NigCareers

Are you searching for an instructional aide job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of an instructional aide. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as an instructional aide.

 

Who is an Instructional Aide?

An instructional aide is a teaching assistant who assists the leading teacher in the classroom with various activities. An instructional aide assists teachers in the classroom with clerical and instructional tasks. With instructional aides, teachers would have more time to prepare classes and teach students efficiently. As directed by the teacher, an instructional aide works with both individual and small groups of students. When working with special education or non-native English-speaking students, they may be required to have a particular area of expertise.

Instructional assistants for special education help students with their physical demands so they may concentrate on studying. Instructional aides are employed by schools to carry out a range of duties in the classroom.  All academic levels in the educational system require the duties of instructional aides. Instructional aides collaborate closely with their designated teachers while carrying out tasks given to them by the management of the school. In the classroom, they might make copies of papers for the students, grade assignments and tests, record grades, and carry out regular administrative duties. The instructional aides may work with students one-on-one or in small groups throughout the day. The instructional aide needs to be an expert in the subject he or she is handling to instruct students effectively. These support staff members aid in preserving classroom order, particularly when the main instructor is absent. Along with their regular classroom responsibilities, schools occasionally give instructional aides bus, hall, and lunchroom duties.

Parents who have the time to volunteer and college students majoring in education may also serve as instructional aides in the classroom. Typically, student teachers manage various aspects of instruction and classroom management by adhering to a prescribed set of procedures outlined by their educational institution. Parent assistants usually handle reading groups, help in planning special events, and support teachers with administrative tasks like material preparation. Academic or emotional support is provided to pupils in the classroom by instructional assistants, who also help teachers stay on schedule with their lesson plans.

They contribute significantly to the dynamics of the classroom and have an impact on its potential for productivity. Working as an instructional aide can be an educational method to learn about the day-to-day responsibilities of teachers, which can eventually be useful in deciding whether to pursue a career in the educational line of vocation. By interacting with students in a classroom setting, instructional assistants acquire valuable work experience. Instructional aid’s duties may vary depending on the institution they are handling, the grade level, and the size of the class. Together with the teacher, an instructional aide assists with class and homework planning. Learning materials are frequently given out by instructional aides, who also learn the content of the material. Instructional aides interact with students one-on-one, answer questions, and even provide one-on-one instruction. To assist students in improving, they could grade work or provide feedback on written assignments.

Most instructional aides are expected to have at least an associate degree in addition to the soft skills that come with being a competent, patient communicator who connects effectively with students in a learning environment. Instructional aides employed at large institutions are required by federal law to hold an associate degree. Instructional aides must possess certain soft skills before training for the profession. Instructional assistants need to have a certain set of skills and abilities before they can start their training for their careers. To communicate effectively with students verbally in English and to actively listen to teacher requests, they must have good communication skills.

They must have the judgement and decision-making abilities to select courses of action, the ability to plan and organise their duties to assure success, and the capacity to utilise both deductive and inductive reasoning to find solutions to issues. Some schools need instructional aides to have prior experience dealing with children in addition to a current driver’s licence. It may also be required to conduct background checks and drug tests. To communicate effectively with teachers, office workers, and students, an instructional aide must have strong writing and speaking skills.

 

Instructional Aide Job Description

What is an instructional aide job description? An instructional aide job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of an instructional aide in an organization. Below are the instructional aide job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write an instructional aide job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.

The following are the duties and responsibilities of an Instructional aide:

• Participate in classroom activities including helping with teacher demonstrations, group discussions, and practical experiments.
• Keep track of attendance and update student records, such as progress reports and grade books.
• Assist students who are learning English as a second language or who have impairments.
• Work with the pupil at a slower or faster pace.
• Assist by reading questions or giving examples.
• Make sure the student with special needs feels at home and is accepted by his peers.
• assist those with physical impairments that might impede academic progress.
• Protect against outbursts or behavioural issues that may arise with a special needs student.
• Support teachers in the classroom by helping students with their schoolwork and motivating them to do their best.
• Offer assistance to teachers in managing classroom activities like keeping an eye on students’ behaviour and enforcing rules.
• Help school staff by taking phone calls or responding to parent questions.
• Facilitate the legal requirements for special services or accommodations for pupils with impairments.
• Carry out administrative duties including typing, filing, copying, faxing, scanning, and mailing.
• Help educators teach particular subjects like art, music, or physical education.
• Create lesson plans, materials, and activities for lessons to aid in curriculum development.
• Watch over the students when the main teachers are engaged with other activities.
• Work on specific tasks or skill sets in small groups.
• Offer challenging learning opportunities to pupils that wish to push themselves.
• Watch over work areas or recreation areas.
• Aid in creating homework and test materials.
• Ensure that materials are graded and entered into online grade books.
• Assist with parent drop-off and pick-up, oversee bus duty, and walk young pupils to various specialist programmes.
• Print materials, create lesson plans, and gather classroom resources
• Support youngsters with special needs or impairments who are unable to enrol in school.
• Enlist, educate, and manage student assistants who help with tasks including food service, classroom cleaning, and supply management.

 

Qualifications

• GED or high school diploma is required.
• Bachelor’s degree in education is preferred.
• At least 2 years experience as an instructional aide or similar role.
• Knowledge of teaching techniques.
• Thorough understanding of classroom activities.
• Good understanding of teaching best practices.
• Prior experience working with children is advantageous.
• Ability to always exhibit a compassionate and positive attitude.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills.

