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?

@mag2305 yes that would have been crazy, I meant those who had no relevant qualifications at all. Doesn't seem to be much consistency reading this thread.

Yesss we're extremely underpaid, remember not everyone has money for a degree but we pay for these tests and workshops to put through the system to then become qualified. We do a majority of the physical aspects of the work, we do most of the changing, feeding, and even interacting when it comes to playing with the kids, we even HELP with the teaching part, and help or create the activities ourselves that the teacher needs, I leave every day from my job with my phone on 89%, and it's off the charger when I wake up at 7AM and I don't leave my job till 3:30 PM. That says a lot about the work i'm doing, I also fill in for other classes when someone is absent (being short of staff), or if the head teacher is absent I take charge with the daily teaching routine. Also, in my case dealing with a class of kids who have autism is NOT easy AT ALL. I love my kids, but the work is overwhelming, and yes, WE TOO help along with parent teacher conferences and talk with them about the kids along with the head teacher. Just bc a head teacher got a degree and a TA possibly don't (which many actually do) does not mean we didn't work hard to get there or don't deserve a living wage either, our pay is horrid, not even enough to survive living alone.

Another TA here, started working in lockdown after many years in office jobs. I teach phonics to a small group plus have daily 1-1 interventions. I absolutely love the job and the children and I work with a great team but the pay is very poor in relation to our role. Currently studying for a TA qualification but it’s unlikely to mean a pay rise, it’s good for me to get back into studying (plus the course was free).

Yes I agree they are underpaid if they are only on little over the minimum wage. They do a lot more than they used to that’s for sure. I couldn’t do the job of a TA or a teacher. Yes the holidays are good but I work for the civil service and we have staff who do term time only hours for a lot more money than a TA gets. Some people love it though, my friend does

So tempting to put 'A million and one per cent' (but as a teacher, I am alert to the mathematical misconceptions that can bolster!).

But yes, yes, yes.

So much work, so much responsibility, so many jobs, so litle proper recognition.

I taught before there were any TAs beyond Reception (and often not there either). We recruited armies of volunteer mums, grans, grandads, and a few dads, to help with 1--1 reading; be an extra pair of expert hands in lessons such as sewing, knitting or art; or - if they were a qualified teacher - to support in maths. But I would still be alone in the class with 32 kids most of the week. In fact, alone with 64 a couple of times a week, as that is how we provided non-contact for anothr teacher if needed. It worked fine, but there were far fewer of the children with complex or high needs in mainstream schools, and much lower expectations of curriculum or standards for all children.

Schools just couldn't function without TAs now. Round here, as the Covid waves have swept through individual schools, it has been really, really tough coping with teacher absence, especially with the shortage of available supplies, but the biggest headache for headteachers has been the absences of 1-1 TAs.

You can't put just any passing person into that role, and their job is crucial for those children to attend school, thrive themselves, and for the class they are in to function.

Covid catch-up plans are in tatters in many schools, largely, if not exclusively, because of TA absence or redeployment to cover 1-1s or classes from their usual pattern of intervention group after intervention group.

When TAs come forward for interview for ITT, one thing they often say (while acknowledging the greater responsibilities and breadth and depth of knowledge required of teachers) is, 'I love it, I think I'm good at it, and I thought I might as well get paid for it'.

Good TAs are worth more than their weight in gold, and are paid in unifix.

I’ve been asked to plan on a TA pay of £10 an hour. It’s not uncommon to see higher TA levels, 2b and 3, advertised as involving planning. Which naturally has to be done on your own time. HLTA’s are teachers in all but name. Yes they are underpaid and ripped off massively, all while teachers declare themselves far too important to do this or that and get a TA to do it.

It won’t do teachers any good eventually as they will continue to be replaced by HLTAs on much lower, pro-rata’d wages (teachers are not pro-rata’d to term time only). But it isn’t a good thing for working people.

Women, I should have said, as most are women - usually because of children. The extra pay most of us would get in other ‘women’s work’ wouldn’t cover the summer childcare or stress of finding it, for those of us who don’t have banks of mums and dads to help. It’s not just that ‘the hours are nice’, it’s that there’s no other way of meeting that problem in this country.

Yanbu but then i think it is perceived as a woman's job by our society and therefore not worth as much...which is rubbish of course..

