Education Assistant

Interested in a career working with children? Education Assistants who support students with diverse abilities are in demand!

What You'll Learn

• Balanced mix of theory and practical experience about best ways to support children and youth with special needs in the school setting.
• Get ready to excel in inclusive classrooms.
• Opportunity to become a competent and employable paraprofessional.
• Receive hands-on experience alongside teachers and teams supporting students with disabilities.

Program Options

• Choose between an eight-month in-person full-time or six-semester online part-time certificate program.
• Part-time stream offers courses in evenings and weekends.
• Both streams include two extended practicum experiences in local schools.

Admission Requirements

• Please check the Admissions tab and carefully look at the rest of the Education Assistant website as you will find many answers to your questions!  
• More information about the part-time evening course schedule is available here. 

Coordinated Diploma

• Additional 30 UT credits required for Coordinated Diploma.
• These credits can be completed before or after the certificate year.

Information Sessions

• To learn more it is essential that you attend an information session. Please watch this website for Information Session dates and times as these will be updated frequently.  

Questions about the program? Contact us:

Please send questions regarding application inquiries and admission to the Education Assistant Program to edassist@langara.ca. For all other inquiries, please contact Erin Yorke, EDAS Department Chair at eyorke@langara.ca.

EDAS Alumni Interviews

A Day in the Life

Recently, we spoke with Ellie, a current student in the Education Assistant program, to find out what a day looks like for her in this program. See what she shared with us.

FAQs

What is the name of the specific course and the corresponding tuition?

Education Assistant Program
Registration fee is $40.00
Please see Costs for more information about tuition. 

Is this institution PCTIA registered and/or accredited?

Langara is not a private institution, it is a public institution and a member of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges.

What are the Training Institution's admission requirements?

Academic Requirements:

• Please refer to Admissions.

Program Requirements:

• Recent volunteer or work experience in the school system, with students with disabilities. Preference will be given to applicants who have 100 hours of recent volunteer experience with children with disabilities in school or related settings.
• A minimum of two recent letters certifying that volunteer experiences were successful are required. Note:Letters from relatives or friends are not acceptable.
• Good knowledge of the English language and the ability to speak and write clearly and correctly.
  An interview conducted by program faculty where your understanding of the roles and responsibilities of Education Assistants in a school setting and your familiarity with the current BC school system will be evaluated.
• Criminal Records Review. All students in the Education Assistant Program must complete a Criminal Records Review prior to the first practicum. Practicum placement facilities require evidence of a satisfactory Criminal Records Review in order for you to work with children/adolescents in the school system.
• Interview with a program faculty member.

Program Preferences:

Post-secondary studies with a minimum grade point average of 2.0.

Is there an admission test? 

There is no test specific to the program, although as part of the admission to Langara, applicants may need to complete an English Placement test if they do not meet the English 12 application requirement or if they do not have previous post-secondary English.

How many graduates of this course are presently working in their field?

Our employment rate is over 95% for those who seek employment as an Education Assistant after graduation.

What is the typical entry-level position and what is the salary range?

Graduates apply for the position of Education Assistant (Special Education Assistant, Student Support Worker, Teacher Assistant) in the school system.

The salary is between $30 and $35 per hour. Daily hours vary.  Many positions include benefits. This is an estimated salary. Please check with individual school districts for salary, hours, and benefits specific to each school district.

What kind of assistance does the Institution offer in job placement?

Throughout the EDAS Program, school districts come to Langara to share information about the application process. Individual school districts interview and hire Education Assistants independently of any program.  

Does the Institution issue a T2202A for income tax purposes?

Yes

How many hours of course work is scheduled each week?

Part Time Program

You can complete our part time online evening and weekend program in 6 semesters or more, approximately 24 months. Intakes for the part-time online program happen in January, May and September.

We offer two courses in the Spring and Fall Semester in the evenings. The times are usually 4:30 pm until 7:30/8:30 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays. The summer courses are offered in May and June and run two evenings a week at the same times as above. We also offer a Summer course on Saturday during the day.

The two practicums take place in-person five days a week for four weeks. Please note that the practicums can start as early as 8 am and end as late as 3:30 pm.

Some of our part time students have been hired half-way through their EA program with us and are working as EAs as they complete their coursework.

Hours of homework for courses vary between one to three hours per course per week.

Full Time Program

For the full-time program, classes run Monday-Friday from 9am-2:50pm from September to the end of April (about 8 months). Most classes take place on campus with a few classes taking place online. The full-time program intake is once per year in September.

There are two practicums which take place in-person five days a week for four weeks. (usually in the months of November and April). Please note that the practicums can start as early as 8 am and end as late as 3:30 pm.

Hours of homework for courses vary between one to three hours per course per week.

How are practicums arranged?

There are two four-week practicums - one is in elementary and one is in middle school or secondary.

Practicums are arranged by Langara EDAS supervisors.

Practicums are five days a week and can start as early as 8 am and end as late as 3:30 pm. Depending on the district, practicum hours differ. The minimum is 120 hours of practicum time. The majority of practicums are approximately 140 hours. For 2 practicums, this is between 240 and 280.  

What is the instructor to student ratio?

Education Assistant courses typically include 35 students and 1 instructor.

During practicum, Langara practicum instructors typically supervise between 10 to 12 students. This offers opportunities for dedicated practicum support.

Additional information you may consider relevant?

• Langara’s Education Assistant Program, the oldest program of its kind in the province, celebrated it’s 50th anniversary in 2017.
• Langara has an excellent reputation in the lower mainland and works closely with the local school districts.
• Our Program Advisory Committee is comprised of graduates, parents, and local school district representatives, who assist us in keeping our curriculum relevant, to ensure that our graduates are well prepared at the start of their career.
• Our EDAS faculty find all practicum placements for students.
• Our EDAS faculty have all taught in the field of Education with many starting as Education Assistants.
• All faculty have Master degrees or higher and are committed to their own ongoing learning and development.