Educational assistants support students as part of a multidisciplinary team with teachers and other support personnel to provide meaningful instruction. Educational assistants also help teachers with non-instructional tasks.

Educational assistants are employed by early intervention programs, schools, summer camps, child care centres and other educational organizations to provide learning support to students and general support to teachers and other professionals. In a school setting, educational assistants may:

• work under the supervision of one or several teachers
• work with students who have special needs 
• work with individual students or groups of students both in the classroom and other settings
• work as part of a multidisciplinary team
• supervise students in structured (classroom) and unstructured (hallways, recess, lunch hour) settings
• assist with preparing materials and clerical tasks as required.

Specific duties vary from one position to another but, in general, under the direction of a teacher, educational assistants:

• assist students to integrate into the classroom and school
• implement lesson and behavioural plans and learning outcomes for individual students with special needs 
• motivate and encourage students to participate in learning activities
• use effective instructional strategies to help students with lessons and assignments
• demonstrate activities, set up and dismantle displays, play areas and work areas
• observe and report student behaviour and progress
• assist students who have special needs with personal care
• facilitate and encourage positive student behaviours 
• correct homework and tests, administer oral tests or act as a scribe for students
• collect and prepare learning materials and use technology (for example, computers, audiovisual equipment) to support student learning
• assist with special events and activities
• perform related tasks such as photocopying and laminating materials, completing attendance, health and behavioural reports, updating student records, recording ongoing progress on completing learning goals, collecting money from students for school-related projects or helping in the school library
• may supervise children during lunch and recess breaks or field trips.

Educational assistants work indoors except when supervising students outdoors or going on field trips. They may be required to routinely lift items weighing up to 10 kilograms. Sometimes, heavier lifting may be required (for example, to help students move in and out of wheelchairs).

Educational assistants employed in school systems usually have the same holiday schedule as teachers including summer, winter and spring breaks. However, most work on a contract basis and therefore are not paid during the summer months. Some school districts do pay over the 12 month period and provide benefits for employees in permanent positions. Hours of work may include some after school hours to attend staff or committee meetings. 

Educational assistants employed in the private sector may be employed the full calendar year.

Employers generally prefer to hire educational assistants who have a high school diploma and related post-secondary education. A first aid certificate, criminal record check and Child Intervention Record System check also may be required. Related experience is a definite asset.

In Alberta, educational or teacher assistant training programs are offered at the following post-secondary institutions:

• Bow Valley College in Calgary offers a 34 week Educational Assistant certificate program. Entrance requirements include English Language Arts 30-1 or 65 per cent in English Language Arts 30-2 or equivalent.
• Columbia College, a private vocational school in Calgary, offers full-time (25 weeks) and part-time (50 weeks) Human Services Professional certificate programs. The entrance requirement is a high school diploma with a 60 per cent average, or equivalent.
• Grande Prairie Regional College offers a one year (9.5 months) Teacher Assistant certificate program. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and have a high school diploma with English Language Arts 30-1 (or 60 per cent in ELA 30-2), or equivalent. Applicants also must have a current CPR certificate (Basic Rescuer) and Standard First Aid Certificate. Students can take this program on a full-time or part-time basis. Some courses are offered on-line.
• Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton offers a 10 month Special Needs Educational Assistant certificate program that is also available on a part-time evening basis and by distance delivery. Applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent with at least 65 per cent in English 30-1, 75 per cent in English Language Arts 30-2 or completion of the Skills Appraisal test. Keyano College in Fort McMurray offers a one year (10 months) Educational Assistant certificate program that may be taken full-time or part-time. The entrance requirement is a high school diploma with English Language Arts 30-1 (or 65 per cent in ELA 30-2), or equivalent. Some courses are offered on-line.
• Lakeland College in Vermilion offers a one year Educational Assistant certificate program. Entrance requirements include English Language Arts 30-1 (or 65 per cent in ELA 30-2) and Pure or Applied Math 10, or equivalent.
• Lethbridge College offers a two year Special Needs Educational Assistant diploma program. The entrance requirement is a high school diploma with at least 60 per cent in English Language Arts 30-1 or 30-2, or equivalent. 
• Medicine Hat College offers a one year Education Assistant certificate program in Brooks and Medicine Hat. The entrance requirement is a high school diploma with a Grade 12 English or equivalent. Some courses are offered on-line. Medicine Hat College also offers a one year Educational Support Services diploma program in Medicine Hat. The entrance requirement is an Education Assistant certificate or a diploma or degree in a related field of study such as Child and Youth Care, Social Work or Education.
• Northern Lakes College offers a one year (10 months) Teacher Assistant certificate program that may be taken full-time or part-time, in various locations using CentraOne onsite. Entrance requirements include English Language Arts 30-1 (or 60 per cent in English Language Arts 30-2) and Pure or Applied Math 10 (or 65 per cent in Math 24 or Math Prep 10) or equivalent.
• Portage College in Lac La Biche offers a 36 week certificate and a 36 week diploma Educational Assistant program. The entrance requirement for the certificate program is Grade 12 or equivalent with English Language Arts 30-1 or 30-2 and Applied Math 30.  The entrance requirement for the diploma program is completion of the Educational Assistant certificate program or program coordinator approval.
• Red Deer College offers a one year (non-distance) and a two and a half year (distance) Educational Assistant certificate program. The entrance requirement is a high school diploma with English Language Arts 30-1 (or 65 per cent in ELA 30-2), or equivalent.
• The University of Calgary offers part-time certificate programs designed for people who are currently working as educational assistants or have related experience.

Continuing education programs may be offered on an as needed basis.

For current information about programs, admission requirements and mature student admission policies, please check post-secondary calendars or websites.

Educational assistants may work full-time or part-time in:

• early intervention programs
• Kindergarten to Grade 12 public, separate and private schools
• after school programs
• post-secondary institutions 
• child care centres
• summer camps and day programs
• home schooling environments
• parent link, native liaison or other social services in which educational programming is offered.

Advancement requires further education. 

In Alberta, most educational assistants work in the Educational Services industry.

The employment outlook in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• trends and events affecting overall employment (especially in the Educational Services industry)
• location in Alberta
• employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
• occupational growth (work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions that never existed before)
• size of the occupation.

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next ten years.

Salaries for educational assistant positions vary widely throughout the province.

According to the 2007 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey, Albertans in the Elementary and Secondary School Teacher Assistants occupational group working part-time or full-time earned from $16,700 to $60,300 a year. The average salary was $28,900 a year.

Post-secondary institution calendars and websites (see Educational Requirements above)

EDinfo website: www.alis.alberta.ca/edinfo