To be surprised that so many people look down on being a TA?

[mummypie17]

I recently read a thread on Mumsnet about a lady who was embarrassed about being a TA (Teaching Assistant). This generated many responses. Some were quite negative towards TAs. I was a TA several years ago after I finished university and I absolutely loved my job. It gave me the experience I needed for my current role and was really rewarding. Granted that my job now pays more than twice as much, what I gained being a TA was invaluable.

One of my friends (who is a SAHM) was talking to me about trying to find a job to fit around her children's school hours. I suggested being a TA at her local school and she replied 'I'm looking for something more professional than that' obviously forgetting that I used to be one a long time ago.

AIBU to be surprised that TAs are unjustly viewed as a low skill job?

Low-paid, so conflated with low-skilled.

Women's work.

Rather like teaching, and held in the same contempt fuelled by lack of the will to understand the nature of the job.

Low skilled? The jobs I see advertised are level 3 and above.
Do people have any idea what valuable work a TA does?

Auxilary staff in schools because they are lowpaid so as a pp said is seen as lowskilled it is snobbery that holds people back from acknowledging peoples skills.

The wages are abysmal.

Schools have also changed so much. When I was at school, the TAs were nice local mums who changed the reading books and tidied up after art.

Now they’re being used to support children with very high needs and to teach. I doubt you’d know that without having school experience though.

We don't have TAs in scotland and I'm not sure why not anyway we do have support staff and they are invaluable.

It's one of those jobs I think is completely overlooked as it's mostly done by women.
I think it's a tough job. The TAs I know are doing a hell of a lot for low pay. And they're fairly sure their jobs will expand at no extra pay if government cuts continue

The problem is that the traditional view is that TAs are SAHMs who come in and just read to a few kids. Those times have changed to an extent. I was a TA as a psychology graduate, and I know many graduates who held a TA position before going into teaching for example.

Actually you can get into the job with relatively low level qualifications. Often training is done on the job. It doesn't require a degree for example. I sometimes think that actually it should require higher qualifications given wha my some TAs are expected to do - but people with degrees and postgraduate training, are very rarely happy to sit on £13,000 for the length of their career.

It's just the same as any number of jobs that require few / no qualifications and are awarded low pay. Working in a shop for example. Some people will always look down on others. But anyone who has worked with, or been supported by, a good TA, will know that they're worth their weight in gold!

Most people on the thread didn't look down on being a TA. Most of those that did, didn't understand the role or think that important =well paid.

In my kids school we have SLA & p1 tends to have someone allocated then classes with children who require additional support etc also break time/lunchtimes etc.

my youngest ds of 4 has some additional needs and has been supported by some wonderful SLA’s and they are a great support to both the teachers and parents.
I think they should be paid more for what they do tbh

I was a TA and I did feel looked down on, from people who didn't realise how hard it was so work so, so hard and give everything for the children and teacher to receive so little wages.

I agree with you I'm surprised at peoples attitude towards TA's I think this may in part be due to an (incorrect) view its just something people can do without having to train ( as a teacher) as it fits in with school hours. In my ds school this year one long time teacher 15 years plus highly regarded, resigned to take up a new role as the SN coordinator and TA everyone was so shocked at his decision as 'he was a "qualified " and didn't need to', I suspect the opposite that he wanted to resign as a class teacher and school was desperate to hang on to him.

What does level 3 mean?

I don’t know if you need higher level qualifications to be a TA, could that be why?

Posted too soon. I have to say whilst I have respect for the role I don’t see the point in over egging it- it seems similar to say a healthcare assistant in a hospital- important, useful and well thought of doing an important job but it’s hardly like being a midwife or a social worker in terms of stature.

Many people look down on a lot of jobs.

Some professionals look down on non professional jobs.
Some skilled workers look down on the non skilled.
I've seen people on those benefit programs say, "oh I'd never work in McDonald's" despite having zero qualifications.

The point being, people look down on all sorts of of jobs, TA is no different.

TA's have become a valuable part of the education system, many of them are well educated outside of the field. Even at the lower level, the job is skilled and at the top is highly skilled.
They are woefully under paid, however if they were paid more the position wouldn't be viable, you'd just employ an NQT and have smaller classes.

