Many teacher assistants work primarily or exclusively with students who have special educational needs. They may be assigned to perform clerical work for a teacher, in which case they may grade assignments, type up records for attendance or grades, set up equipment, and help prepare materials for instruction, e.g., by making photocopies of worksheets. Many paraprofessionals are assigned to supervise groups of students who are eating, playing outside, or on field trips. Some paraprofessionals work directly with students, in which case they may listen to students practice reading aloud, help students understand and complete their assignments, or assist students with special needs. Other positions include classroom aides, special education aides, school library technical assistants, and tutors. Job duties range from filling teaching positions to supplementing regular classroom curriculum with additional enrichment activities for students. Paraprofessional educators generally assist teachers in the classroom, supervise students outside of the classroom, or provide administrative support for teaching. Similar institutions exist in Germany and France where they are known as Foreign Language Assistants.
In Japan, foreign native speakers employed as paraprofessional language educators (primarily English) are known as Assistant Language Teachers. In Canada, they are widely known as Educational Assistants to emphasize their role in educating special needs students. Scotland uses the term "classroom assistant" rather than "teaching assistant" as teaching is strictly not part of an assistant's responsibilities there. Those with HLTA status can substitute for teachers and (where appropriate) supervise other TAs.
Teaching Assistants in England and Wales can apply for Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) status, which requires them to document the ways in which their work meets a set of specified criteria. In recent years, legislation has been introduced which enables teachers to delegate a range of tasks to their TAs. In England and Wales, the term used for education paraprofessionals is Teaching Assistant (TA). In the United States these educators have over 30 titles, but a recent national trend has encouraged states to title these positions as "paraeducators" under their various job positions (example: Support Staff>Paraeducator>Special Education). Paraprofessionals are widely employed in schools in the United States and Canada, and in some European countries.