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Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School resume example

A resume for a Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School needs to show the work itself: assist a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher with instructional duties. Day to day that means work like this: supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or on field trips; tutor and assist children individually or in small groups to help them master assignments and to reinforce learning concepts presented by teachers. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

  • Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education
  • Instructional Assistant
  • Paraeducator
  • Paraprofessional
  • TA
  • Teacher Assistant
  • Classroom Aide
  • Educational Assistant
  • Kindergarten Assistant
  • Preschool Aide
  • Teaching Assistant
  • Teacher Aide
  • BSIP Instructional Aide
  • EC Teacher Assistant
  • Educational Tech
  • Exam Grader
  • Exam Proctor
  • Exam Scorer

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

  • Supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or on field trips.
  • Tutor and assist children individually or in small groups to help them master assignments and to reinforce learning concepts presented by teachers.
  • Enforce administration policies and rules governing students.
  • Teach social skills to students.
  • Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.
  • Discuss assigned duties with classroom teachers to coordinate instructional efforts.
  • Present subject matter to students under the direction and guidance of teachers, using lectures, discussions, supervised role-playing methods, or by reading aloud.
  • Clean classrooms.
  • Observe students' performance, and record relevant data to assess progress.
  • Organize and label materials and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their eye levels and perceptual skills.
  • Organize and supervise games and other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, and social development.
  • Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.

28 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

  • Supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or on field trips, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Tutor and assist children individually or in small groups to help them master assignments and to reinforce learning concepts presented by teachers, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Enforce administration policies and rules governing students, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Teach social skills to students, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

  • Appletree
  • Automate the Schools ATS
  • Blackboard software
  • Children's educational software
  • ClassDojo
  • Email software
  • Flipgrid
  • Google Classroom
  • Google Meet
  • Hand held spell checkers
  • High School Scheduling and Transcript HSST
  • Kahoot!
  • Loom
  • Microsoft Excel

30 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

  • Alternative computer keyboards
  • Audio tape recorders or players
  • Compact disk CD players
  • Computer laser printers
  • Data input scanners
  • Desktop computers
  • Digital video cameras
  • Digital video disk DVD players
  • Educational board games
  • Emergency first aid kits
  • Intercom systems
  • Laminating equipment

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

  1. 01Active Listening
  2. 02Social Perceptiveness
  3. 03Reading Comprehension
  4. 04Speaking
  5. 05Coordination
  6. 06Service Orientation
  7. 07Critical Thinking
  8. 08Instructing
  9. 09Learning Strategies
  10. 10Monitoring

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

  • Customer and Personal Service
  • English Language
  • Psychology
  • Mathematics
  • Education and Training
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Administrative
  • Sociology and Anthropology

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

  • 27%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
  • 20%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
  • 17%Some College Courses

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School do?
Assist a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher with instructional duties. Day to day that includes work like supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or on field trips and Tutor and assist children individually or in small groups to help them master assignments and to reinforce learning concepts presented by teachers.
What skills should a Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School put on a resume?
O*NET rates Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, and Coordination among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Appletree, Automate the Schools ATS, Blackboard software, Children's educational software, and ClassDojo. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School work?
O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education, Instructional Assistant, Paraeducator, and Paraprofessional. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 27% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School role?
No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

  • No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
  • This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
  • Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.