National Occupational Classification (NOC): 41201
Fast Facts
- Average Pay: N/A
- Future Growth: N/A
- Skill Level: N/A
- Employment Size: N/A
- Unemployment: N/A
- Full-time Share: N/A
Sample Job Titles
- College laboratory assistant
- College teaching assistant
- Discussion group leader - post-secondary teaching assistant
- Graduate assistant – university
- Laboratory demonstrator - post-secondary teaching assistant
- Post-secondary research assistant
- Research assistant, university
- University research assistant
- University teaching assistant
What do post-secondary teaching and research assistants do?
Post-secondary teaching and research assistants assist university professors, community college and CEGEP teachers and other faculty members in teaching and research activities at universities and colleges.
Post-secondary teaching assistants perform some or all of the following duties:
- Organize reference materials, visual aids and other materials as required by university professors or college teachers for lectures
- Conduct seminars, discussion groups and laboratory sessions to supplement lectures
- Assist in the preparation and administration of examinations
- Grade examinations, term papers and laboratory reports.
Research assistants perform some or all of the following duties:
- Conduct literature reviews, surveys, laboratory experiments and other research for use in scholarly publications
- Compile research results and assist professors in the analysis of results and the preparation of journal articles or papers.
Post-secondary teaching and research assistants specialize in a subject matter based on their field of study.
Source: National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021, Employment and Social Development Canada
Post-secondary teaching and research assistants work in the following subsectors (NAICS) in Newfoundland and Labrador:
- 611 Educational services
- 541 Professional, scientific and technical services
- 911 Federal government public administration
Source: Census 2021, Statistics Canada
Short and Long Term Occupational Projections
Short Term Projections for 2025-2027
The employment outlook will be moderate for post-secondary teaching and research assistants in Newfoundland and Labrador (rating of 3 out of 5) for the 2025-2027 period.
Source: Job Bank, Government of Canada
Number of Job Postings in 2025
During 2025, there were 10 public job postings for this occupation, with the following distribution:
| Avalon: 70% | Western: 0% |
| Eastern: 10% | Labrador: 10% |
| Central: 10% | NL-unspecified: 0% |
Source: Vicinity Jobs (note: data used in this analysis reflects new unique monthly postings which are totaled for the calendar year)
Who works as post-secondary teaching and research assistants in Newfoundland and Labrador?
During the reference week of May 2021, there were approximately 900 people working in this occupation in Newfoundland and Labrador. 44% of those employed were Male+ and 56% of those employed were Female+.
Here is the age group breakdown for this group of workers:
| 15 to 24 | 25 to 54 | 55 to 64 | 65+ |
| 26% | 67% | 7% | 1% |
Source: Census 2021, Statistics Canada
How much do post-secondary teaching and research assistants make?
Annual Earnings
The median employment income for all post-secondary teaching and research assistants in the reference year 2020 (1,200 workers in total, including those working part-time and full-time, as well as part-year and full-year) was $10,200.
Source: Census 2021, Statistics Canada
Hourly Earnings
Salary information for post-secondary teaching and research assistants in Newfoundland and Labrador is as follows:
| Low ($/hour) | Median ($/hour) | High ($/hour) | |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $16.00 | $22.67 | $37.50 |
The following low, median, and high wages are for Canada:
| Low ($/hour) | Median ($/hour) | High ($/hour) |
| $15.53 | $27.00 | $47.00 |
Source: Job Bank, Government of Canada
Most Frequently Sought Skills from Job Postings (2025)
- Communication skills
- Teaching and training
- Analytical skills
- Quantitative research
- Teamwork
- Data collection
Source: Vicinity Jobs
What training is required?
- Enrolment in a university or college program.
Source: National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021, Employment and Social Development Canada
* Find public and private education, training and skills development opportunities in Newfoundland and Labrador here.
Links
- National Occupational Classification
- North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2022
- Job Bank – Explore Careers by Occupation
- Department of Finance – Occupation Projections
- Statistics Canada – Census 2021
- Percentages for some occupations may not equal 100% due to Statistics Canada’s use of random rounding procedures for subcategories of age (a confidentiality procedure used to prevent the possibility of associating statistical data with any identifiable individual).