NOC 41201: Post-secondary teaching and research assistants
What 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.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Post-secondary teaching assistants
- 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
- 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.
Job titles under NOC 41201
13 job titles are classified here, including college laboratory assistant, college teaching assistant, graduate assistant - university.
- college laboratory assistant
- college teaching assistant
- discussion group leader - post-secondary teaching assistant
- graduate assistant - university
- laboratory demonstrator - post-secondary teaching assistance
- laboratory supervisor - post-secondary teaching assistant
- marker - post-secondary teaching assistance
- post-secondary research assistant
- post-secondary teaching assistant
- tutor - post-secondary teaching assistant
- university laboratory assistant
- university research assistant
- university teaching assistant
Employment requirements
- Enrolment in, or completion of, a university or college program is required.
Post-secondary teaching and research assistants wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $15.53/hr | $27.00/hr | $47.00/hr |
Toronto ON | $17.60/hr | $26.00/hr | $47.64/hr |
Montréal QC | $16.10/hr | $25.00/hr | $36.25/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $17.85/hr | $24.62/hr | $39.00/hr |
Calgary AB | $18.38/hr | $30.00/hr | $45.92/hr |
Edmonton AB | $18.50/hr | $25.52/hr | $44.99/hr |
Ottawa ON | $17.60/hr | $29.46/hr | $46.45/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $16.00/hr | $22.00/hr | $36.86/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $16.10/hr | $27.00/hr | $42.00/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $17.60/hr | $28.37/hr | $48.08/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $17.60/hr | $30.22/hr | $49.52/hr |
London ON | $17.60/hr | $29.67/hr | $48.35/hr |
Halifax NS | $16.50/hr | $21.63/hr | $36.59/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $17.85/hr | $30.00/hr | $40.87/hr |
Saskatoon Saskatoon–Biggar region, SK | $15.35/hr | $23.00/hr | $47.44/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $16.00/hr | $22.67/hr | $37.50/hr |
Nova Scotia | $16.50/hr | $22.50/hr | $36.59/hr |
New Brunswick | $15.65/hr | $22.00/hr | $42.86/hr |
Quebec | $16.10/hr | $27.00/hr | $42.00/hr |
Ontario | $17.60/hr | $28.72/hr | $47.64/hr |
Manitoba | $16.00/hr | $21.75/hr | $36.43/hr |
Saskatchewan | $15.35/hr | $23.68/hr | $48.46/hr |
Alberta | $18.41/hr | $27.00/hr | $44.41/hr |
British Columbia | $17.85/hr | $25.64/hr | $40.87/hr |
Using NOC 41201 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 13 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants (NOC 43100)
- Other instructors (NOC 43109)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for post-secondary teaching and research assistants?
Post-secondary teaching and research assistants are NOC 2021 unit group 41201. Example job titles in this group include college laboratory assistant, college teaching assistant, graduate assistant - university, post-secondary research assistant.
What TEER is NOC 41201?
NOC 41201 is TEER 1 (University degree). Usually requires a university degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate), or experience from a related TEER 2 occupation. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do post-secondary teaching and research assistants earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $27.00/hr, about $53,000 a year full-time, with a range of $15.53/hr to $47.00/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.