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Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary

teaching socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques, instructing and monitoring students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage and attending staff meetings and serving on committees. If that's your week, this page is about your job.

The honest answer

AI changes the edges of this job, not the middle: teaching socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques, behavior modification or positive reinforcement is work software can't reach.

Your move: what you can actually do about this ↓

What shifts is the routine end of the work: the overhead at the edges, not the middle you trained for.

Your week, as this page understands it

BLS publishes one OEWS employment and wage estimate covering this combination of detailed occupations rather than one for each, so it is reported here as a single occupation covering three detailed occupations: Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education, Teaching Assistants, Special Education and Teaching Assistants, All Other. O*NET publishes task statements for Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education and Teaching Assistants, Special Education; it publishes none for Teaching Assistants, All Other, which is a statistical residual. The task statements recorded against this occupation are the union of those detailed occupations' official O*NET tasks, kept grouped by detailed occupation so the weighting stays honest. The job title says “teaching assistants” or “except postsecondary”: officially one job, two names. The real job is the part underneath: teaching socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques, behavior modification or positive reinforcement. That is the thing someone has to be right about.

The exposed part of this job is specific, and we won’t pretend it is coming back. But teaching assistants, except postsecondary is not one task. It is 21 scored ones, and they are nowhere near equally exposed. The most durable of them, on this evidence, is teaching socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques, behavior modification or positive reinforcement, and the ledger below shows exactly why.

Where the work sits, by task weight

shifting to AI
0%
changing shape
0%
staying human
100%

These bars are tasks changing hands, not people being counted out. The ledger below shows which.

Whole-job exposure score 9 out of 100 (5–16 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, across 21 scored tasks. The number is the support for the sentence above it, not a headline about anyone’s future.

How we know this

What is measured: Every published task statement for teaching assistants, except postsecondary is rated on five dimensions: can a model produce the output, does the work need a body in a room, does it need a legally accountable person, does it depend on a person being trusted in the moment, and how much data exists. A published formula turns those five ratings into the score; the model never writes the number.

How the bar is built: Each task’s share of the bar is its published importance weight, so a task you do all day counts for more than one you do twice a year.

Release: 2026-q4.1, scores computed 2026-08-04. Read the full method.

Your job, task by task

These are the official task statements for this occupation, in plain English, sorted by what the evidence says is happening to each one. The official wording sits under every line so you can check the rewrite against it.

Shifting to AI

0 tasks

Tasks today’s tools can already do most of. This is the part we will not soften: where these rows are the bulk of your week, the week changes.

Nothing in this job’s scored task list landed in this group. That is the measurement, not an editorial choice, and it is worth knowing either way.

Changing shape

0 tasks

Tasks where the machine takes the producing and a person keeps the checking, the deciding, or the answering-for-it. For most jobs this is the biggest group, and it is where "transformation, not termination" is literally visible.

Nothing in this job’s scored task list landed in this group. That is the measurement, not an editorial choice, and it is worth knowing either way.

Staying human

21 tasks

Tasks that stay with a person, because they happen in the physical world, because the rules need someone accountable, or because the value is that a specific person does them.

  • Teaching socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques, behavior modification or positive reinforcement

    This work happens in the physical world: acceptable behavior, employing techniques, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 10 out of 100 (3–17 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Behavior plans are easy to write down, but teaching a young child how to behave happens moment by moment in person.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Instructing and monitoring students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage

    This work happens in the physical world: students, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 5 out of 100 (0–12 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence, and it moved between repeat runs, so the range is widened.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Teaching children to handle equipment safely and watching that they do means being there with them.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Enforcing administration policies and rules governing students

    This work happens in the physical world: administration policies, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Enforce administration policies and rules governing students.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 5 out of 100 (0–12 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Enforcing school rules with children means being present and carrying the authority of a known adult.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Instructing and monitoring students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage

    This work happens in the physical world: students, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 5 out of 100 (0–12 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence, and it moved between repeat runs, so the range is widened.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Teaching children to handle equipment safely and watching that they do means being there with them.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Enforcing administration policies and rules governing students

    This work happens in the physical world: administration policies, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Enforce administration policies and rules governing students.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 5 out of 100 (0–12 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Enforcing school rules with children means being present and carrying the authority of a known adult.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Attending staff meetings and serving on committees

    This work happens in the physical world: staff meetings, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 11 out of 100 (4–18 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Attending meetings and serving on committees means taking part yourself, though notes and summaries can be automated.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Distributing teaching materials, such as textbooks, workbooks, papers and pencils, to students

    This work happens in the physical world: materials, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Distribute teaching materials, such as textbooks, workbooks, papers, and pencils, to students.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Passing out books, paper and pencils is done by hand.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.

