To be sad that this woman was embarrassed about being a TA?

[jennymanara]

We were out tonight at a social event where most couples seemed to do well paid or high status jobs such as Dr or in the corporate world. I was chatting to one couple and the issue about jobs came up and she very embarrassed said she was a TA. Her job is really important and much more important than some of the others there doing work in corporate firms. It is a crazy world we live in where someone doing a valuable job is embarrassed about it because that job is underpaid.

TA is an important job but it’s not highly skilled and has short hours and the pay is about right. Whether or not lots of highly qualified people do it or not is irrelevant, it could be done by a competent school leaver.

That’s not to say people should be embarrassed about doing low skilled jobs but people pretending its more skilled than it is are kidding themselves. If you want to do a low stress job, why not. But it is also a low skilled job.

Also I think the feminist point a pp was making earlier was that it’s always women who are dropping out of highly skilled careers to become TAs. The point is that we have a workplace that doesn’t work for women with children who are dropping out of their careers.

Of course some people just want an easier life but if there was genuinely no feminist issue here, we wouldn’t see such a high proportion of women leaving other careers to be TAs.

I do think it’s an interesting job too though and see no reason TAs can’t discuss their jobs like everyone else.

I recently started as a Learning Support Assistant in a secondary school. I have a degree, many years of experience in both the public and private sector, and am currently training for a new career.

Financially the job is only really sustainable for me for a couple of years. However, it fits well with my current personal circumstances and what's more ..... I absolutely love it.

Almost all the LSAs are women, they openly admit the working conditions fit in well with family life. However, that doesn't mean they don't value the role and take it seriously. Some have mountains of qualifications, some the minimum required. But they all love the kids, the difference they can make, the relationships they can build.

As for status. In my short time there I can see that even some of the teachers aren't really invested in the role. They barely acknowledge you in class. Perhaps this is down to bad experiences or just their own personal issues. Who knows. I just concentrate on supporting the kids .But where the teacher engages with you and you work as a team, it's amazing.

And when a teacher comes up to you and says thank you, because for the first time ever you managed to get a child to do some work, a child who then practically ran to the front of the class to show what they had done - well that'll do me. No amount of higher pay would have made that experience better.

zsazsa I wonder what you define as a "skill" ?

Empathy, patience, humour, good judgement, having manners and being a strong role model? Being resilient and quite tough but also caring and nurturing? Constantly maintaining a balance between being an authority figure but also approachable, whilst still not being a "friend"?

These skills are soft, hard to quantify and not really scaleable in terms of salaries. Hence the low pay and the preponderance of women. But that says a lot more about what we value in our society than it does about the status of the jobs that value these skills.

"It could be done by a competent school leaver."

You have no idea. Perhaps you should some time at a school like my son's and then you might get some idea.

I was always proud and given respect for being a nurse in my home country. I was never embarrassed to say what I do. I do find that uk is very snobbish about what job you do and often feel embarrassed about being a nurse and it's definitely not wildly respected or valued.
It's very sad that people look down on you because of your job and a TA or teacher is such an important role.

I think the problem is working with the most vulnerable is not valued because the needs of the most vulnerable are not seen as important - so anyone can just turn up and do it ( and not do it properly).

I am amazed to hear that TAs are so highly skilled. My dsis has just got a job as a ta in a secondary school despite having no teaching experience or a levels. She was a shop manager for years, had issues with drinkkng and had had a random selection of part time jobs for the padt few years. She loves the job but has had no training whatsoever.

So basically, yes, just anyone is supervising the kids.

I agree with zsazsajuju. It is not highly skilled. A nice job for sure if you like working with kids.

Fibbke, most job advertisements for TA's in my area specify you must have experience in a school, with chdren, particularly with children with emotional/behavioural difficulties and learning difficulties... Must be educated to Level 3 at a min, some state must have a degree, some say they accept people hoping to go on to do a PGCE or a Doctorate in Educational Psychology...

Even my mum had to do a TA Level 3 course and apprenticeship before she was offered a job at her children's primary school.

I think it's more abnormal that your sister has been offered the job with no specific skills/quals.

So do i! Is there a job that's lower skilled than a TA?

In a school i mean?

Also you will absolutely get Teaching Assistants with MSc degree!! They will do a Psych undergraduate, then become a TA to gain experience and skills, usually a MSc will be completed part-time along this, then they apply for Doctorate in Ed Psych. It's a common path.

Some mainstream schools due to budget cuts will be going for the cheapest possible option.

Clearly! And therefore won't be a skilled job at all.

Not all schools ask for previous experience, and the minimum educational qualification is quite basic. But, in reality, lots of TAs are very well educated and/or have varied previous work experience. The reasons for this have been outlined by many posters on the thread. So yes, although I don't believe it's exploitation, many schools are getting very well educated and experienced employees - but that's the individual's choice.

I do agree that there could be more training, in SEN for example. From what I see so far this comes down to finances, as usual. So therefore much has to be "on the job", although actually this is the only way to develop the necessary relationships and learn how to work with individuals.

Fibbke your sister will be on a steep learning curve. The (odd) way that the system works is that the children who have the most complicated learning, emotional and social needs are often the ones that the not highly skilled teaching assistants - your words - are asked to work with. Despite her alarming lack of experience I hope she has personal qualities of resilience, fairness, calmness, humour, patience and firmness because believe me, she is going to need them .

My Headteacher said at a recent meeting that we were indeed the glue of the place. So there you go, straight from the horse's mouth!
Thank you to the many posters who have commented so respectfully on the job we do, but some of you have no idea and sound very ignorant indeed! I am a qualified teacher (Cambridge educated) and I didn't even get the first TA job I went for, as the competition was so strong!
So maybe the unqualified sister of the poster below, got a job in a school where no one else wanted to work.

My sisters boyfriend is a teaching assistant and she tells everyone he is a teacher, especially at parties and weddings etc. I find it really weird and disrespectful.

it could be done by a competent school leaver.

Really? So a competent school leaver could deal with this:

A child with complex SEND having a melt down and running around trying to leave the school grounds.

Being punched, scratched and bitten by children without warning.

A child having an seizure in the middle of the class during the same lesson that another child had been sick and all the children going into panic mode.

Children who need many different ways to help them understand how to do simple maths.

Children who need to write a story and just sit looking at you blankly when you ask them to describe a picture because they don't have the language skills to do so or don't have the confidence to talk to anybody apart from their family.

Parents coming and angrily hammering on the classroom door during lessons demanding to be let in. (parent who had had children removed and wanted to take them)

In 20 years I've experienced all of these and other things.

She really enjoys the job and the kids like her she says. She's definitely not resilient! I'm amazed she got the job in the first place, not sure I'd be that happy if i was a parent and knew how unqualified she is. She also says on Facebook that she's a teacher

She doesnt even have maths o level!

Its a good comp in a leafy area. Can't quite believe it myself, either shes lying or schools dont value TAs as highly as people think.

It's a skilled job if done properly. It takes a lot of skill to manage my teens behaviour, keep him a calm frame of mind, make sure his sensory needs are met, pick up on his non verbal communication and keep his interest in whatever task he is doing. If you get it wrong then you may get hurt. It should be better paid.