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.

Every one of our (primary) TAs also works in the before and after school provision, and does a dinner duty to make ends meet.

Tbh I wish that was an option. I can't do breakfast club because my own DC's breakfast club doesn't start til 8, I just about get there in time for my normal start time. Our after school club staff start at 2 (and need the be able to work at a different site if needed) to prep so we couldn't do that. Our lunch break is only 30 minutes as it is and that included walking time to and from the staff room and going to the toilet so no opportunity to do any lunchtime duties. I've ended up working in a pub which kind of takes away from the convenience of holidays and school hours 😆

I imagine the school holidays are a perk when you have young kids but I'd hate being told when to have all my holidays. Never being able to take a long weekend? A day off midweek 'just because'? Go away when there aren't kids everywhere? 😣

@MrsJBaptiste not to mention the extortionate holiday prices. I used to leave a few days early and take dc out of school to get cheaper options. Can't do that now

@DaisyTheUnicorn it's at an educational publishers. If you're looking for ideas the life after teaching Facebook group is great- I've found term really helpful.

@Fedupsotired

Think it depends on the school, my TAs turn up at 9 and leave at 330. They don't do any work at home either.

Why should they though in all honesty on the rubbish pay

@Fedupsotired

Think it depends on the school, my TAs turn up at 9 and leave at 330. They don't do any work at home either.

Its a minimum wage job Starbucks pays more- do you expect their staff to work longer then their shifts for no additional pay. Or work from home?

Schools discos, fund raisers, sports completions, residentials, etc - all expected and unpaid.

@woodhill and @TheHoptimist I agree!! I'm just saying that not all TAs do what's said on here and you can turn up at 9 and leave at 330 which doesn't make the job as bad as done here are saying.

I NEVER expect any more from my TAs than the hours they are paid and will 'pay back' time whenever I possibly can. It's not paid well so you are right it should just be a turn up and go home job!!!

For me personally being a primary TA is the WORST. Bullying from teachers, expected to plan and cover lessons at very short notice, absorbing everyone’s stress (I’m yet to meet a happy primary school teacher), kids not treating you with the same respect as they know you’re not a teacher, lack of lunch break as you’re the once covering on the playground. Unruly kids….. god it’s endless.

I prefer the secondary TA role. Treated better, more autonomous, you’re not stuck with one teacher all day, more variety, more rewarding I feel. Plus you aren’t made to feel like a useless numpty at secondary.

Good luck but your idealistic version is very very far removed from reality.

Im a primary teacher but from my point of view of the TA role

Cons
Low paid
Have to be a million things at once, interventions to do but if a child wets themselves you’ll have to cram in the interventions elsewhere
Working with low ability children quite often who need a lot of patience, repetition etc
Playground duties (same as teachers)
Busy days
Nasty parents

Pros
Term time holidays
Not the same pressure as a teacher
Interesting helping children learn
Working with low ability children who can often be challenging but rewarding
Busy days
Lovely parents

[quote liveforsummer]@OutlookStalking it's a wow here too. Not like anything that happens in Scottish school nurseries. Of course numbers and sounds are subtly added in to play based activities but no actual teaching or intervention. We have senior early years officers, early years officers, early years practitioners, all qualifies and registered for early years. People of TA level (sometimes ta sometimes early years assistant) are just that. Assistants with no real responsibility [/quote]
I teach Nursery in England. It might seem full on to be actively teaching such young children but as a previous poster said some children don’t get any exposure to numbers, reading etc. I think some parents think reception is a bit if writing their name and playing the rest of the time but there’s so much learning that goes on (through play mainly but also being taught) and I think it’s great if that can start early in Nursery.

I work in team of 4 TAs in a prestigious grammar school, but I previously worked in a special school. I have a degree and my DH is the breadwinner. I’m trained up the wazoo in supporting pupils with ASD, ADHD etc due to my years working in specialist provision.

Working with SEN pupils is rewarding, being a TA is undervalued and underpaid. It’s something I fell into because of family commitments. I would say it’s relatively low stress, you’ll be busy but you can leave and not think about it.

Depends so much on the school but it is very low pay for quite a relentless job. More and more is expected from TAs. They are often to expected to plan and resource complex invention sessions, with the planning taking place in their own time. This is expected and accepted for teachers but TAs earn a fraction of their salary. In mainstream primary it is increasingly comment to have lots of complex needs in a class, the usual SEN needs as well as a huge number of emotional needs as a result of Covid and lack of socialisation. Be prepared for vomit, urine, poo, spit and lots of tears. Don’t be surprised if you are bitten, scratched, pushed and hit by children who desperately need more specialist support from staff who have more training given than a couple of photocopied sheets. You will deliver occupational therapy, SALT along side lots of small group interventions. You may have to do assessments for these interventions again planned in your own time.

Sure, working with children is amazing and when they finally understand something, it is an amazing sense of achievement. It is great for having the holidays if you have school aged children and can’t get term-time hours elsewhere.

They are taking in TA apprentices now so you can do the job for even less money.

I loved being a TA- primary and then secondary. It was so convenient for dropping/picking my kids up from school, it was very rewarding, and it was low stress, I went home and didn’t think about work.
However it was ridiculously low pay, at the time I was a single parent to two young children- I received more in tax credits and housing benefit than I did from my wages! That was why I did my PGCE and became a teacher. Infinitely more stress and much longer hours but I can pay my mortgage!

If you can afford it, go for it… I often daydream about going back to being a TA when the kids are older.

I am shocked at how some of you are describing your experience of working as TAs. I sort of want to apologise on behalf of teachers; bullied, pressurised and subjected to unreasonable expectations, wtf? I kiss the ground my TA walks on!
I wouldn't dream of asking anything of my TA which involved any kind of pre-planning outside of directed hours, working a minute longer than what they're paid for or taking on tasks which I wouldn't do myself (you should definitely not be assigned to clean up after painting!).
Unless working as a 1:1, TAs should not be used for always supporting children with SEND or lower ability; if anything, a teacher is usually better equipped to do this on account of professional training and likely (one would hope) specialist CPD. It is much easier to work with pupils already working at age-related expectations or more able pupils (which are the groups I often see teachers allocating for themselves).
Anyone electing to work in schools must definitely really like children and young people, be positively inclined toward parents and committed to being a good, supportive colleague in what can be an incredibly stressful environment. If you tend to take things personally or hold grudges, or have a strong, black and white sense of 'how things ought to be', you are likely to come unstuck very quickly; kids can be volatile, rude and irresponsible, timings and activities often change at very short notice, new challenge arise in the moment which require thinking on one's feet to find new ways of working. Lots of annoying and frustrating things happen every week, which are nobody's fault, so flexibility and an ability to move on gracefully is a key attribute.
TAs are such a phenomenal asset. I share all the highs and lows of the working week with mine and cherish them accordingly.

You'll be poor forever. And expected to take classes.

Can anyone give an idea how long after the closing date might uou hear if you have been shortlisted, and if not will they tell me? Thank you

@Sarahsupasaint generally best to send an email or call. In my experience it varies from school to school. Some places will offer feedback but not often.

@Gobbolinothekitchencat thats so spooky as I have literally emailed them this morning. Haven't heard so I am certain I haven't been selected but I wanted some feedback to take forward for future applications. Thank you!