  • Organizing and supervising games and other recreational activities to promote physical

    This work happens in the physical world: games, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Organize and supervise games and other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, and social development.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 6 out of 100 (2–10 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Running games and activities means being there with the group.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Employing special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills

    This work happens in the physical world: special educational strategies, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 12 out of 100 (5–19 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: The techniques are well documented, but using them with a small child means being in the room working with them.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 2/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Distributing teaching materials, such as textbooks, workbooks, papers and pencils, to students

    This work happens in the physical world: materials, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Distribute teaching materials, such as textbooks, workbooks, papers, and pencils, to students.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Passing out books, paper and pencils is done by hand.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.

Show the other 11 tasks

  • Taking class attendance and maintaining attendance records

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: class attendance, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Take class attendance and maintain attendance records.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 38 out of 100 (31–45 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Attendance records are simple data, though someone has to see who is actually in the room.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Taking class attendance and maintaining attendance records

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: class attendance, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Take class attendance and maintain attendance records.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 38 out of 100 (31–45 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Attendance records are simple data, though someone has to see who is actually in the room.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Using computers, audio-visual aids and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: computers, audio-visual aids and other equipment and materials, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 32 out of 100 (22–42 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence, and it moved between repeat runs, so the range is widened.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Making slides and other presentation materials is easy for software, though using them happens in front of the class.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Using computers, audio-visual aids and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: computers, audio-visual aids and other equipment and materials, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 3 · Core
    Source: “Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 32 out of 100 (22–42 allowing for uncertainty): low exposure, medium confidence, and it moved between repeat runs, so the range is widened.

    Why it sits in this group: the same decision, made over and over; mistakes that are cheap to catch; work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Making slides and other presentation materials is easy for software, though using them happens in front of the class.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 3/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 1/4 · how much data exists 3/4.

  • Attending staff meetings and serving on committees

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: staff meetings, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 3 · Supplemental
    Source: “Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 11 out of 100 (4–18 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, medium confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Attending meetings and serving on committees means taking part yourself, though notes and summaries can be automated.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 2/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Organizing and supervising games and other recreational activities to promote physical

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: games, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Organize and supervise games and other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, and social development.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 6 out of 100 (2–10 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Running games and activities means being there with the group.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 1/4 · needs a body in a room 3/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Laminating teaching materials to increase their durability

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: materials, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 3 · Core
    Source: “Laminate teaching materials to increase their durability under repeated use.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Laminating materials is a hands-on job at the machine.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.

  • Operating and maintaining audio-visual equipment

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: audio-visual equipment, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Supplemental
    Source: “Operate and maintain audio-visual equipment.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Setting up and maintaining audio-visual equipment is hands-on work with hardware.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Providing students with disabilities with assistive devices

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: students, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Provide students with disabilities with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–7 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence, and it moved between repeat runs, so the range is widened.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world; the value is that a specific person does it.

    The rating behind it: Helping a student physically get around school or use a device requires being right there with them.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 1/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 2/4 · how much data exists 1/4.

  • Preparing classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: classrooms, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 4 · Core
    Source: “Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Laying out a classroom means physically moving and arranging materials.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 2/4.

  • Laminating teaching materials to increase their durability

    staying human

    This work happens in the physical world: materials, in a real place. Software cannot follow it there.

    importance 3 · Supplemental
    Source: “Laminate teaching materials to increase their durability under repeated use.” (O*NET task statement)
    How this row was scored

    Exposure score: 0 out of 100 (0–4 allowing for uncertainty): minimal exposure, high confidence.

    Why it sits in this group: work that happens in the physical world.

    The rating behind it: Laminating materials is a hands-on job at the machine.

    The five ratings: output a model can produce 0/4 · needs a body in a room 4/4 · needs an accountable person 0/4 · needs to be trusted in the moment 0/4 · how much data exists 1/4.

What this job pays, and how many people do it

Median pay
$36,780a year, the middle of the range, so half earn more and half earn less.bls-oews, 2025 · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)
How we know this

Source: bls-oews

Reference period: May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)

Rounding: Shown as published.

People doing this job
1,420,350in the US, 2025.bls-oews · May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx)

What is deliberately not here: a forecast of how many of these jobs exist in ten years. Where an official projection exists for a market we publish it with its vintage; where it does not, we leave the space empty rather than borrow the other country’s number.

Why this is shifting

The reason is boringly specific. Almost none of this job is reading one thing and writing another (the shape today's tools are built for), because the work turns on acceptable behavior, employing techniques, which happens with people and things rather than on a screen. The rows above are the evidence rather than the reassurance: teaching socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques and instructing and monitoring students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage. The parts that are changing are the paperwork and the tools around the job, not the middle of it, which is why this page talks about your tasks changing, not your job ending.

