Considering a career change to being a teaching assistant

[Eileen101]

I'm becoming demotivated in my current career and have a perhaps idealistic vision of a career change to be a teaching assistant. I have thoughts that I'd much rather be doing things like listening to children read, helping groups of kids, sorting reading books, etc etc. In my vision (possibly completely naively) it's fairly low stress, fun and gives the warm fuzzy feeling of having a job that genuinely helps people.

I'm aware that this is probably not true.

If you're a teaching assistant, can you give me a warts and all account of your role? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Is it as stressful as being a teacher?
I'm aware the pay is low, particularly as I would not have education related qualifications.

Don't do it!!!!! Hands down the absolute worst job I ever had (although I was secondary), and the pay was absolutely awful!

I have two friends who are teaching assistants and they are always complaining about their jobs. Largely due to incompatibility with their class teacher (I.e. bullying), issues with senior management meaning the school environment is just not a nice place to be (I.e. stress felt by all the staff making everyone very arse-covering, tears in the staffroom etc), and having to do things they feel out of their depth with and do not get paid for (teacher cover). One was also disciplined as she forgot to give a child their lunchtime medication on a really busy day.

I'm sure in the right place it could be a very rewarding role, but it also has the potential to be the worse job possible if you are unlucky with the school you are in.

I am a TA in secondary and I really like it, for the most part. I enjoy supporting students and work across all subjects which means my days are never boring. I prefer working with Y10 and 11 as they are more mature and more keen to learn and you can have a bit of a joke with them. I have good relationships with my students and colleagues.

What I don't enjoy is dealing with poor behaviour from students who don't respect the TAs in the same way they respect teachers. Most teachers are excellent and will back you 100%, but there are always some whose behaviour management is poor which is harder. There is also little opportunity for progression unless you go into teaching, and the pay is rubbish!

It is definitely not low stress! You're underpaid, overworked and its hard to switch off even outside of work - and this was my state when I loved the school and staff I was working with. I was in primary so it may be different in secondary. I swiftly took up the offer of being a cover teacher within the same school and I feel like I thrived in this role because I still got to support the children, listen to children read (depending on the age group), teach and mark books etc but with less responsibility in that I didn't have to lesson plan or do playground duty.

As a TA, I'd say think again. The pay is dreadful, it's exhausting and I've been physically and verbally abused so many times that I'm pretty numb to it.

I absolutely adore the kids in my charge, and would protect and fight for them everyday without question, however after lockdown behaviour and work ethics have dissolved to nothing and to be honest, I'm feeling like I'm done with this.

Education is not a great place to be right now - we are burnt out with trying to work through the pandemic and hold it all together. Support staff were thrown under the bus - well in Scotland anyway and now we are suffering for it.

Low stress?! er...

Erm you could be lucky but in my experience…
Break duties are hideous. Not only do you get cold and soaked ( or worse, shut in with hyperactive kids on wet break) You need to be ultra vigilant whilst also working as a bouncer, a peacemaker and a counsellor. No tea for you.
Then fill out all the paperwork if it goes wrong the non existent time between end of break and being back in the class.
And you get all the “odd” jobs that take twice as long as the job you’re paid for.

I’m a teacher but work closely with TAs, like most jobs there are stresses and issues but I think on the whole it’s a fulfilling and fun job! The day would go by super fast and if you have your own kids it’s nice to have holidays off with them. If you find the right school with a supportive department it’s great

I started a new job as a TA, 6 weeks ago. So far I'm really enjoying it.

I'm in a school nursery though, so maybe that makes a difference. If they'd placed me in KS2, it might be a different story (even though I know all the kids as I already worked in the school).

There are days, like today, when my head was fried by 9am (ones who run round the room like it's a racetrack, pushing, shoving etc all before 9am 🤯). But then there are others where everything goes to plan, it's nice and calm and everyone does as expected.

Go into it with your eyes open; it's not all sorting books & pretty displays & warm fuzzy feelings. Some days it is holding back a child so they can't physically injure another one & wondering wth you're doing there 🤷‍♀️

Great holidays but inflexible and at the dearest/ busiest times. That said - the kids are generally great.

