I’m a teacher wanting to become a TA

[TeacherWantingAChange]

Teaching assistant (TA). Really excited about applying for this but my sister whose also a teacher has said TA’s are not treated very well. I have personally always treated TA’s with respect and courtesy but I am a secondary teacher, the job I will be applying for is a primary teacher assistant. Am I making a huge mistake? The pay will be half what I’m getting but zero stress and no working on weekends (or so I’m led to believe).

We do use TAs to cover classes in an emergency, possibly the first day of an unexpected absence. But work is provided by the class teacher or another teacher in the year group and they are not asked to mark. Sometimes curriculum is adapted because a TA is not confident teaching a particular subject or lesson.

I did this.
Secondary teacher to Primary TA.
Worst year of my (33 year) career.
I hated it.
Went back to teaching.

@StrongandNorthern what were your reasons for hating it?

Would you consider doing relief / substitute teacher work instead? No marking / prep / parent stuff / reports and you could work probably 2 days a week for the same money as a teaching assistant full time?

@Georgie743 in regards to supply / substitute teaching: i did try that a while ago but problem was I didn’t paid in the holidays so no steady income plus it was stressful. Long term supply was even worse as I did everything (marking, planning, meetings, parent evenings …..) but without holiday pay

I completely agree with this - go part time instead.
Otherwise you will be a full time T/A for less money than on 0.4 & SLT will definitely be using you for cover if any teachers are off but your salary won’t reflect that.

Fair enough! Well for what it's worth I'm a TA (in an Australian state primary) and it's the best job I've ever had. It's a career change after 10 years in the corporate world. And I'm studying teaching so doing this to get experience. I have a great boss, teachers are lovely and really appreciate us, and the kids are gorgeous. I genuinely love what I do.

however no money in holidays - we are paid as casuals, so hourly rate is better, but most work in school holiday club or in other industries (hospitality, retail, childcare) during holidays.

It's a very, very different skill set.
Also a very different 'stress set'!
Aside from not having so much work outside school (which was lovely) my stress levels were no lower.
Still far too much to do, not enough time to do it in eg lucky to have time for a sandwich or a wee all day - and for a fraction of the money.
Also felt I had no real control over my own situation/classroom/quality of teaching.
At least as a teacher I felt if things went well or badly that was usually down to me.
As a TA - it was, sadly, often down to someone else.
I prefer to be 'in control' I suppose.

I liked working more 1:1 with kids but it was horrible to have to sit there with a teacher screaming at kids for no reason or when the kids were told things that were just factually incorrect.

What about support staff role eg in a school library (rare I know but there still are some school librarians!) or doing education other than at school eg hospital or secure unit provision? Or tutoring?

I was a secondary teacher and now work in Student Support in a university. Pay is better than a TA, still quite flexible and largely term time only and in 4 years I've never had a chair thrown at me or been shouted at.

I'm a TA in primary and used to teach. Swings and roundabouts. Definitely no work at home and I leave early to collect my own kids from school. But very dependent on which child and teacher you are with, on how they treat you. I have experienced much more violence and aggressive behaviour as a TA. Particularly if you end up being 1:1 . Definitely better to be whole class TA for variety of children and tasks to be completed.

Pay is very poor. it's not even half what I got teaching, although it is far fewer hours. Ultimately you get very little respect as a TA both from, SLT, parents and some teachers. The ideal I think is a part time teaching role - if there are strict boundaries to stop working when its your day off.

As an ex-teacher I'd struggle with not being the decision maker, not having the control over things.
As a highly experienced teacher in special ed, I have strong opinions about how to respond to behaviours etc, and how to read what's causing them. I'd find it hugely difficult to have to carry out another teachers strategies and behaviour plans that I knew to be inappropriate or damaging.

Basically I'd be a teacher's worst nightmare! My own TAs were almost all fantastic and I valued them hugely. I don't know how they put up with me though! But they did, and they actively wanted to stay in my classes year on year.

I would look at your finances overall. It’s take home and pension you need to think about. Schools are wildly different and I would be reluctant to give up the financial security that comes from a higher wage and promotion. It isn’t something to jump into without being certain or seeing if you can improve your work in other ways. Their low pay is scandalous.

Worse and much more of a dogsbody?

This is true.