@RaspberriesToYouToo

I’ve been asked to plan on a TA pay of £10 an hour. It’s not uncommon to see higher TA levels, 2b and 3, advertised as involving planning. Which naturally has to be done on your own time. HLTA’s are teachers in all but name. Yes they are underpaid and ripped off massively, all while teachers declare themselves far too important to do this or that and get a TA to do it.

It won’t do teachers any good eventually as they will continue to be replaced by HLTAs on much lower, pro-rata’d wages (teachers are not pro-rata’d to term time only). But it isn’t a good thing for working people.

Why did you need to make this tas Vs teachers? Hltas work really hard and do more than they should for their role/pay - especially when teachers are off sick. But no, they aren't teachers in all but name. They don't have that level of accountability.

And no TAs won't gradually replace hltas. Especially in secondary schools where you need specialist subject knowledge. (Although of course many teach outside of their subject area, but rarer at ks4 and ks5)

Your post is so divisive. Every teacher I know values the work of TAs, your tone implies otherwise

*I meant hltas won't replace teachers

Every teacher I know values the work of TAs, your tone implies otherwise

Yes, because that’s been my experience.

Its supply and demand.

It's a job which requires little by way of qualifications or validated skills, which can be done in school hours. Thus there are millions of (primarily women) both willing and able to do the job. High supply = low pay.

@OfstedOffred

Its supply and demand.

It's a job which requires little by way of qualifications or validated skills, which can be done in school hours. Thus there are millions of (primarily women) both willing and able to do the job. High supply = low pay.

It requires a lot of skills - muchthe same on a day to day basis as a teacher in the class. TAs are being held in practice to a watered down version of Teacher’s Standards. The rest I agree with. There really is not a lot of choice for women once they have kids. I know so many highly skilled and qualified women working as TAs that employers can push whatever conditions they want. But yay, we have equality and this isn’t a sexist country at all.

I really don’t understand why women in this country are still consenting to risking their life and health in bearing kids to men. Our choices are as restricted as they ever were or more - TA or Healthcare Assistant rather than Teacher or Nurse - and we are being treated worse than ever in a sex-obsessed, porn-addled and increasingly violent 3rd world dump. I only did it myself on the expectation we’d be trying to leave, and Brexit put paid to that. There is no future here for women or their female children.

The ignorance on this thread is pretty astounding.

OfstedOffred like several of my colleagues I am an ex teacher and highly trained. I am currently a TA not an HLTA.Jobs may get lots of applicants but certainly in our trust they go to highly qualified staff.

The list of things I do is vast.I implement IEPs which can involve all manner of interventions across the curriculum which I have to plan for up to year 6, guide children through their reading program, do first aid, take groups, be able to manage handling the whole class at times when taught virtually,sort mental health and issues, rustle up quality displays and resources out of an empty stock cupboard, I have to have a competent, accurate and good working knowledge of the entire primary curriculum …..the list is endless.

I’d say a fair few skills are needed.
I do it because I love it but it is vastly underpaid.

behaviour

@RaspberriesToYouToo if you feel so strongly that your role as a TA is largely the same as a teacher but for a fraction of the salary why don't you go through teacher training? There are many on the job training routes now so it didn't mean a costly pgce.

*need not mean

@altoran

The average secondary school teacher earns £39,000 a year.

That would be a bit high due to London weighting allowance.

We live in a free society, so people can choose what work they do.

Don't forget the 25% employers pension contributions when comparing to private sector pay.

They should get paid for the holidays, like teachers, absolutely

School cleaners, caterers and admin staff don't get paid for holidays (above usual 6 ish weeks)

@Keepitonthedownlow

They should get paid for the holidays, like teachers, absolutely

Except teachers aren't paid for the holidays either. It's just spread out across the year. Hence why if you do maternity cover as a teacher you can loose the six weeks pay as the returning teacher can come back for a day and get it. You would just be entitled to standard holiday allowance in your final paycheck

*six weeks over summer is an example. The same applies to all the non term time period

By the way I'm not saying the returning teacher should not do this. I'm just explaining how it works

The TAs at my school run pre and post school interventions/ duties at breaks / can be left with a class - when recruited they are expected to have a degree and a specialism in maths / science is looked on v favourably
They start at 08:10 and finish with no time made for any paperwork/ training needs.
It is brutal.