to change career to become a TA?

[Whoateallthepies100]

Want a total change from what I do now to a job that is only school holidays and that you don't generally take work home when you finish. I have a degree already but not education related so would need to train first. I do have a lot of contact with schools (as a parent and governor).

If you are a TA would you recommend it? Is it hard to get into? How long would I need to train on top of my existing degree?

You do know that TA is an unskilled minimum wage job that doesn't require A levels let alone a degree right?

I've recently left my ta job as I've had enough so I may not give you the answers you want , but I'll post anyway.

I got into it by doing a 10 week course that my local authority run. It was 3 days of training and 2 days on a placement pw. I have a degree and GCSE a-cs in the core subjects.

Whilst it's very true that you don't take work home with you and you can mostly leave on time ,the pay is awful and the conditions worse. You cannot do anything during term time...important appointments , see your kids' school plays etc.

Also with schools as poor as they are right now you just never know what your day will look like. It could be supporting a child with send that has needs beyond your training or it could be teaching a full class alone because the teacher you work with has a meeting and there's no supply cover. This is very stressful.

There are of course good points - holidays off , job satisfaction etc , be careful though as schools are underfunded and struggling right now and students and staff are really feeling it!

It's also incredibly hard to get into generally as many schools are cutting back as they just don't have the funds for paid TAs any more.

I believe if you have work experience in a school you can go straight to the level 3 qualification, otherwise it's level 2&3. Each level us a year part time, college and a placement in a school. Someone else more knowledge may come along soon.

Check your local college website, they should provide a list of entry requirements and fees.

User get your facts straight!!! You need a level 3 qulification in early childhood studies.

User get your facts straight!!! You need a level 3 qualification in early childhood studies.

No you don't. There are no set requirements for TAs, individual schools and employers will set their own demands. To progress, you would normally be required to complete further qualifications such as an NVQ, but there is no actual legal requirement for anything to be a TA.

At the schools my DC have been to, TAs generally start by volunteering at school or working in the ASC or as lunchtime assistants.
I don't think I can think of a single instance of a person with no prior connection to the school being appointed. (others' experiences may vary of course)

I enjoy it
It can be really challenging though so don't think it's an easy job

I'm not a TA but I work with them. It's one of those jobs that you have to find inherently rewarding because the pay and conditions are pretty shit. On the plus side, you would be making a tangible difference to the lives of some very vulnerable children and of course working term time only is lovely, especially if you have school age DC of your own. Don't assume you won't need to pay for any childcare though, the TA's at our school are required to be on site from 8.15 until 4.15 so still have wraparound childcare costs although these are minimal compared to many jobs.

Also just a word of caution, TA posts are being cut or hours reduced in many areas due to lack of funds so the jobs aren't as secure as you might think.

Agree with above sadly don’t bother funding is so bad now our school relies on the free labour of those doing their training “on the job” then gets shot of them when they’ve got their qualifications and replace with another free trainee we do this with ta’s, office staff even caretaker!!

My friends full time TA wage last year was £14k... can you afford that?

If you've got a degree you will probably not need any training at all immediately - that was my situation when I first became a TA. A degree is equivalent or higher than the NVQ level they sometimes ask for. You might well be sent on training courses specific to your role later.

My only misgiving is that TAs are being made redundant in many areas at the moment and you might find you are competing with a lot of other applicants.