Secondary School Teaching Assistant
Key facts
Secondary school teaching assistants provide various support services to secondary school teachers such as instructional and practical support. They help with the preparation of lesson materials needed in class and reinforce instructions with students in need of extra attention. They also perform basic clerical duties, monitor the students' learning progress and behaviour and supervise the students with and without the teacher present.
Secondary school teaching assistants work closely with teachers to create a supportive and engaging learning environment for students in secondary schools. Your days will involve a variety of tasks, from preparing materials and assisting with lessons to providing one-on-one support to students who need extra help. You’ll also monitor student progress, manage behaviour, and supervise students both during and outside of class time. This role is a great way to contribute to a student’s educational journey and gain valuable experience in an educational setting.
- • Assist teachers with lesson preparation, including gathering resources and creating materials.
- • Provide individual and small group support to students who require additional assistance, reinforcing instructions and explaining concepts.
- • Monitor student behaviour and learning progress, reporting any concerns to the teacher.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Personal care workers — 16 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Belgium, Germany, Romania.
Longest-running shortage: Romania, 4 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (Ireland, Australia, Malta, United Kingdom)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | Not reported | — | +18.5% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Assessed as balanced Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | +75% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| United Kingdom | Not reported | £22,050 2025-provisional | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Open Government Licence v3.0
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Future Outlook for secondary school teaching assistant
The outlook for secondary school teaching assistant is exceptionally stable. While AI tools will assist with daily tasks, the core of this role relies on human judgment, resulting in a high resilience score of 79%.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could secondary school teaching assistant change as AI adoption grows?
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
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How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- handle children's problems
- guarantee students' safety
- support children's wellbeing
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- provide lesson materials
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Education
A typical day as a secondary school teaching assistant
09 09:00 · Morning assess the development of youth
10 10:30 · Mid-morning teach secondary education class content
12 12:00 · Midday adapt teaching to student's capabilities
14 14:00 · Afternoon apply teaching strategies
15 15:30 · Late afternoon assist students in their learning
17 17:00 · Wrap-up compile course material
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
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monitor student's behaviour
Supervise the student's social behaviour to discover anything unusual. Help solve any issues if necessary.
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assess the development of youth
Evaluate the different aspects of development needs of children and young people.
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maintain students' discipline
Make sure students follow the rules and code of behaviour established in the school and take the appropriate measures in case of violation or misbehaviour.
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compile course material
Write, select or recommend a syllabus of learning material for the students enrolled in the course.
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apply teaching strategies
Employ various approaches, learning styles, and channels to instruct students, such as communicating content in terms they can understand, organising talking points for clarity, and repeating arguments when necessary. Use a wide range of teaching devices and methodologies appropriate to the class content, the learners' level, goals, and priorities.
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provide teacher support
Assist teachers in classroom instruction by providing and preparing lesson materials, monitoring the students during their work and helping them in their learning where necessary.
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support the positiveness of youths
Help children and young people to assess their social, emotional and identity needs and to develop a positive self image, enhance their self esteem and improve their self reliance.
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adapt teaching to student's capabilities
Identify the learning struggles and successes of students. Select teaching and learning strategies that support students’ individual learning needs and goals.
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assist students in their learning
Support and coach students in their work, give learners practical support and encouragement.
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handle children's problems
Promote the prevention, early detection, and management of children`s problems, focusing on developmental delays and disorders, behavioural problems, functional disabilities, social stresses, mental disorders including depression, and anxiety disorders.
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support children's wellbeing
Provide an environment that supports and values children and helps them to manage their own feelings and relationships with others.
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guarantee students' safety
Ensure all students falling under an instructor or other person’s supervision are safe and accounted for. Follow safety precautions in the learning situation.
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manage student relationships
Manage the relations between students and between student and teacher. Act as a just authority and create an environment of trust and stability.
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teach secondary education class content
Instruct students in the theory and practice of the secondary school course of your specialisation, taking into account the age of the students and modern teaching methods.
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perform playground surveillance
Observe students' recreational activities to ensure student safety and well-being and intervene when necessary.
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give constructive feedback
Provide founded feedback through both criticism and praise in a respectful, clear, and consistent manner. Highlight achievements as well as mistakes and set up methods of formative assessment to evaluate work.
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provide lesson materials
Ensure that the necessary materials for teaching a class, such as visual aids, are prepared, up-to-date, and present in the instruction space.
instructional strategies
The techniques that instructors use to deliver lessons. The aim of these strategies is to make students become more involved in the learning process.
social development
The learning process of a child through social interaction. Among the various activities that it encompasses, social development supports children in obtaining and fortifying learning skills and having positive attitudes.
- secondary school procedures
- adolescent socialisation behaviour
- curriculum objectives
- disability types
- first aid
- learning difficulties
- pedagogy
- teamwork principles
Path to become a secondary school teaching assistant
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Primary education
303 programmes in 16 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 265 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Koulutuskeskus Salpaus · Finland
Child Development (EMET VOCATIONAL SCHOOL)
Türkiye
Clinical Child, Family and Education Studies
Universiteit Utrecht · the Netherlands
Malta
These are 6 of 568.
Sources
- 1. Source: Opintopolku.fi (Finnish National Agency for Education)
- 2. Source: YÖK Atlas, Council of Higher Education (yokatlas.yok.gov.tr).
- 3. Bron: DUO open onderwijsdata
- 4. Source: Malta Qualifications Registry, Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (qualifications.mfhea.gov.mt).
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does secondary school teaching assistant fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
primary school teaching assistant
53% similarityteacher of talented and gifted students
52% similaritymathematics teacher at secondary school
50% similaritychemistry teacher secondary school
48% similarityphysics teacher secondary school
48% similaritybiology teacher secondary school
47% similarityFor organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What skills are important for a secondary school teaching assistant?
Do I need a teaching qualification to become a secondary school teaching assistant?
What is the typical work arrangement for a secondary school teaching assistant?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop Data updated October 3, 2026 About our data