The flexibility paradox: How to manage complexity in the work of educational paraprofessionals

Educational paraprofessionals (EPs) play a vital yet often under-recognized role in contemporary schools, supporting students through direct, daily interaction. Known variously as “teaching assistants”, “classroom assistants”, “learning support assistants”, and other titles, they remain central to school life yet frequently face unclear job expectations, limited training, and insecure employment conditions. While previous research has highlighted role ambiguity as a key stressor and has advocated for role clarification, this opinion piece challenges the assumption that clarity alone can ensure sustainable working conditions. Drawing on fieldwork from three Swedish lower-secondary schools, I argue for a complexity-reduction approach that includes early expectation alignment, active management of communication load, protective organizational routines, and strategic attention to transition points such as the start of the school day. EPs' work involves intense, synchronous, face-to-face interaction that amplifies demands and complicates coordination. To achieve sustainability, work design must balance the need for structure with the inherently interpersonal and fluid nature of school life.