I was a secondary school TA 3 years ago, in the North West. At the time, I was paid 15.8k for 37.5 hours per week. Then went up to 17.5k.
Came out with around £1100 net.
It was great to be able to leave at 4pm and leave the job at school, never any work to do at home.

Do agree with a poster that some kids don't respect TAs in the same way, just like cover supervisors.

I enjoyed the job, worked across all subjects and also did interventions. Some lessons were boring as the kids didn't really need any help so you end up essentially observing a lesson, it was better when you were assigned key students.

I left because the SENCO was a nasty piece of work and a bully with anger issues, a few of us reported her.

I would say go for it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it, hopefully you'll get a decent school with supportive staff

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be warned you may just end up covering classes on the cheap...a lot of academies do this to dodge paying full rates for supply teachers !!

Low stress?

Bit, kicked, sworn at, chairs thrown, anger issues, parents!

It’s not stress less!

TAs have targets and groups and whole classes to manage on sometimes a daily basis! Sometimes all day.

It’s not an easy job.

@EddieVeddersfoxymop

As a TA, I'd say think again. The pay is dreadful, it's exhausting and I've been physically and verbally abused so many times that I'm pretty numb to it.

I absolutely adore the kids in my charge, and would protect and fight for them everyday without question, however after lockdown behaviour and work ethics have dissolved to nothing and to be honest, I'm feeling like I'm done with this.

Education is not a great place to be right now - we are burnt out with trying to work through the pandemic and hold it all together. Support staff were thrown under the bus - well in Scotland anyway and now we are suffering for it.

I agree with all the above I've been a TA for 20 years and an ELSA for 6 I'm in England but sounds the same !! It's stressful Safeguarding issues Bad behaviour Lack of parental support SEN needs Mental Health of children and staff low Pressures from SLT

I LOVE my job but dont go into it thinking it's all warm and fuzzy !!!

I used to be a primary ta. It was enjoyable but as you're aware the pay is absolute shite!

It not a low stress job.
"Reading with children '= reading with 15 priority children 3 x a week plus the rest of the class once a week and having to keep records in two different folders to prove that you have done it.
Sorting reading books= working unpaid once the children have gone home because the slt are doing a learning walk the next day and if the reading books aren't tidy, everyone will get bolllocked.

Working with groups of children = having multiple interventions to deliver to multiple children with multiple needs. Often having to plan these yourself definitely have to make all resources for these yourself....and the only time you have to do this is unpaid time the kids had gone home. Having to keep detailed records of all these interventions and be prepared to show them to slt at a moment's notice.

Etc etc etc
No flexibility AT ALL
Rubbish pay etc etc

I'm a learning support assistant in a 6th form college. I do enjoy the job but I don't feel particularly utilised properly as most of our high needs students are pretty independent by the time they come to us. The pay also isn't great. On the plus side, I have absolutely no stress!

Don't forget catching every bug going from the children. If you want a job where you feel inferior and are given the children the teachers don't want, do it.

Then there’s forest school …..

@BluebellsGreenbells

Can you afford to do it? The pay is abysmal.

Here's the thing. You have to really like children and genuinely want to be there. Not just the nice ones,the polite ones,the bright ones,the well adjusted ones etc. all of them.

There are many downsides to the job but it's the kids(and the holidays 😬) that make it worth it. So if you can't draw enjoyment and satisfaction from helping children,teaching them,being with them every day etc. , especially when shit is raining down on you , you won't last long.

I'm a TA and really enjoy it. I am a 1:1 though so often have to deal with very challenging behaviour. The pay is terrible but the hours are brilliant. I work 8.45-3.15 with 30 mins for lunch.

I loved being a TA. So much so that I'm now training to be a teacher. The money isn't great but as someone who has worked if various industries - I'd say being a TA is not stressful. There's nothing to take home and work on at the end of the day. No planning, no marking. I used to love turning up at 8.30, leaving at 3.30 and not having to worry about anything in between. If moneys no issue then I'd say go for it.