Is a classroom assistant classes as a professional job!

[tulpops]

If you were talking about a C/A or filling out a form, would you describe as being a professional job?

@lemonsandlimesx one of the TAs I work with has no qualifications - shes been in the role for many years is paid as a HLTA. She's absolutely brilliant covering PPA. I'm not sure she'd be considered for the role these days. Most of the other TAs have degrees, a TA level 3 qualification, and random qualifications picked up along the way. I have an Early Years Level 3 Qualification, a TA Level 3 qualification- I'm asked to cover classes at the drop of a hat. Im expected to keep up to date with CPD and do a lot of the teachers admin.

Pencil sharpening really in the TA job description these days. I might sharpen a pencil as the need arises, but it's just as likely I will have marked a child's learning as the teacher.

The pay really is very low per hour for what is required in the role, probably because it's not a profession.

Agree with all of that. I know I've been involved in the interview process and the applicant I liked was declined because she had no relevant qualifications. Fair enough. The school was spoiled for choice then. Since covid it has changed. I wish the role was given more value.

I have a level 5 (degree in education) not teaching. And many skills learnt along the way. I would feel very sorry for a candidate with no qualifications or experience to start in a school. That terrifies me. It's a hard role without the knowledge, experience or understanding of the role

It is possible to hire a TA with no qualifications, but usually they would have to be working towards the qualification.

Again, this is not true. It’s perfectly possible to hire a TA with no qualifications. This happens a lot when trying to recruit part-way through the year for a temporary contract (which can be particularly hard to fill!)- but there is no expectation or requirement for them to be working towards any sort of qualification. You talk about ‘the’ qualification like there is one particular one they must all have; this isn’t the case.

No definitely not.
Social importance does not make it a profession.

@PaperDoIIs to answer your question a Level 2 or 3 qualification such as Supporting Teaching and Learning in schools. The TA qualifications don't hold ucas points, they're simply vocational qualifications. The level 3 will require Math and English GCSE or a level two equivalent. And a level 2 qualification in ICT (it took more than one attempt for me to pass that exam!)

Many jobs have qualifications involved (carpenters, heavy goods vehicle drivers, Health Care assistants), but they aren’t the prolonged training and membership of a professional body that’s involved in becoming a teacher, an architect, a pilot or a nurse or physio).

They are valuable jobs, but they aren’t professional jobs.

Not all professions require you to do further exams or be part of a regulatory body.

@theduchessofspork - I totally agree.

Why do you ask, @tulpops ? What sort of form might you be filling out?

Yes.
Some of our ta's are 18/19 and don't have A level qualifications.
Such is the desperation to employ them that we will take anyone who applies. We have a nail technician, a hairdresser and a taxi driver amongst our ta staff.
In reality, they are there only to keep the child focused on their work. None of our ta's plan or deliver lessons, the majority of them aren't up to that. That said, they'd seem good at chivvying the kids along to do their work and not get distracted.

@cryinglaughing do none of your TAs do interventions or meetings etc? Do they not plan these interventions. I'm shocked. And a poor attitude to your TAs btw. Doesn't help the 'profession' 🙄

I’m not shocked by that at all. Our TAs don’t do any planning. Some of them do run interventions, but these are all schemes or already planned by the class teacher. I wouldn’t expect someone on virtually minimal wage to be doing the planning but that doesn’t mean teachers have a poor attitude towards TAs.

Our support staff are fabulous and really wonderful with the children. I would give them all a big pay rise if I could. They still aren’t in a profession though.

To me- professional job means you are registered with a professional body.
that does not mean they are not an important or valuable member of staff of course.

@lemonsandlimesx the senco and deputy have parent meetings, none of the the other ta's do.
We have an intervention room that is manned by a TA, the sen children who are removed from lessons go there.
It isn't a profession and I don't think my attitude towards them is poor, I speak as I find. They are nice people, who care for the kids and do their best for a really shit wage. Some of them make the teacher's job easier, others don't, it's the luck of the draw.

@howshouldibehave your attitude to your TAs sounds lovely. The previous poster wrote "they are only there to keep the child focused..." or something like that. That to me is a poor attitude.
I am also surprised by the low level of work your TAs do. But then again, maybe that's how it should be for that level of pay.

someone should if he’s teaching law and doesn’t know the laws governing claiming of professional qualifications! There are many other roles which would be illegal to claim to be one when not. Trading standards officer and social worker off the top of my head, on top of the ones PPs have already named.

I was a TA before I got my professional qualification (I had at this time no child care or teaching qualifications at all) and later became a children’s social worker. I can honestly say that the TA role, in a school for children with SEN, was just as important a role and at times very tough. But it’s not professional in the same way, it doesn’t require the analysis and skills that my current role does. It is however massively underpaid and undervalued. But that’s not the same thing.

It's a para professional job

I would imagine it’s probably illegal to claim to be a police officer when you’re not as well??

Quite rude of the OP not to come back and acknowledge the replies.

Yes, very unprofessional of her.

I work as a TA in Wales and we have to be a part of a "professional body" over all teaching staff and the money to be a part of it gets deducted from my wages! We are also inducted to take on being professional into our personal lives in certain ways over the job and to act that way and think that way. It is all good, though over our job. I wish it paid more but it doesn't.

Nope. A professional job is one that requires a university qualification and is accredited

He was wrong, there's a long list of protected titles.

He should have been aware that holding yourself out as a barrister or Chartered Legal Executive is also an offence but more widely things like Social Worker, Architect, Vet, Chiropractor, Dentist, Opthalmologist are protected titles and using them can be a criminal offence.

You can also of course commit a crime by impersonating a police officer.

There’s a lot of conflation and snobbery on this thread about being in a regulated profession and being a member of a professional body.

PSRBs are organisations that set the standards for, and regulate entry into, particular profession(s) and are authorised to accredit, approve or recognise specific programmes leading to the relevant professional qualification(s) - for which they may have a statutory or regulatory responsibility. This includes professions with protected titles. Law, financial, medical, teaching etc are regulated professions for obvious reasons.

A professional body is usually an organisation that oversees the activities of a particular profession and represents / lobbies the interests of its members. They serve a different purpose to statutory and regulatory bodies. It’s not always compulsory to be a member of one.

So for example, the SRA regulates solicitors, and the Law Society is their professional body. Within the legal profession certain titles are protected and certain legal activities are “reserved,” meaning they can only be undertaken by someone holding that title - so for example, rights of audience in a court.

Not all professions are regulated, and not all professional bodies have a royal charter. Being chartered means that you have reached
a certain level of professional expertise through professional development and experience for example, but it’s not always necessary to undertake that route. For example, being a member of the CIM if you’re in marketing or APM if you’re a project manager. However it can signal higher status and prestige within your industry so that’s why many will undertake the requirements to become so.

It’s perfectly possible to achieve in many professions chartered status or full membership of a professional body without necessarily having a degree if you have significant prior professional expertise and experience.