Your move

Over a pint: what I’d tell you if you were my friend

Start with what does not change: teaching socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques, behavior modification or positive reinforcement is the middle of this job, and the evidence on this page says it stays with a person.

So, given all that: 0% of this job's task weight sits in rows the software is already learning, 0% in rows that change shape rather than disappear, and 100% in rows it is nowhere near. That is the position, measured across 21 scored tasks. It is not a forecast about you.

So the thing worth your attention is not the job going away. It is the layer around it. The routine end of the work is the part turning into software, and being the person who understands that layer is worth money.

This week: one thing

Ask the one question. Find whoever is bringing new software into your workplace (the manager, the office, whoever runs the system) and ask them what it is meant to do to the routine work, and what it is not meant to touch. Ten minutes, this week, before anyone decides it for you.

What you end up holding
a straight answer about what is actually being rolled out, and when
How long it takes
ten minutes

If there’s nobody obvious to ask, or you’d rather not ask your manager: Put the same question to your union rep, your shift lead or the person who has been there longest, in person, over a break. Same ten minutes, same answer, and you will usually get a straighter one. Write down what they say. The note is the artifact, and it tells you whether acceptable behavior, employing techniques are in scope or not. Nothing to log into, no license needed.

Over the next 90 days

Get inside the tool rollout rather than waiting for it. Over the next ninety days, ask to be in the group that tests, checks or signs off whatever new system arrives near teaching socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques, behavior modification or positive reinforcement. It is usually an unglamorous seat that nobody fights for, and it is the one that decides how the software is used on your job rather than to it.

Over the next 12 months

On this evidence I would not retrain out of this job, and I will say that plainly rather than hedge it. The task list here is dominated by work that stays with a person. What I would do with a year is get formally recognised for the layer around it (the systems, the compliance, the planning), so you are the one who understands the software instead of the one it is done to. Before you pay for anything, use CareerOneStop - Find local training. It is free, it is the Labor Department's own service, and it is listed below with the rest of the free routes.

The roads out of here

You did not come here for a career change and I am not selling you one. But one road out of here is worth knowing about, so here it is with the bill attached.

  • Teaching Assistants, Except PostsecondarySpecial Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School

    a year or morematched on shared tasks

    One of the tasks on your list is on theirs in the same words: “prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use…”. Take both published task lists together and about 37% of the work in that job that the software is not taking is work you are doing today.

    About 37% of it you could do on Monday. The catch is not the work, it is how few of those jobs there are.

    The work the two jobs share

    • You already do

      “Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play.”

      They do

      “Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play.”

    • You already do

      “Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.”

      They do

      “Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.”

    • You already do

      “Provide students with disabilities with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.”

      They do

      “Provide assistive devices, supportive technology, or assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.”

    What you would not already have: Nothing in your task list touches “develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a…”, “observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health” or “encourage students to explore learning opportunities or persevere with challenging tasks to…”. That is the part you would be learning from scratch, and it is roughly the 63% of their durable work you do not already hold.

    The honest bill

    Pay: $65,120 against your $36,780 (OEWS May 2025 (both)).

    • The licence gate: Default-closed. This release carries no licence-register snapshot, so I could not check whether that job is regulated, which means I have to assume it might be. Before you spend a penny, look it up on the US Labor Department’s licensed-occupations finder; the free routes below link straight to it. The route is banded a year or more because of that unknown, not in spite of it.
    • The entry ticket: Typical entry-level education is published for only ten occupations in this release, and neither this job nor that one is among them. So I cannot tell you whether a qualification stands in the way. Treat that as an open question to settle before you commit, not as a green light.
    • What the pay gap is telling you: $65,120 against your $36,780, 77.1% more (OEWS May 2025 (both)). A real difference, not a life-changing one. Take the move for the work, not the raise.
    • What you live on meanwhile: Nobody is going to pay you to retrain. This is evenings and weekends alongside the job you already have, for a year or more, and if that is not possible right now then this route is not open right now, which is worth knowing before you start. The free American Job Center service listed below will talk training funding through with you before you pay anyone.
    • How many seats there are: About 260,870 of those jobs against 1,420,350 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 18% as many seats. A real door, not a wide one.
    • Is the target job itself holding up: Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School scores 16/100 on this site’s own exposure measure (minimal), with 9% of its tasks in the top band. Employment projections are not published for this occupation in this release, so this is the exposure leg of the check only. It passed, which is the only reason it is here.

