To think Teaching Assistants are vastly underpaid for their role?

[altoran]

When the role of Teaching Assistant was created, the idea was that they would help with basic tasks like photocopying, wall displays, etc. It was a very basic role with no real responsibility.
Now Teaching Assistants have a lot of responsibility and are very involved in children's education, although under the supervision of a teacher. But they receive very little over minimim wage for this.
AIBU to think they are vastly underpaid?

Teachers are vastly overpaid

What makes you say that? What do you think they should be paid, out of interest?

There's always one! @HidingFromTheChildren if being a teacher means loads of pay and holidays why not join us?! Perfect way to address the recruitment and retention crisis is to pay us less!

I personally think the pay is about right-ish for teachers. But the workload needs addressing.

I think TAs should be paid more...perhaps on a sliding scale of the additional tasks they are taking on

Yes we are.

The role includes teaching (not always supervised and often whole class), admin, first aid, behavioural support, assessor, data input, (some TAs) lesson planning, therapy - speech and language etc, counselling, painter and decorator, dinner lady, playground supervisor, mediator/referee, cleaner.

^ that was just today.

All for around £1000 a month. 30 hours a week.

Teachers are underpaid too. Especially NQTs. At least we get to not take work home with us (although that sometimes happens. Especially if we're teaching and need to have a think about how our lesson is going to look).

Just flipping the original question around... Is anyone overpaid who works in a school?

My last primary school was in a trust with two other secondary schools. The headteacher in charge of all three, was on a salary of £150,000!!! Not a popular lady amongst staff needless to say

@mag2305 oh yes some academy heads are on crazy money. Aren't there a few on more money than the PM?!

I suppose they would argue they are like CEOs who command similar salaries in the private sector. But it's a difficult one given its public money and how little in comparison staff are on.

As a TA I had a physics degree and my husband a masters in Maths.
Obviously not required for the role but it helped with intervention.

@HidingFromTheChildren

Teachers are vastly overpaid but TA's earning around minimum wage seems right to me.

You're joking right ?

@HidingFromTheChildren

Teachers are vastly overpaid but TA's earning around minimum wage seems right to me.

As I said, many teachers take home less per hour than their TAs, so I g do I t know how you deduce TAs are on the right salary and teachers get too much!

@mag2305

Just flipping the original question around... Is anyone overpaid who works in a school?

My last primary school was in a trust with two other secondary schools. The headteacher in charge of all three, was on a salary of £150,000!!! Not a popular lady amongst staff needless to say

There was a local scandal when the HT of a school in my town way being paid a HUGE amount. I think it was one of the highest HT salaries ever. I'm not sure what happened, but they disappeared into a police car and later reappeared teaching in the Middle East. Some head teachers are over paid, but the good ones are more than worth their salary.

HT for trusts can easily earn £80-£100k+. There is a lot of competition for SLT posts because of this.
I had one HT who was headhunted for another trust for £120k for 3 days work (they didn’t take it)

I'm talking over £270K pa. Ridiculous.

Head teachers don't work 30 hours a week 39 weeks a year though.

Lots of people work 40 hours a week 47 weeks a year and are paid the same as TAs.

Yeah totally. In reception my daughters teacher was shite. The very experienced TA was amazing (I used to help out in the class). It's outrageous how poorly they're paid. There's some great teachers too and crap TA's. I certainly wouldn't have the patience to do their jobs and for TA's pay. No thanks

Lots of people work 40 hours a week 47 weeks a year and are paid the same as TAs.

Possibly, but the question is, are TAs underpaid for what they do, and the qualifications required for the role?

I saw a job for a learning mentor in an "outstanding" secondary school in a very rough area advertised - not much more than the minimum wage, preferably someone degree qualified, experienced working with secondary aged children, would suit someone looking to go into teaching blah blah.

Not anyone could do the job, it's not an unskilled role by any means, but they get away with paying peanuts by dangling the carrot of providing work experience that will look good on a CV.

It's an underpaid job.
Dealing with students who can't be left in the classroom. Doing interventions usually with the badly behaved, underachieving students who speak to them
Like dirt. Dealing with unreasonable behaviour, having targets specifically to make progress in children who can't read or write and receive zero support at home.
Bin men get paid more.

All these kind of roles are underpaid for the level of responsibility.

Bin men get paid more.

Those queues of people applying for TA jobs could apply to be refuse collectors, but they don’t. Presumably because it’s dirty, physical work and doesn’t fit round the school day/holidays.