 

Essential Skills

• Communication skills: Instructional aides are always involved in the interaction with students, teachers, and other staff members. For this position, it’s crucial to have effective communication skills, particularly those for speaking, writing, and active listening. You might also have to share essential information, such as student progress, with parents and guardians.
• Attention to detail: The capacity to easily recognize subtle changes in a person’s behaviour or environment is known as attention to detail skills. Instructional assistants must be aware of any changes in a student’s behaviour or learning habits because they frequently work with pupils who have special needs. This might benefit the instructional aid in figuring out the student’s needs and the best way for them to learn.
• Organizational: This skill is essential because instructional aides often work in schools, where the environment is often rowdy, busy, full of activity, and requires organisation. To scale through in this environment, instructional aides need to have strong organizational skills. This allows them to keep track of their work and the work of their colleagues, as well as the students’ work.
• Teaching skills: To develop and carry out lessons for pupils, instructional aides frequently collaborate with teachers. Understanding teaching techniques and procedures are necessary for an instructional need position. By attending lectures or workshops on the subject, as well as by working with and shadowing teachers, you can learn about teaching.
• Creativity: Creative approach to instructions is needed because it can be challenging for teachers to engage their students and maintain their interest at the same time. You can work as an instructional aide to assist your boss in developing new lesson plans. You can also assist your supervisor in coming up with new approaches to grading their students by using your creativity.
• Collaboration skills: The capacity to effectively cooperate with others to complete a project is known as collaboration skills. You might collaborate with a range of people as instructional aids, including teachers, students, and other assistants. An instructional aide needs to be able to collaborate with others to achieve relevant tasks.
• Patience: An instructional aide needs to have the patience to perform well. As an instructional aide, you might work with students who struggle with learning due to behavioural problems, learning difficulties, or other issues. It’s important to be patient with them and support them as they face obstacles.

 

How to Become an Instructional Aide

Step 1. Education

A high school diploma or GED is the first requirement for employment as an instructional aide. To teach students of all ages, instructional aides need to have an intense understanding of general education. Having an in-depth understanding of education is essential since it shows that you comprehend the educational system and enhances your ability to teach on it. In some states and schools, an associate’s degree or certification may also be required. Schools may occasionally require both an associate degree and a certificate, or they may only demand a certification. Associate degrees in child development or paraprofessional education are two examples of specific programmes that can help you get ready to work as an instructional aide. To earn a certificate, you can also enrol in a teacher’s assistant programme; these programmes normally last a year or less. It may also be necessary for instructional aids to hold certain safety certificates, such as CPR and first aid.

Step 2. Work experience

To become an instructional aide, some schools demand a specific amount of past teaching or child care experience; however, some schools don’t have any formal experience requirements. Whatever the requirements may be, having some relevant experience is advantageous. The most relevant experience is in the field of teaching, although any experience you can gain is beneficial. You might be able to work as a volunteer teacher for different instructional activities. While pursuing your associate degree, you can also teach children in a nearby school. As an instructional aide, any teaching or child-care experience can be useful in your interview. This can include formal training in a workplace context or unofficial experiences like tutoring or child-minding. Additionally, on-the-job training is often provided to instructional aides. This training could involve working alongside an experienced teaching assistant or teacher to observe. It could also involve learning classroom management strategies, and carrying out supervised classroom organisation tasks.

Step 3. Certifications

Although certifications aren’t often necessary for an instructional aide position, they can help you land a job and boost your earning potential. There may be several different levels of certification available for instructional assistants. Higher certification levels could be more time-consuming and necessitate more education, experience, or both. The basic level of certification by the state is usually only valid for a year and needs recertification.

 

Where to Work as an Instructional Aide

Instructional aides work in schools and every other place where teaching is required. They usually work in both public and private schools, churches, childcare centres, or other educational settings. They usually work a regular school day timeframe, and may also be required to work evenings or weekends for special activities. They work under the supervision of a teacher or other instructional staff member and may work with an individual student or a set of students.

Instructional aides may be required to lift or move students or equipment which makes the work physically demanding. The job is also emotionally demanding because instructional aides may be required to deal with the challenges of working with students who have different abilities, disabilities, and behavioural issues. These sets of students are called special needs students. Demand for instructional aides will continue in schools, to provide one-on-one instruction for these special needs children and basically to help teachers with classroom management.

 

Instructional Aide Salary Scale

Different factors can influence the salary scale of instructional aides. Some of them include years of experience, level of education, location of workplace, additional skills etc.

The average instructional aide salary in the US is $29,090 per year. The salary scale typically ranges from $25,005 and $34,531 per year.

The average instructional aide’s salary in the UK is £23,660 per year. The salary scale typically ranges from £21,138 to £36,315 per year.

The average instructional aide salary in Canada is $49,277 per year. The salary scale typically ranges from $39,078 to $82,241 per year.

The average instructional aide salary in Australia is $56,355 per year. The salary scale typically ranges from $45,847 to $65,228 per year.

The average instructional aide salary in India is ₹ 557,500 per year. The salary scale typically ranges from ₹ 360,000 to ₹ 700,000 per year.

The average instructional aide salary in Nigeria is 2,900,000 NGN. The salary scale typically ranges from 1,452,000 NGN to 4,500,000 NGN per year.

Education and Training

Tags: How to Become an Instructional Aide, Instructional Aide, Instructional Aide Job Description, Instructional Aide Qualifications, Instructional Aide Salary, Instructional Aide Skills, Job Description, Who is an Instructional Aide