    How long: A year or more, part-time, alongside the job you have. That band is set by the unchecked licence question and by the 63% of their work you would be learning, not by any one course.

    See what AI is doing to special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school

3 moves I checked and rejected

These are the obvious-looking jumps. They are here with their reasons rather than quietly dropped, because the ones that fail are worth knowing about. It is one less thing to turn over at night.

  • Special Education Teachers, Preschool

    Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour because one of your tasks is on their list in the same words: “teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques”. Across the whole of both lists that adds up to about 24% of the work in that job the software is not taking.

    Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 24% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on. And it is a narrow door: about 29,510 of those jobs against 1,420,350 of yours (OEWS May 2025), 2% as many seats.

    Look at that job’s page anyway →

  • Substitute Teachers, Short-Term

    Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour because one of your tasks is on their list in the same words: “distribute teaching materials”. Across the whole of both lists that adds up to about 23% of the work in that job the software is not taking.

    Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 23% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on.

    Look at that job’s page anyway →

  • Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

    Why it looked obvious: It came up as a near neighbour on the work AI is not taking: you already enforce administration policies and rules governing students, and their equivalent is to enforce all administration policies and rules governing students. Across both published task lists that is about 19% of the durable work in that job.

    Why I am not recommending it: You would be starting most of it from nothing: about 19% of the durable work in that job is work you do today, and the rest you would be learning while the bills carried on.

    Look at that job’s page anyway →

What I’d stop worrying about

A friend tells you what not to spend fear on. This is that list.

  • The headline number you read somewhere

    The big “X% of jobs” figures are about the whole economy, not about you. The number that describes your job is on this page: 0% of its task weight, across 21 scored tasks. Every row behind it is printed above with the source. Check ours; ignore theirs.

  • The headlines about your trade disappearing

    They are usually about the technology, not the timetable. Changes to work like teaching socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques, behavior modification or positive reinforcement arrive through rules, insurance and money, slowly and visibly. This page tracks the task evidence and will move when it moves.

  • Retraining out of a job that is holding up

    On this evidence I would not spend money leaving. Spend it on the layer around the job instead: the tools, the paperwork, the planning. That is where the change actually is.

  • The “obvious” next job everyone suggests

    I checked the obvious moves and most of them did not survive. The reasons are printed with the routes above, including the pay and the gate. A move that fails on the numbers is worth knowing about so you can stop turning it over at night.

You are reading the United States figures

The United Kingdom splits this work across more than one official group, of which Higher level teaching assistants is the closest. The pay and employment figures are not directly comparable, and we do not average them together.

Switch to the United Kingdom page →partial match

The other groups this work is counted across:

In UK official statistics this job is counted as Higher level teaching assistants, Teaching assistants, Educational support assistants, Exam invigilators and School midday and crossing patrol occupations. Pay is shown separately for each of those groups (medians cannot be averaged together), while the task list and the scores on this page are for this group only.

Your route through this

Where to go next, and what it costs

Free, and complete

The moves above cost nothing. These are the real services that go with them: public, government-funded, and free at the point of use. Nothing on this page is behind an email address or a payment.

Why there is no community here

Collab365, who build this site, run paid Spaces for a small number of subjects, and none of them is built for this job. We are not going to point you at the nearest one and call it a fit.

So the free services listed on this page are the whole answer, and it is the same answer we would give a friend.

Nearby moves

The jobs above, as pages you can read the same way as this one. Your job shares its core work with these. That is what the match is, and it is all it is.

Noted, and thank you. We’ll email you if a Space for teaching assistants / except postsecondary launches. Nothing else.

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No Space for teaching assistants / except postsecondary yet. Should there be one?

Collab365 Spaces is built by the same people as this site. We find the problems that AI and automation are creating inside one kind of work, then solve them as short courses, briefings and Blueprints. Each Space is the community too, so the research and the people doing your job are in the same place.

What a Space actually is, in full

Collab365 launches new communities where the need is real. If one for teaching assistants / except postsecondary existed, with researched problems, courses and people in the same boat, would you want in?

We use your email address for one thing: to tell you if a Space for teaching assistants / except postsecondary launches. We never sell it, never use it for unrelated marketing, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe. Our privacy policy has the full version.

This unlocks nothing. Every figure, every row and every step on this page is already yours, whether you fill this in or not.

No deadline on any of this. The page will still be here, and the data is refreshed on a published schedule rather than when someone wants a headline.