Whilst people are desperate to work school hours, the pay will continue to be crap. They could go and and earn more in Tesco but most don’t, because of the hours.

I dont think its just the hours. Its also job satisfaction. It can be really rewarding. I love working in school admin. I really feel I benefit the children. I love it when i see the children enjoying something i organised or even if a safety procedure goes well and they arecall safe because of something i set up. The hours are annoying. Id like to be employed year round.

@cocoloco987

Fwiw I just checked my LA payscale and the business support manager pay scale is 19-21k teacher is 27-41.5k. Lots of progression possible with early years with a entry level 3 qualified early years practitioner 22-26k then early years officer 26.5- 31k and a senior early years officer 31.5-37.5k. The teaching assistants are on the same as the cleaners at 16-18k (we do a massive amount of training once employed both compulsory and for our own development which massively benefits the setting)

I think that salary is probably maintained schools with BM who do a bumped up bursar role. In most academies business managers are paid at least the say as the deputy head and are SLT.

@LynetteScavo but contractual hours are relevant. At 65% of full time hours it is a very part time job so the pay is pro rata. Add another third onto the wage and that's what it would pay if TA was a full time job.

Is that full time wage about right? Yeah probably, for a job that doesn't require a degree or have any supervisory/managerial/strategic etc responsibilities.

That is, £21.5k - £24k. Looking at other jobs with that wage it's about right.

Ofc as I said earlier, pretty much all workers at that pay level are underpaid at present when you look at inflation vs pay and compare the two over time.

But that issue is not unique to TAs.

I do apologise, I have not read the entire thread. However, my eldest son has SEN and when he was at school, his TA was vital to his ability to participate in any activity and to learn.

The TA broke down questions for him, carried out interventions, such as prompting him to find a quiet place, built up a rapport and a relationship with him.

He had a number of complex needs and developed significant mental health issues. The TA's job was difficult and demanding, often dealing with issues of self harming and terrific meltdowns.

I respect teachers and TAs, but the job his TAs did held huge responsibility and was incredibly difficult. It was not teaching, but it required a skills set that was worth far more than the TAs were paid.

I think that salary is probably maintained schools with BM who do a bumped up bursar role. In most academies business managers are paid at least the say as the deputy head and are SLT.

I'm in Scotland we don't have academies etc so it's a totally different structure altogether.

Is that full time wage about right? Yeah probably, for a job that doesn't require a degree or have any supervisory/managerial/strategic etc responsibilities.

The 17k here is the full time wage. What i actually earn for working 25h pw is around 9k

The bin man comment reminded me of a student in my NQT year who rejoiced in telling me a bin man would earn more than me.

I think it is another example of supply and demand right? I'm assuming bin men need to be fairly well paid to make the job attractive. Whereas as plenty have pointed out the school hours make being a TA attractive so people will accept the job even although the wage isn't high

@Howshouldibehave

Bin men get paid more.

Those queues of people applying for TA jobs could apply to be refuse collectors, but they don’t. Presumably because it’s dirty, physical work and doesn’t fit round the school day/holidays.

Whilst people are desperate to work school hours, the pay will continue to be crap. They could go and and earn more in Tesco but most don’t, because of the hours.

Don't be under any illusion that LSA or nursery nurse work in the lower year groups isn't physical and very unpleasant at times.

All LSAs deserve a lot of appreciation for what they do but in my experience, support staff in nursery, reception, year 1, maybe year 2 as well, are total heroes. Unless you've worked in one of those year groups, I don't think you realise how grim it can be. I've been a reception and year 1 teacher for 10 years now. I could write a book about the poos, wees, sick, blood, snot, lick, dog/fox poo!! Most of these don't even make it to the toilets. Unfortunately support staff often take the brunt of this. For example, I've had the winter vomiting bug in a class of 30 reception children who don't tell you when they're about to be sick and then just do it all over the classroom so everyone can touch it and step in it... Sometimes my LSA and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

I taught a child for 2 years who had psychological issues around doing a poo so would have multiple, daily accidents. Both my wonderful LSAs dealt with it amazingly. True heroes! The parents didn't even show much appreciation for the level of personal care given to the child which was a bit sad, but their work was very much appreciated by myself and the school.
It's lovely to see parents commenting on this thread who have really appreciated their child's LSA, especially the 1:1s. Because it really can be a tough, underpaid job.