12 2021Making a positive difference in children's lives
What are the best parts of the job?
Working with children is always exciting. Watching them learn, grow and thrive is something I enjoy the most. Facilitating their interactions with their teacher and classmates, helping them expand their creativity and discover their passions is a major win in this career for me. Flexibility with hours is also a plus.
What's the most challenging part?
Dealing with parents is a challenge, particularly getting them actively involved in encouraging learning activities outside of the classroom. It generally comes from a place of misunderstanding what needs to be done and why. For the most part, they are pretty receptive to getting their child involved in outside-of-the-classroom activities once they get a better understanding of how.
Shannon
Sep 12 2021Teaching different children and personalities is very gratifying
What are the best parts of the job?
Have multiple opportunities to teach different children is an enjoyable part of the role.
What's the most challenging part?
Randomised and unexpected lessons can be tricky to navigate if you generally aren't exposed to them.
Related articles
Interested in taking the next steps towards this exciting career path? Learn more about the nitty-gritty of becoming a teacher’s aide.
Becoming a Male Childcare Worker: Everything You Need To Know
Read More
What is Early Childhood Education? Make a Difference in a Child's Life
Read More
24 Most Fulfilling Jobs That Work With Kids: Which Is Your Calling?
Read More
How to Become a Child Care Worker: 5 Things You Need to Know
Read More
8 Questions - Is Childcare the Right Career?
Read More
Career Quiz - Child Care/Aged Care
Read More
The Best Careers if You Want to Avoid a Desk Job
Read More
Seniors Over 60: The Best 11 Jobs for You
Read More![15 Best Working From Home Jobs in 2022: How to Make Money From Home Online [Updated]](https://www.training.com.au/wp-content/uploads/TRAU_work_from_home__Feature.png)
15 Best Working From Home Jobs in 2022: How to Make Money From Home Online [Updated]
Read More
The Great Healthcare Resignation: What It Means for Healthcare & Social Assistance Workers
Read More
Career Quiz: What Job Should I Do? (Backed by Real Data)
Read More
Career Quiz Results: The Carer
Read More
51 Best Remote Jobs: How You Can Earn a Living Entirely Online
Read More
What Qualification Should You Take On? (New Guide)
Read More
Career Change Later in Life: 3 Success Stories That Will Inspire You
Read More
What Jobs Are In Demand In Australia? High Demand Jobs in Every Industry
Read More
Career Quiz Results: The Informer
Read More
These 3 Trends are Shaping the Future of Higher Education: What Do They Mean For You?
Read More
5 Things to Know Before Working with Kids with Disabilities & Learning Difficulties
Read More
Selection Criteria Responses: Teacher Examples
Read More
Becoming a Teacher’s Aide: Everything You Need to Know
Read More
Career Quiz - Education
Read More
5 Reasons Why a Teacher’s Aide Career is so Rewarding
Read More
Job cluster: The Carer
What are job clusters?
The seven job clusters are sets of closely related jobs that share skills, making it easy to apply skills learned in one career to another.
The idea of the seven job clusters first appeared in a 2016 research report by the Foundation for Young Australians, titled “The New Work Mindset”. Researchers analysed thousands of online job advertisements and found that jobs are more similar than commonly thought — and the skills you gain in one position are easy to bring to another. In fact, they can help you get 13 other closely related jobs.
This model is a great way to think about 21st-century careers, where the average person changes career five times. We’ve used this framework (along with the much-loved Holland Codes model) to build a career quiz.
Why not take it and find out which job cluster feels like home?
What are job clusters?
The seven job clusters are sets of closely related jobs that share skills, making it easy to apply skills learned in one career to another.
The idea of the seven job clusters first appeared in a 2016 research report by the Foundation for Young Australians, titled “The New Work Mindset”. Researchers analysed thousands of online job advertisements and found that jobs are more similar than commonly thought — and the skills you gain in one position are easy to bring to another. In fact, they can help you get 13 other closely related jobs.
This model is a great way to think about 21st-century careers, where the average person changes career five times. We’ve used this framework (along with the much-loved Holland Codes model) to build a career quiz.
Why not take it and find out which job cluster feels like home?
If you’re naturally inclined to work with children, chances are you have the persona of The Carer.
A Carer leads from the heart. They are real nurturers and adopt a very thoughtful approach to their work. The Carer is suited to roles that involve working directly with (or in the best interest of) other people or animals.
Take the Career Quiz to discover what jobs are a great fit for you.
Frequently asked questions
What do you need to be a teacher’s aide?
To become a teacher’s aide, you must have a Working with Children’s Check and Police Check. You also need to complete a Cert III in Education Support, the entry-level qualification required for becoming a teacher’s aide.
What makes a good teacher’s aide?
A successful teacher’s aide enjoys helping children with their learning, is flexible and can adapt to changing learning environments. A teacher’s aide needs to be able to communicate effectively with the teacher they are helping, along with the students that require assistance.
How much does a teacher’s aide earn?
The average salary for a teacher’s aide in Australia is $56,888 per year.
Is being a teacher’s aide a good job?
Being a teacher’s aide is a fulfilling career that makes a positive impact on children’s learning and development. Not only are you supporting students’ education, you are also helping the teacher and relieving some of the stress they may be experiencing.
Can anyone be a teacher’s aide?
If you are passionate about children and helping their learning and development, becoming a teacher’s aide could be the right career for you. To be a successful teacher’s aide, you must be caring, compassionate, adaptable and have effective communication.