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About TAs/Paraeducators

Here you will learn about teaching assistants and paraeducators in much of the English-speaking world. Information from Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and the United States includes the number of people hired to provide support for teaching and learning in the schools classrooms.

For a bit of fun, we share some of the terms (and spelling) used in various countries. For example, teaching assistants in the United Kingdom are referred in the United States by various titles such as paraeducators, paraprofessionals, aides, or technical assistants.

Roles and responsibilities assigned to learning support staff provide you with an opportunity to compare these against your assignment. How do they differ? How are they the same?

United States of America United Kingdom Australia
Paraeducator Teaching assistant Teacher aide
Paraprofessional LSA (learning support assistant) School assistant
Teacher aide NNEB (nursery nurse) School learning support officer
Technical assistant   Education assistant
Aide   Integration aide
Instructional assistant   Special needs assistant
Title I teacher   Library aide
Bilingual teacher   Ancillary staff/officer
Instructional assistant   Aboriginal community education officer
    Educational paraprofessional
    Defense school transition aide/mentor
    Preschool assistant
    Autism support assistant
    Vision support assistant
    Communication support assistant
    Bilingual assistant