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

I am a fully qualified and experienced teacher.
I am employed as a class teacher 2 days a week.
in the same school I am also employed as a HLTA doing cover, teaching full classes and leading a subject (was doing this for years before adding the teaching role in more recently) 3 days a week. There is not a huge amount of difference between my two roles on a general day to day basis tbh. As I lead a subject I plan and prep lessons, schemes, long and medium term progression plans, report on class progress, etc.

I teach 5 days a week.
I’m paid as an actual teacher 2 days a week.

Nope not doing the same job but I am a teacher. I’m qualified as one and use my teaching skills and experience in exactly the same way to get skills across.

I’ve explained previously. It’s not snobbery. It’s desperately trying to keep the teaching profession a profession. One that people understand needs professional qualifications and one that people would actually like to do as a career. My children a through school now but I’d actually like my grandchildren to be taught by teachers.

In the secondary school I work at no TAs teach lessons and I would be pissed off if they were describing themselves as teachers as some are barely literate. A few are excellent but most are a hindrance not a help. This may be just my school though.

And no I don’t bring it up either however if asked I will say I am a teacher without my own class now working with children who have SEN. Really don’t care what anybody thinks. I have the qualifications, years of experience, teacher’s reference number and pension so will refer to myself as I wish.

The snobbery many have towards TAs is unfortunate given how schools literally rely on them to function.

So why do they do it?

I've told you several times now about DD and her colleagues who are qualified teachers, working as LSAs, who absolutely do the same job as teachers in their school.

Schools are unsurprisingly quite happy to have LSAs teaching and to not pay them teaching money.

True @Gymrabbit

Which is amazing and they are very lucky to have you. I assume you left teaching for a reason though and took on a TA role because it is far fewer hours than a teacher.

The argument from many on this thread is that TA’s are doing the same jobs as teachers which we very much know they are not.

If you are still doing a teaching role, but getting paid as a TA then that doesn’t feel like a good deal.

I'm a qualified Midwife with 13 years experience. I'm now a neonatal nursery nurse as I wanted a career shift. Lots less money and sadly credibility but I'd never bring up I'm a midwife as I'm not practicing currently.

It doesn't bother me how others describe themselves outside of their place of work.

During teacher training we had to get in the pool and actually learn how to teach swimming. Also health and safety so that no one drowned. I wouldn’t have been OK with a TA taking 28 children swimming when my child was primary age, but times change.

I was a nurse - our nursing assistants referred to themselves as nurses. I didn't think anything of it. We were a nursing team.

Except I don’t work in Costa I work in a school where I use my teaching qualifications and experience.

What part don't you think the TA could do? Count to 28, sit on a bus?
I don't see how being a teacher would help with the swimming instruction either... school swimming is a bit of a joke really. No one actually learns to swim.
I'd be perfectly happy with a TA doing that task, assuming they had some experience and weren't completely new to the job.

You’re an ex teacher and a current TA.

If you went and worked as a barista, people would think it strange if you called yourself a teacher.

“I’m a teacher.”

”Lovely, where do you work?”

”Costa.”

It does happen in secondary. Schools will have a competent cover supervisor (via an agency) and ask them to stay and cover a subject long-term and as such, their pay will increase to include planning and marking.

They're teaching aren't they?

So they're teachers.

Silly thread. 🙄

I also have more years of teaching experience than several teachers in my school.

I had a neighbour who told us that she was a teacher. Then I became a probationer/NQT at the school where she worked - as a classroom assistant. This was more than 40 yrs ago.

My impression was that she thought that she was adding to her status by claiming to be a teacher.

Teachers pay 9.6% of their salary before tax into the teacher’s pension scheme (unless they opt out) so an experienced teacher not on the leadership scale would probably take home about £2500 after pension, tax and national insurance contributions.

I hold qualified teacher status with a teacher reference number, pension and qualifications. I am a teacher but also a TA.

Non doctors calling themselves “medics”, teaching assistants calling themselves teachers. It’s misleading. I dont have a problem with creating better transition courses from one role to the other, though.

I think this proves in one post the massive difference between a teacher and a TA so thank you.

No one in the history of the world has thought, “Do you know what? I fancy doing exactly the same job but getting paid 30k less for it.”

The jobs are MASSIVELY different. Teachers become TA’s because it is significantly less stress, far fewer hours and far less responsibility. Hence the difference in qualification expectation and pay.

It is in primary, many of my colleagues are ex teachers.

With a teacher’s pension.