If you have a strong desire to do meaningful work with students, becoming a paraprofessional in education could be the ideal role for you! Let's review a paraprofessional job description, duties, and responsibilities. Kelly Education partners with schools nationwide to hire thousands of substitute and permanent paraprofessionals (also known as paraeducators) each school year. So, we’re the experts in what they do and how to become a paraprofessional or paraeducator. In this article, we’ll review a typical example paraprofessional job description that includes:
When talking about paraeducators, some schools will use job titles like paras, parapros, or paraprofessionals. At Kelly Education, we prefer "paraeducator" because it’s both respectful and accurately reflects the training it takes to do their work in education, like paralegals or paramedics working in the legal or medical fields. When searching online, you may also see these roles listed under job titles like:
The qualifications section of a paraprofessional job description outlines the minimum state and district requirements for the job. For most, it’s 18 years old and successful completion of a background check. Other qualifications may include the ability to:
This section defines who the paraprofessional reports to within the school. If you’re a substitute paraeducator, this might change from day to day or with each assignment. Typically, paraprofessionals report to the school principal or an assigned teacher.
Given the diverse learning styles and abilities of students with special needs, a key goal of a paraeducator is to collaborate closely with teachers and administrators to provide tailored support that meets each student's unique needs. They can assist small groups as well as individual students. Beyond academic support, paraprofessionals also assist in areas like social interaction, communication, movement, behavior, and safety. This ensures a comprehensive approach to each student’s development.
While duties and responsibilities of the paraeducator or paraprofessional can vary between assignments, they always work closely with and under the guidance of the supervising district or school teacher and are responsible for carrying out the instructional support activities planned by the teacher. Common duties listed in a paraprofessional job description can include:
It’s important to note that certain duties and responsibilities, such as assisting with hygiene activities, should only occur under the direct supervision or direction of the district teacher or personnel. If you're ever unsure about what is or is not permissible, always ask the district teacher, school personnel, or the staffing firm that placed you. Seeking clarification shows your professionalism and dedication to your role. Job descriptions can also include unacceptable duties and responsibilities. For example, they shouldn’t:
School districts typically pay their staff paraeducators along with the rest of their faculty and staff weekly or bi-weekly. It may be an hourly rate or a paraprofessional salary. If you work for Kelly Education as a permanent or substitute paraeducator, we pay our substitute paraeducators a daily or hourly wage rate. Our paychecks come weekly. The pay scale is set by the district according to local labor market standards.
At Kelly Education, we offer training, ongoing support, and professional development for this vital role because we know what it takes to support students with special needs. We also know that all educators value continuous learning and growing their skills. Ready to take the next step? Read our article: How to become a paraprofessional. Or simply fill out our brief interest form and one of our recruiters will contact you to answer your questions. They’ll also share more about opportunities to work with our school district partners.