People who described themselves as teachers when they’re actually teaching assistance or cover supervisor

The government will welcome this - they're ultimately the reason why anybody nowadays can call themselves a teacher. I wonder how many parents are actually aware that their child's class teacher may not even have a GCSE? Guessing they're OK with this?
When I first started out you needed at least a 2:1 degree. It took me six years to qualify - 4 years BSc Hons, 1 year PGCE, and 1 year to gain QTS (qualifying year in school).
Not now.
I left classroom teaching last December after 20 years in primary and it's one of the best decisions I ever made.

TBF if all teachers had to do was plan, prepare and teach the curriculum, lots more people would want to be teachers -it's all the other crap they have to do that puts them off.

And plenty of primary teachers don't want to work in year 6, because the maths is too hard for them to teach!

I don't think teaching a class for a day while a teacher is off is the same as being a teacher. Does this cover TA also do all the assessments, targets, planning, parent evenings, curriculum lead?

Even so, having a random degree qualifies someone to take a PGCE, it does nothing to prepare them to teach, and it is the PGCE that trains them to teach. In theory a degree proves a certain level of academic ability, but not all degrees are equal, and plenty of people have degrees who are not exactly brain of Britain.

This is my experience of Secondary TAs too. Some are very good at working with the children. Most can’t even help the students find an adverb….

Unfortunately, this can be the reality. Many others are just amazing, but some are lacking in basic skills.

But they're not teachers. If they wanted to teach, they would.

Saying a TA is a teacher diminishes the status of teachers, thats not snobby, teachers work hard to get qualified, whereas (anecdotally) I’ve known schools that will take anyone they can get as a TA, I’ve had one TA tell me she only works in classes below year 2 because her maths and English skills are good enough to go into higher classes, and another woman I know got a job as a TA without even an interview because she was the only one who applied, and she will admit herself that she’s not academic and has no qualifications, her spelling is shocking and she’s got no general knowledge skills.

I'm a teacher. I'm registered, with a TRN, and if I don't uphold the Teachers Standards, then I can be reported to the TRA. The TRA have the power to end my career.

I'm a TA, I'm not registered with anyone, there's no statutory standards that I must uphold. You can only report me to my employer and if I'm dismissed I can just go and get a job as a TA in another school.

Yes, there's a difference.

Presumably Primary?

Where I worked nearly all the TAs had degrees. They wanted a job that fitted round their families. Yes we taught classes often covering long term sickness, meetings, etc - And to be fair we were more qualified that a new teacher - we had the behaviour management skills lacking in a lot of new teachers - and special needs - some new teachers were like a bill in a China shop!!

Honestly, go try it and see for yourself and then come back and say they aren’t teachers.

The vast majority of TAs I have worked with in Secondary School have no degree so most teachers have four more years of academia than they have actually. Pilot school is about 2 years….

This is wild & so, so wrong.

It is completely & utterly different in Scotland. PSAs (pupil support assistants) - the equivalent of TAs I imagine- are very, very far away from teachers. They do a phenomenal job, and with constant cuts we couldn't survive without them, but they support, they don't ever teach.

Some responsibilities they may have:
Organising equipment/ photocopying resources/ prompting /reading for a pupil/ scribing for a pupil/ reiterating instructions/ explaining steps again/ looking after disability needs (lift access/ medical needs)..

Absolutely never teaching a class, or being alone with a pupil or group of pupils. It would be within a classroom with a teacher. There is no planning/ marking/ admin.

I'm in secondary, and I imagine the primary role is somewhat different, but they would never teach a class, ever.

I've been teaching 30 years, & have presented 1000s of pupils for our national exams (equivalent of GCSE & A Level), so whilst PSAs/ TAs do an amazing job for very little pay, their job in no way resembles mine, so they are indeed not teachers (and wouldn't want to be, I imagine).

Edited to add: here we need a degree plus the PGCE to teach your subject. There's no teaching another subject until a certain age (like they do in other parts of the UK). Then there's also a probationer year, which is very robust, & you must pass, and finally another 2 years of 'probation' within a school environment. Never, ever just learning on the job.

You never used to have to 'qualified as a teacher'. I think that's actually quite new. It just used to be you had a degree and wanted to be one so did teacher training, maybe on the job. It wasn't necessary to have an actual qualification in it.

As Marge Simpson once said when contemplating being a piano teacher 'you only need to stay one lesson ahead of the kid'. 🤣

Whilst I have the greatest respect for teachers and the work they do, it's hardly something to brag about is it?

Why are so so concerned?

“I would not necessarily want an unqualified teacher teaching my children unless they were doing sport or practical subject, I suppose? Maybe. I dunno”

OP stating they would not want a TA teaching their child!

I have not stated a TA is a teacher. I was commenting on my experience as a TA. Then the origins of Teaching. TA’s or Cover Supervisor do not necessarily hold QTS. Currently teachers in Independent schools are not required to hold QTS they are still teachers.

What I don't like is when people say they are "just" a TA.

Honestly, TA’s are now teaching classes all the time. So yes, job title may be TA officially and in terms of pay but they are teaching on a daily basis!

I'm a teacher working very part time in a primary setting. Sometimes I say to the children no you don't need to show me if you've shown one of the other teachers. Sometimes I say adults. Our children are pretty tricky. All of the fabulous TAs/HLTAs I work with teach children as part of their week and work incredibly hard while putting up with some awful behaviour. Me saying, "But I have a PGCE from Oxbridge." would make absolutely no difference to anyone apart from making me look a knob. We all teach the challenging children in our care. Some members of staff to it for an appallingly low salary.

professional is being held to an agreed standard and sanctions if your work practice isn’t of adequate standard
TA, Nursing Asst are unregulated and won’t be held same expected standards
It really isn’t about signing passport or some such it’s about accountability

Well if they were just saying it when describing their job to others, I can’t imagine anyone would care. If they were doing it in terms of offering legal advice or acting as a solicitor then yeah I would because there is a consequence. An actual legal and tangible consequence.

There is no consequence, other than upsetting a few teachers egos, of a TA saying they are a teacher.

This.

Nobody has said this.

Just that the job role of a TA is not that of a teacher.

I find this quite interesting - you wouldn’t want an unqualified teacher teaching your child . However, there are a lot of school staff ( eg TA / HLTAs ) that have been working in education a lot longer than teachers . A lot of TA / HLTAs are actually covering classes - I know this because I am a teacher ( ex - thankfully ) and when I left a role mid year , I was replaced by a HLTA . Full time, she covered the class for the rest of the year , but it was never official and a bit hush hush. It’s common that support staff do cover classes. I was a first year teacher when I left, no one ever batted an eyelid at the fact I was brand new they just put their faith in me. The HLTA had been working in the school for 20 years. I have no doubt that she probably did better than I would have .

I did a PGCE for one year. My degree was actually in education, but it didn’t have to be and I didn’t really use anything from it in my practice. My pgce didn’t teach me subject knowledge . I pretty much learnt everything on the job yet people think that having the title ‘teacher’ automatically makes you an expert.