43100 Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants

What this occupation covers

Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants support students, and assist teachers and counsellors with teaching and non-instructional tasks. They assist in areas of personal care, teaching and behaviour management under the supervision of teachers or other child care professionals. They are employed in public and private elementary, secondary and special needs schools and treatment centres.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 8 main duties for this code.

• Assist students with integration into the classroom and school setting
• Help students individually or in small groups with assignments and reinforce learning and retention concepts under the supervision of the classroom teacher
• Assist students with special needs using techniques such as sign language, braille and remedial programs
• Monitor and report student progress to classroom teacher
• Accompany and supervise students during activities in school gymnasiums, laboratories, libraries, resource centres and on field trips
• May assist teacher in the operation of projectors, tape recorders and other audio-visual or electronic equipment
• May assist in school library or office and perform other duties assigned by the school principal
• May monitor students during recess, at noon hour or during the day.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 8 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 42202 Early childhood educators and assistants
• 41221 Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
• 42203 Instructors of persons with disabilities
• 41201 Post-secondary teaching and research assistants
• 45100 Student monitors, crossing guards and related occupations

Excluded from this code

• Early childhood educators and assistants (See 42202 Early childhood educators and assistants)
• Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (See 41221 Elementary school and kindergarten teachers)
• Instructors of persons with disabilities (See 42203 Instructors of persons with disabilities)
• Post-secondary teaching and research assistants (See 41201 Post-secondary teaching and research assistants)
• Student monitors, crossing guards and related occupations (See 45100 Student monitors, crossing guards and related occupations)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

child care attendant - elementary school · classroom assistant - primary and secondary school · educational assistant · educational resources assistant · homework assistant · instructional assistant - primary and secondary school · paraprofessional educator · program assistant - education · remedial education aide · special education assistant · special needs educational assistant · special programs aide - education · student support assistant · teacher's aide · teacher's assistant · teacher's helper · teaching staff assistant - primary and secondary school

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is required.
• Teacher assistants usually require completion of a 10-month college program in teaching assistance, educational assistance or other social science program.
• Teacher assistants who help students with special needs usually require specialized training and experience.