Teacher Assistant Courses/Training?

[MuscyMel]

Afternoon everyone. I'm almost at the point of returning to work (having had 6 years off) when next Spetember both of my daughters will be in school full time.
Previously i've worked mostly with animals and have several animal care qualifications however in recent years i've become allergic to many types of pets so i've decided to have a career change. After plenty of thought, i 'm very interested in becoming a Teachers Assistant, or a similar role. I'm currently in the process of appliying to my daughter's school to volunteer to help children read, and they seem keen to have me help so it's all looking positive. I still have my youngest daughter at home with me in the afternoons (she's in nursery every morning) so during this next year before she starts full time i'd like to do a Teacher Assistant course so that combined with some volunteer experience i can hopefully look for work at the end of next year.
My issue is... With my youngest at home every afternoon and due to financial reasons i'm not able to go to a local college and attend in person. I know there are many benefits to this as you tend to get a work placement and one-to-one guidance from a tutor but it's just not possible for me at this time. So the alternative for me is to do an online/home learning course. I've done a couple before on animal care, and overall they were good and taught me a lot, however would an online/home learning Teachers Assistant course be acceptable to a future employer? (Combined with volunteer experience if it all pans out ok at my daughter's school). If so, can any of you recommend an online course based in the UK that covers all relevant topics please? I've already found a basic online course for teaching phonics (and i have experience from teaching my own daughters) which i'm hoping will help me with teaching children to read for the volunteers position. Any help regarding training/home learning courses and how i can generally improve my chances of landing a job would be greatly appreciated, thanks. Sorry for the long-winded post, lol. x

[BeingATwatItsABingThing]

I don’t know about online courses because I’m not a TA but a teacher.

You will need plenty of experience to be considered for a TA role so the reading with children will definitely help. More would be better and working with groups rather than just individuals.

Be warned, the role of the TA varies from school to school. TAs in my school do class cover as well as interventions and in class support. The money for them is also dwindling in a lot of schools so many are being made redundant or not being replaced if they leave. Their enthusiasm might be an indication of how much they need volunteer support.

[hairyheadphones]

Schools are cutting more and more TA tiles. When my eldest DD started primary school there was a TA in every class (two form entry). My DS has just left and there was 1 TA in each year group and some of them were also used as 1-1s so in fact if there had no lt been a need for 1-1s there may have been even fewer TAs.
If you are interested in working as a TA look in to getting some SEN training as that seems to be the role for most TAs.

[MuscyMel]

Thank you for your replies. I have to say our school does seem to have quite a few TA's but i do agree that many are used for one to one support and for SEN so that's something i will definitely try to study and get qualified in. I'm not sure if i'll be helping children one at a time or whether i'll be doing group work, but whatever i'm used for i'll try to get as much experience as i can. x

[LIZS]

It is tricky to do the right course online. You need relevant practical experience to discuss and evidence , even at level 2. Try asking at the local Children's Centre if any charities provide it through them or locally as these are aimed at people in your situation and may fit around nursery hours.

[MuscyMel]

Thank you, that is a good suggestion LIZS. I have 2 Children Centres near me so i may pop in and ask them. x

[MillyMoo1113]

I teach the CACHE teaching assistant courses at my local college - officially known as Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools. I also teach the CACHE SEN, Autism and Children's Mental Health courses.

For the level 2 courses you may find they are funded by the adult education board and for level 3 you can take out a non means tested advanced learner loan.

Most colleges have discretionary funds to support those who don't qualify for AEB funding and you can also get support with childcare and transport costs.

They only involve one morning, afternoon or evening at college a week, and he face to face courses are far better than the online ones because of the support you get from your tutor and from being in a classroom with others learners in the same situation as you.

PM me if you would like to discuss further but it would be well worth talking to your local college.

[MuscyMel]

Thank you MillyMoo, that's really helpful. x