I would like to become a teaching assistant

[Darkestnight]

I'm early 40s and would like to be a teaching assistant. I'm in retail currently and carer to my dd who is disabled.
Am I to old and I have no idea on where to start and what qualifications I need.

You can do a qualification to train. You would need to find a placement in a school and then apply to the course at your local FE provider. I think you would have to fund it yourself.

TAs are being made redundant all over the place at the minute so think wisely about giving up any current job you have. In my L.A. you need to have a Level 3 certificate and be A level educated. Any courses will be self funded.

I would have a rethink if I were you op. TAs are being made redundant because schools can't afford to pay them. If things continue the way they are in education at the moment, there will be no such thing as a TA in the near future.

In London it's really easy to get a TA job through an agency if you have a degree. You can get up to £70 a day for work with SEN pupils.

It’s a really tough time to be a TA. Education has had massive funding cuts and TAs are being made redundant all over the shop.

What makes you want to be a TA? There might be alternative roles that could suit?

Does your daughter attend a special school? If so...volunteer. Then ask to go on the supply list!
A large number of the TAs is in my special school started that way, myself included. Many of us actually are degree level educated but often in random subjects (mine's history) but what got us jobs was the knowledge and experience that comes with parenting someone with a disability!

Plus it is an excellent way to get school experience and find out if you'd actually like the job. We do a lot of training in house and only a handful have done level 3 courses because there is no funding (and tbh they are rarely that relevant to special needs education)

I think being a TA in mainstream is currently precarious and a bit grim tbh (we havea joint site and I feel the mainstream TAs have a rough deal) but Special Ed will continue to need high levels of support, so there is more opportunity if that is what you are interested in!

I used to be a TA and didn't have any qualifications related to that field at all. Start looking at adverts for TAs in your area to check whether it's needed or not. Also contact your local college and ask if they offer any free distance learning courses relating to education (our local college does) - which would look good on your CV.

You also need to do your homework on what a TA earns - jobs are often advertised with the FTE salary - but you will never be full time, so it's misleading

You may find you don't need anything. I work with a TA who has no qualifications or experience. She has only just left school herself so doesn't even have any life experience or experience of children. I'm assuming she was appointed because she was cheap.

I work as a ta in a special school I have no relevant qualifications to the role but the school are paying for me to get the level 3 qualification. I was working in an office before this.

Thanks for the replys. Regarding dd she is 18 but did go to a special school and I did volunteer there and loved every minute of it so could ask to go back.
I'll contact the college tomorrow and get there advice. I can only work part time due to dd but really feel this is the job I want to do and volunteered for five years at the Sen school and miss it and added bonus it's five minute walk from my house.