NOC 41201: Post-secondary teaching and research assistants
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.
Last reviewed 2026-11-02 · Sources: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
Quick answer
NOC 41201 (Post-secondary teaching and research assistants) is a TEER 1 occupation, so it counts as skilled work for Express Entry. It is not on IRCC's high-wage list. It is eligible for researchers category draws.
TEER
TEER 1
Skilled for Express Entry
High-wage
Not listed
No extra CRS points
Category draws
researchers
IRCC 2026 lists
| NOC 2021 code | 41201 |
|---|---|
| Title | Post-secondary teaching and research assistants |
| Broad category | Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services |
| TEER | TEER 1 — usually requires a university degree |
Category-based draws
- Researchers with Canadian work experience — have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 12 months of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time experience) — this experience does not need to be continuous (in a single occupation listed in the table below (no matter your primary occupation); in Canada).
Example job titles
- college laboratory assistant
- college teaching assistant
- graduate assistant - university
- post-secondary research assistant
- university research assistant
Main 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.
Your duties should match the lead statement and most of the main duties to use this NOC — check the full profile on the official NOC site.
Related occupations
- NOC 41200 — University professors and lecturers
- NOC 41210 — College and other vocational instructors
- NOC 41220 — Secondary school teachers
- NOC 41221 — Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
- NOC 41100 — Judges
- NOC 41101 — Lawyers and Quebec notaries
- NOC 41300 — Social workers
- NOC 41301 — Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies
- NOC 41302 — Religious leaders
- NOC 41310 — Police investigators and other investigative occupations
← NOC 41200 University professors and lecturers · NOC 41210 College and other vocational instructors →
Calculate your CRS score → · All NOC codes · High-wage list
TEER 1 also matters for work permits: see the spousal open work permit (TEER rules for spouses of workers), LMIA explained and the Atlantic Immigration Program (job offers in TEER 0–4).
Sources: Statistics Canada NOC 2021 V1.0; IRCC high-wage occupations; IRCC category-based selection; IRCC who can apply.
Frequently asked questions
Is NOC 41201 eligible for Express Entry?+
NOC 41201 is a TEER 1 occupation. IRCC counts work in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupations as skilled work experience for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class, as long as all other program requirements are met.
Is NOC 41201 a high-wage occupation?+
No. NOC 41201 isn't on IRCC's Express Entry high-wage occupations list, so it doesn't earn the extra high-wage or job offer CRS points. Canadian work-length points can still apply for TEER 0–3 work.
Which Express Entry category draws include NOC 41201?+
As published by IRCC: Researchers with Canadian work experience. Candidates generally need have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 12 months of full-time work experience (or an equal amount of part-time experience) — this experience does not need to be continuous.