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Original poster

Has anyone chosen to be a TA as a career straight from school?

54 replies

BertrandRussell · 01/06/2019 17:45

My ds is thinking about this. He was planning to be a primary school teacher, but he has decided he doesn’t think university will be for him. So he’s considering other options. Has anyone got any experiences or knowledge that might be helpful to him?

OP posts:
TarragonSauce · 01/06/2019 20:13

I do. A male friend of mine did this in a school for students with a disability. He was great. So great in fact that after several years and doing an OU degree, he left to do his PGCE and then returned as a teacher to the same school. He's head of department now.

Kez200 · 01/06/2019 20:18

Has he looked at BTEC level 3 to then, possibly, lead to University (or not, he has 2 years to decide).

floraloctopus · 01/06/2019 21:17

How about something like a play specialist ? His skills sound like he'd be great at that.

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General education Jobs
ExpletiveDelighted · 01/06/2019 21:27

It would be worth going to the education jobs section of your local authority website and having a good browse, as well as teachers and TAs there are lots of other jobs some of which might suit. A friend of mine is an outreach worker who goes from school to school supporting specific pupils on a short term basis.

Celeriacacaca · 01/06/2019 21:35

Get him to send his CV to a few local heads or could he enquire at his old school? We have three TAs who started from sixth form at the school I work at, having been former students there. They're very good. Two will move on to higher education, probably after another year with us. The other is doing an apprenticeship and will stay longer.

Your DS sounds as if he has a lot to offer!

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 01/06/2019 21:45

Another option - a lot of boarding schools recruit live in gap year boarding house assistants eg dragonschool.current-vacancies.com/Jobs/Advert/1623150?FromSearch=False

UnderPompeii · 01/06/2019 21:58

Just be aware that, as PPs have said, TA jobs are becoming far and few between sadly. I will be cutting my hours to only 2 days a week from September, it was either that or lose my job, I am a qualified teacher who works as a TA to fit with my kids (DH works away a lot of the time). I am on a TA Facebook group and its happening everywhere, 'restructuring' due to budget cuts.
I do love my job and can recommend it as one which brings great job satisfaction without all the stress of teaching, however I am now wracking my brains for what else I can doSad

floraloctopus · 01/06/2019 22:00

OP has he had a look at the job match on here?

www.prospects.ac.uk

It thinks I should be a teacher Grin

Original poster
BertrandRussell · 02/06/2019 09:21

Thank you, floral- i’ll send it to him. It thinks I ought to be a psychological well being practitioner or an orthoptist. Not sure what either of those are.......

OP posts:
Cyberworrier · 02/06/2019 09:34

If your son is doing a art and design diploma, do you mean he’s doing an art foundation year and quite serious about art?
Just wondering as art degrees at decent colleges are based on portfolios and interviews, not exam results (they usually have exam requirements but in practice I’ve met lots of people whose results were way below the requirements). Art degrees also don’t have exams and mine only had one formal essay that counted for 25% of degree result. Just mentioning as that was part of my very convoluted route into teaching (working in art education in museum settings partly through uni contacts, being a TA for a while and eventually doing PGCE).
I would say as well as TA roles becoming hard to find, I think it’d be very hard for someone without a relevant degree to get education work in a museum or gallery setting- there is even a Masters at the IOE in museum education, it’s pretty competitive too.

Original poster
BertrandRussell · 02/06/2019 09:58

Yes- it’s a foundation diploma. He’s quite serious about his particular bits of Art- he’s intending to focus on sound sculpture, apparently.Hmm But to be honest, school suggested it to give him a breathing space. He’s had such a crap year and it’s local and free and his best mate’s doing it and it fits in with the other stuff he’s doing and it’s a qualification to add to his portfolio. And who knows what it might lead to?

OP posts:
Cyberworrier · 02/06/2019 10:07

Sounds like a great thing for him to do. One of my jobs as an art student on my MA was basically encouraging young people to do art foundation years for the reasons you give- local, free, gives a taster of many different fields/potential careers. And just a year to develop as a person. I hope he enjoys it.

IdblowJonSnow · 02/06/2019 10:21

Your DS sounds fab and there are l9ads of great suggestions and ideas on this thread.
I've been a TA, the pay is awful, you're often not treated well and people pigeon hole you.
That said, it would give him a good insight into teaching although it may also put him off!
Sounds like he's got l9ads to offer, you never know he may get better grades than anticipated too.

floraloctopus · 02/06/2019 10:37

An orthopist is something to do with orthotics helpful

floraloctopus · 02/06/2019 10:37

^ or maybe even an orthoptist!

Pinkvoid · 02/06/2019 10:38

The pay isn’t great, that is something worth considering. They earn 10-15k less than teachers which is substantial considering they put in similar hours. Granted they don’t have to do the marking or lesson planning which helps...

PurpleDaisies · 02/06/2019 11:17

They earn 10-15k less than teachers which is substantial considering they put in similar hours.

They don’t have the same pressure, responsibility or accountability as teachers. The hours are nowhere near similar to teachers. I was a TA before a teacher and it’s a really valuable role but it’s not as similar as you are implying here.

UnderPompeii · 02/06/2019 13:05

Agree 100% with PurpleDaisies. The pay as a TA is poor for the responsibility and expectations, however you cannot compare it to the crazy stress and hours that teachers are expected to work.

fedup21 · 02/06/2019 13:11

They earn 10-15k less than teachers which is substantial considering they put in similar hours

That is incredibly misleading.

PurpleDaisies · 02/06/2019 13:13

As a TA, I rarely worked outside my contracted hours. Teachers contracts say 32.5hrs a week full time but I don’t know a single teacher who actually works that. More like 50-60hrs a week.

titchy · 02/06/2019 13:16

Derail, but Prospects thought I should be an Epidemiologist. Apparently my lack of science degree shouldn't be a problem....Hmm

fedup21 · 02/06/2019 13:17

My friend left teaching to be a TA-she found the long hours didn’t allow her to see the kids enough. In teaching, she was on £39,000 full time (UPS3) and as a TA her take home pay (9-3.15) was £9000.

LostinNorfolk · 02/06/2019 13:17

Some (lots/most?) of LAs have a national living wage commitment or a national minimum ag commitment. So as a TA apprentice in a maintained school you are paid at least NMW. That is why lots of schools don't take them on as they pay the same price as for an experienced TA.

LostinNorfolk · 02/06/2019 13:18

They earn 10-15k less than teachers which is substantial considering they put in similar hours.

They earn as much as 26k less than an class experienced teacher.

Pretendbookworm · 02/06/2019 13:31

Have you considered getting him to look at courses with the open university? I’ve just finished my English Literature degree with them. I’ve studied part time, at my own pace, I could take a week off if I needed to so long as assignments were handed in on time. They also accept anyone even for degree courses.