Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary
SOC 25-9044 · 2024-2034
Assist faculty or other instructional staff in postsecondary institutions by performing instructional support activities, such as developing teaching materials, leading discussion groups, preparing and giving examinations, and grading examinations or papers.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $50,516per year
- Projected openings
- 28,690
- Projected change
- +2.6%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Instructing
- Speaking
- Learning Strategies
- Writing
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $66,959 | 2,940 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $66,511 | 4,120 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $59,227 | 6,880 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $58,592 | 2,930 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $51,698 | 820 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $47,466 | 180 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $45,494 | 1,980 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $42,320 | 80 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $40,676 | 3,430 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $39,420 | 7,570 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $38,673 | 190 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $38,283 | 100 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $38,026 | 1,440 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $37,276 | 1,130 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | $37,040 | 40 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $36,453
- A quarter earn under
- $38,488
- Half earn under
- $50,516
- Three quarters earn under
- $66,079
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $79,608
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutors | $46,362 | 91,790 | +6.8% |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $104,208 | 57,820 | -1.5% |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $101,720 | 23,240 | -1.7% |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $102,439 | 96,800 | -1.7% |
| Education Teachers, Postsecondary | $114,981 | 2,850 | +2.6% |
| Instructional Coordinators | $99,726 | 21,280 | +5.7% |