Teaching assistants are an essential type of support for students with disabilities within the inclusive education system. To ensure that the support provided is of quality and as beneficial as it can possibly be, it is crucial that people selected for the job are adequately trained and that the hiring process and their supervision is done according to the regulations. The aim of this study was to determine if teaching assistants in Croatia are adequately trained for working with students with disabilities and if they perceive themselves to be competent in dealing with students with disabilities. In addition, the study aimed to find out if educational institutions act according to the regulations during the hiring process and supervision of teaching assistants, as well as to ascertain whether the participants are satisfied with the way in which the position of teaching assistants in Croatia is regulated and teaching assistants' training programmes are organized. The study was conducted on the sample of 315 participants and the results showed that most of the participants had not undergone necessary training, which means that most of the teaching assistants included in this study were not qualified for this job. Regardless, the participants believe to be competent enough for working with students with disabilities. They also think that the status of teaching assistants in Croatia is not well-regulated, they are not paid enough and are not satisfied with the organization of teaching assistants’ training programmes.