How to get teaching assistant opportunities during admission to universities in Canada, USA & Europe as a foreigner
Teaching assistant opportunities are great to live comfortably during your studies at universities abroad. There are several advantages that come with being a teaching assistant.
An assistant to a teacher has two main jobs:Â supporting the teacher in charge and supporting students in the classroom. As the job title implies, teacher assistants assist the lead teacher to ease their workload and help out with everyday classroom tasks, such as grading homework or taking attendance.
Whenever a student needs extra support or instruction, a teacher’s assistant might be asked to work with that student one-on-one. Teacher assistants might also work with the supervising teacher to discuss the progress of students and provide insight.
The day-to-day work of a teaching assistant might look different depending on the age group of their students, but for the most part, their responsibilities include:
- Grading tests and homework
- Record keeping
- Monitoring student behavior
- Taking attendance
- Getting the classroom ready for lessons
- Overseeing students during non-classroom times, such as lunch, recess, or field trips
- Supervising group activities
- Working with the lead teacher to monitor class schedules
- Documenting student progress and communicating with parents to keep them informed
- Teaching small groups who need additional help or guidance
- Attending training classes, conferences, or faculty meetings
- Listening to children read, reading to them, or telling them stories
- Helping children who need extra support to complete tasks
Teacher Assistant vs. Teacher Aide
You’ve probably heard these terms used interchangeably, but there are key differences between a teacher’s assistant and teacher aide.
A teaching assistant is usually trained or certified to give teaching support to students under the supervision of a licensed teacher, while a teacher’s aide performs non-teaching duties like grading papers, setting up the classroom, or enforcing classroom rules.
The settings they work in vary, too. Teachers aides are found only in elementary or special education classrooms. Teachers, on the other hand, can work in those settings as well as in middle schools and high schools.
How to get teaching assistant opportunities
In order to get a teaching assistant opportunity during admission, you must:
Identify universities that offer the teaching assistant opportunity during admission: Several universities in Canada, USA and Europe offer opportunity for teaching assistant role to all potential applicants to the university. The applicants must therefore indicate whether they would like to take up the role as a teaching assistant.
People who wish to become teaching assistants during their studies must make a conscious effort to search and locate universities that provide the opportunity. You can do this by reading through the application instructions before deciding to continue filling out the application, especially if the opportunity to be a teaching assistant is a primary determinant.
Benefits of becoming a teaching assistant
The teaching assistant role provides opportunities for you to network among the staff of the university or faculty.
It also provides an opportunity for you to gain the necessary experience that you may need to become a full-time lecturer.
Very importantly, you also have the opportunity to gain income in the university environment to support your necessary expenses.
In addition, you also get to learn to boost your own studies since your teaching assistant role is likely to be in the field of the program you are studying.