Questions people ask about this job

Will AI replace Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary?
Not as a job, but it is already doing parts of the work. Across the 21 official task statements scored for Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary (United States, SOC 25-9045), 0% of the importance-weighted core work is made of tasks today's AI could already do most of. The overall exposure score is 9 out of 100 (range 5–16, band: minimal). That is a statement about tasks, not about headcount: this measures what AI could do, not whether any employer adopts it, whether the law allows it, or whether doing the routine parts faster creates more demand for the human parts. Figures are from release 2026-q4.1.
Which tasks in “Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary” can AI already do?
The highest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Take class attendance and maintain attendance records” (38/100, low); “Take class attendance and maintain attendance records” (38/100, low); “Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations” (32/100, low). Each score comes from five published 0–4 ratings turned into a number by a published formula, and each carries the model's one-sentence reason on the page.
Which tasks in “Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary” stay human?
About 100% of this job's task weight sits in work that scores low for AI exposure. The lowest-scoring tasks in release 2026-q4.1 are: “Laminate teaching materials to increase their durability under repeated use” (0/100, minimal); “Distribute teaching materials, such as textbooks, workbooks, papers, and pencils, to students” (0/100, minimal); “Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play” (0/100, minimal). Low scores usually mean the task needs a body in a room, a legally accountable human, or trust built in real time. Those are the three things the scoring rubric treats as gates rather than obstacles.
What should someone working in “Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary” do about AI?
Start from the ledger rather than the headline: 0% of this job's weighted core work is exposed, and roughly 100% is not. The practical move is to spend more of your week on the tasks that score low, the ones above, and to get fluent at directing AI through the tasks that score high, because those are the parts that change whether or not you are ready for them. This page does not predict your job, and nothing here is career advice tailored to you: the score describes the occupation, not the person.
How is the AI exposure score for Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary calculated?
Each official task statement for the occupation is rated on five published 0–4 dimensions (output replicability, physical embodiment, licensed accountability, real-time human trust, and data availability) by claude-opus-5 using scoring prompt task_scoring_v1.0. The model never writes the score; a published formula turns the five ratings into a 0–100 number, so every score can be recomputed by hand. The occupation figure is the importance-weighted mean across 21 scored tasks. The prompt, the rubric, the formula and the full dataset are published at https://futureproof.collab365.com/method and https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1 under CC BY 4.0.

Where these numbers come from

About the data on this page

  • 5 tasks scored differently between repeat runs, so their range on this page is wider. We would rather show the wobble than hide it.
  • The match between this job and its counterpart in the other country is partial, so the two pages count slightly different groups of people.
  • 37 of this occupation's 58 published task statements are not yet scored and are omitted from this release. Every exposure figure on this page is computed from the 21 that are, so treat it as a partial reading of the job rather than a complete one.
  • 21 of this occupation's scored task statements carry a score that was measured under a different occupation's context, because the statement is shared between jobs and has only been scored once so far. Each one names the occupation it was measured under in the free routes below; none is presented as a measurement for this job.
  • Task clusters are not derived in this release, so the task-cluster field is empty and no Collab365 Space routing is attached to this occupation yet.
Task statements
onet-dbProcessing: catalogue-bridge → onet-im-rt-weighting → task-scoring → score-aggregation
Task weights
onet-db (im-rt)
Scores
Rubric task_scoring_v1.0, model claude-opus-5, computed 2026-08-05.
Pay and employment
bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))bls-oews (May 2025 estimates (national_M2025_dl.xlsx))

Figures on this page come from release 2026-q4.1, published 2026-08-05. Every release keeps its own permanent address, so a figure you cite in March is still there, unchanged, in November.

The plain-English wording on this page is assembled directly from the task statements and the published ratings, not written by hand for this occupation. That is why it is specific, and it is also why we say so.

The routes and free resources further up are today’s, not the release’s (last reviewed 2026-08-05). A route is an offer, not a historical fact, so it moves on its own clock.

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Using these figures?

Cite this

Everything on this site is published under CC BY 4.0. Quote it, chart it, sell something built on it. Just say where it came from, and cite the dated release rather than the site, so the figure you quote stays checkable.

Plain text

Collab365 (2026). Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1 (methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0). https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Built with O*NET data (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0); GAISI task framework (arXiv:2507.22748, MIT); BLS data (public domain).

BibTeX

@misc{collab365futureproof2026q41,
  title        = {Collab365 Futureproof: task-level AI exposure for US and UK occupations, release 2026-q4.1},
  author       = {{Collab365}},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1},
  note         = {Release 2026-q4.1, methodVersion 2.0.0, promptVersion task_scoring_v1.0, CC BY 4.0}
}

Permalink

https://futureproof.collab365.com/data/2026-q4.1

Data as of release 2026-q4.1, published . Releases never change after publication; when the figures move, a new dated release is published beside this one and this one stays exactly where it is.