I am surprised. I love the TAs at our school, they do such a good job supporting the teachers. I couldn't look down on someone who plays such a big role in my child's daily life!

I said on the previous thread it depends how people upsell their employment and the image they want to present.

"I'm only a TA" (shoulder slump) is completely and utterly different to "Im a learning support worker for a child with a physically disabity/learning difficulty/other additional need, I really love my job" (enthusiastic)

That applies to any job, people with little confidence often down play their roles.

@Passthecherrycoke What does level 3 mean? A levels or equivalent vocational qualifications.

You've just reminded me to get a bottle of wine for the TA who's headed up my DC's phonics group in Reception this year. He's made amazing progress, largely thanks to her input.

IMO, the problem is in the title 'Teaching Assistant'. This role has grown and changed greatly since it was first introduced and many of them perform specific, and specialized tasks.

They should be reclassified into their appropriate area and level of support work: SEN, supporting children on the spectrum, small splinter learning groups, etc. Tey should never, in any circumstances, do the job of a teacher, and especially not teach classes on their own. This is what QTS is for. They should be playing to their own particular strengths, which in many cases is considerable. And they should be paid a fair salary for doing it.

As this is highly unlikely to happen whilst they're still being used as cheap labour, unfortunately I think a lot of the work they do is going to remain undervalued. This will also likely remain the case if they're treated as supplementary, rather than complementary, to the work of a teacher.

The TAs I personally know don't have degrees but neither does my childminder. However they all including my childminder have a hell of a lot of experience with children. If they got qualifications and wanted to do something else related to children and/or those with disabilities they would already have tons of relevant experience.

I know this as I have relations and friends including men who were care workers, and the experience coupled with getting qualifications have enabled some to get very well paid careers in the NHS and other fields working with people. (Lots now volunteer with people.)

People don't seem to understand just getting a degree is not enough anymore.

I certainly do not look down on TA's - but I don't think they are 'valued' by society.

I think (like many roles women fill) - the 'system' is exploiting them.

Over the last ten/fifteen years the role of the TA has expanded but not the pay. Job adverts for TA's often list a degree as a necessary requirement. This means that schools can get highly skilled women to take roles and the system relies on these women to offer support to some of the most disadvantaged of our children. This is able to happen because it is mainly women who need the flexibility that these jobs offer in terms of work/life balance. Its great that these children can get access to these skills - but it absolves government of the responsibility to provide skilled teachers to teach these children instead.

quite a lot of TAs Ive met could easily have been teachers - but didn't want the responsibilities of planning lessons etc etc, and wanted to be able to leave work behind at the end of the day. So really what we should be doing is making teaching itself more family friendly - reducing the workload on teachers and having more teachers in schools to enable lesson planning time to happen in school hours - more than one teacher in a class room etc - instead of relying on a army of highly skilled TAs to shore up the lack of funding.

I have to say whilst I have respect for the role I don’t see the point in over egging it- it seems similar to say a healthcare assistant in a hospital- important, useful and well thought of doing an important job but it’s hardly like being a midwife or a social worker in terms of stature

I agree totally with this.

quite a lot of TAs Ive met could easily have been teachers - but didn't want the responsibilities of planning lessons etc etc, and wanted to be able to leave work behind at the end of the day

Then they couldn't easily have been teachers. They chose low pay for less responsibility, that's fine but can we please stop talking about TAs as though they are teachers.

I never felt looked down on when I was a TA, maybe it depends on the sort of people you encounter.

I absolutely loved it but given that it required a lot of specialist knowledge, skills and training (SEN school) and fairly regular unpaid overtime, minimum wage just doesn’t really cut it imo.

Sadly they are seen as gap full jobs for sahm who want to work. In reality in my school they are highly skilled people with loads of SEN experiences often with level 3 trg - they may not have lots of formal education but they have lots of experiences on handling challenging children with additional needs. Its same sort of pigeon hole that carers get shoved into. Low paid and people dont want to do it but such important jobs. Same as cleaners in hospital - so many people would catch deadly infections if they weren't keeping the place clean.

The salary is absolutely shocking so there is that element but their job is undoubtedly invaluable and a school would not function without them.

I am a teacher and come from a long line of teachers. We all say TA’s are basically teachers without the excessive paperwork.