If you can afford to be a TA in a prep school, then yes, it would be a lovely job but g the teachers are nice.

DP has been a state primary HLTA the last year after 20 years teaching. The school obviously make the most of it and DP plans and covers a subject they enjoy and is used through multiple years for PPA cover.

I think DP finds working within 'boring' classes frustrating, but now does very little work at home and enjoys time with DC - VERY different to when even PT teaching given the planning, marking and report-writing,

Obviously earning much less, but the move was made once we were comfortable. Colleagues have gone into management etc. and DP might miss teaching and feel less 'success' at times, but the work-life balance is so much better.

I'm a TA (career change about 7 years ago looking for less stressful environment than my corporate job). I have found it not particularly stressful and great work/life balance. I have always felt appreciated by all the teachers I have worked with.

As PPs have pointed out, the one issue that will be worse having been a teacher is not having control over some situations. For the most part this has been fine for me but one year I totally disagreed with the teacher's behaviour management. I told her my thoughts (constructively) but she just did not agree. I had to accept that we had to go with her strategies which was very hard to sit through, particularly when I had been working with the child the year before using behaviour strategies that were working.

Sorry guys I wasn’t entirely honest as I know how nasty AIBU gets on private education! Plus I didn’t want to be identified as talking a lot to people in IRL. So truth is I have a son and daughter and my son is already in the prep school, I spoke to school and they assured me I will not be used in his year group (which I really don’t want to so happy about). So the real issue is I’m getting paid as a teacher now around £43k but if I was to go for this job it would be as people said less than half my current wage but I’d be getting fee remission of 80%. My daughter is in another school so we will still be paying her fees in full but son will be greatly reduced. I will also be getting same holidays as them whereas now it’s difficult as state gets less holidays. It will be less work at home though. What would you do? Does the less pay make up for the fact that his fees will be vastly reduced? Plus journey to work will be less stressful as now it’s a rush in morning to get them to their breakfast clubs then head into my work.

I thought it was 25% when I wrote the post but since then I’ve looked and it’s actually 80%

I think you will receive far more abuse in your working day as a TA, including verbal and physical abuse. You will have far less respect from all angles. Your pay will be awful. You will have little control over your working day, and it can be hard when you have no idea what lessons have been planned. You can often move around at the drop of a hat. You tend to get a much shorter lunch break than teachers, which should be 30 mins, but realistically, you will get about 15 mins. There is little career and particularly salary progression. Never knowing when you may get made redundant.

Plus sides, no deadlines and extra work at home. Although even saying this often TAs have to do online training and things at home without extra pay. You do have a better work life balance but this is definitely reflected in the pay. You do have generally less responsibilities but equally you can be left managing responsibilities way above your pay level on your own because you are the only one there. You get to know the kids well and it can be rewarding.

I would think long and hard and see if there are any better sideways moves you can do. The idea of a primary TA job not being stressful is such a myth. TAs are often left dealing with the most challenging behaviour alone and so whilst you may not bring physical work home as much this is likely to still be taking it's toll once you are home.

@Inthisspace they definitely get 1 hour lunch. I was speaking to a TA there who like me has a son there.

What about working .4 as a teacher and earning the same salary?

I'd personally do it for the fee reduction, but it's also a foot in the door. Independent preps have more freedom and imagination than state primaries (as they can!) and you could end up doing something different there in a few years time.
Equally, just the interview process could lead to something different. If it's a forward thinking leadership there, they'll want to use your skills creatively if they can.
Posters can't compare it to a state primary role.
With the way school fees are going, esp if labour win the next general election, it's going to be worth a lot to you.

I teach in my kids' (state) school - it definitely has its advantages. However, although your fee reduction is very generous, time at primary school is vanishingly short. Unless it's a school that goes through to Year 9? I suppose you could always go back to teaching then, because I can't see the retention crisis magically disappearing any time soon!

I work in education and have vastly reduced my level of responsibility. We’re less than a full month into the academic year and my stress levels and well-being have improved greatly. I’m now loving life.

Its a friend of a friend but a few years ago she changed from being a teacher to a TA to improve her work life balance now she’s a mum. It was the right decision for her. Other than a few £ you have nothing to loose but a lot to gain.If you take the job and don’t like it you can always go back to teaching.