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Higher Education
Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Michigan
Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary
Postsecondary teaching assistants handle the hands-on parts of college courses: leading discussion sections, running labs, grading work, and answering student questions. The tradeoff is clear: you get real teaching experience and close contact with faculty, but the pay is modest, the work is often routine, and many jobs depend on semester schedules and course enrollment.
Also known as Graduate Teaching AssistantGraduate Student InstructorCourse AssistantLab AssistantTeaching Fellow
Median Salary
$44,930
Mean $47,560
U.S. Workforce
~155K
24.6K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+3.1%
193.6K to 199.6K
Entry Education
Bachelor's degree
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary sits in the Education category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~155K workers, with a median annual pay of $44,930 and roughly 24.6K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 193.6 K in 2024 to 199.6K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Bachelor's Degree, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Student Tutor / Peer Tutor and can progress toward Instructional Support Coordinator. High-value skills usually include Reading Comprehension for Academic Materials, Active Listening in Office Hours, and Instructing Small Groups and Labs, paired with soft skills such as Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and Instructing.
Core Responsibilities
- Hand out worksheets, lab packets, and other class materials before a session starts.
- Grade quizzes, exams, and papers, then enter the scores in the course system.
- Explain how students should format and submit homework, lab reports, and other assignments.
- Run discussion sections, tutorials, or lab sessions for smaller groups of students.
Keep exploring: more Education careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Hand out worksheets, lab packets, and other class materials before a session starts.
02 Grade quizzes, exams, and papers, then enter the scores in the course system.
03 Explain how students should format and submit homework, lab reports, and other assignments.
04 Run discussion sections, tutorials, or lab sessions for smaller groups of students.
05 Prepare, proctor, and collect exams while making sure testing rules are followed.
06 Hold office hours and meet with the professor to review student progress, grades, and paperwork.
Industries That Hire
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Community Colleges
Miami Dade College, Maricopa Community Colleges, Houston Community College
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Online Universities
Southern New Hampshire University, Western Governors University, University of Phoenix
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EdTech Platforms
Coursera, Instructure, Pearson
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Research Universities
MIT, Johns Hopkins University, UC Berkeley
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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You can usually enter with a bachelor's degree, and the role does not require prior work experience or on-the-job training.
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There are about 24.6K annual openings, so openings come up regularly even though the occupation is not huge.
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The work gives you real teaching practice through discussion sections, labs, grading, and office hours.
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It can build strong references and connections with faculty if you want to move into graduate study or full-time teaching later.
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The work follows the academic calendar, which can be easier to plan around than a year-round office schedule.
Challenges
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Pay is modest for a degree-based job, with a median annual wage of $44,930 and a mean of $47,560.
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Growth is only 3.1% through 2034, so this is not a fast-expanding field.
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Many jobs are tied to semesters, enrollment, or graduate funding, so hours can change from term to term.
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The career ceiling is limited unless you move into higher-level academic or administrative work.
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A lot of the work is repetitive grading, copying, proctoring, and paperwork rather than designing the course itself.
Career Progression
Student Tutor / Peer Tutor
0-1 years
$28K-$36K
This is often the first campus teaching-support job, focused on helping students with a subject one-on-one or in very small groups.
Postsecondary Teaching Assistant
1-4 years
$40K-$49K
You lead sections, grade assignments, proctor exams, and keep students on track with course expectations.
Lead Teaching Assistant THIS ROLE
4-7 years
$50K-$58K
At this level, you may supervise other assistants, handle more grading, and take on larger discussion or lab sections.
Instructional Support Coordinator
7+ years
$59K-$74K
Work shifts toward coordinating course support, managing schedules and materials, and acting as a bridge between faculty and student workers.
Education Paths
Bachelor's Degree
The most common entry point, held by 57.32% of workers in this role.
Master's Degree
A very common route, held by 37.26% of workers, especially for graduate teaching roles and subject-specific support.
Doctoral Degree
A smaller path, held by 3.73% of workers, often in research-heavy departments or advanced graduate programs.
Post-bachelor's teaching certificate or subject-matter certificate
A non-degree option that can help if you already know the subject well, though it does not show up as a major share in the education distribution.
Key Skills
Technical
Reading Comprehension for Academic Materials 78%
Active Listening in Office Hours 72%
Instructing Small Groups and Labs 70%
Canvas, Blackboard & Moodle 68%
Gradebooks, Turnitin & Exam Proctoring Tools 65%
Microsoft Word, Excel & PowerPoint 62%
Soft Skills
Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningInstructingSpeakingWritingCoordination Job Outlook and Trends
+3.1%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
24.6K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 193.6K to 199.6 K over the next decade, representing 3.1% growth. Around 24.6 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Limited. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.