Would you rather work as a GP receptionist or a teaching assistant?

[Whitefeather13]

I have had two job offers and I cannot decide which one to accept.

A receptionist at a doctors surgery or a Teaching Assistant at a small village primary school.

Do you have experience in either? Which would you rather?

AIBU - GP surgery
YANBU - Teaching assistant

Thank you!

Another one saying double check the TA salary. Our school's adverts say £22k pa full time, but once the non paid weeks (TAs paid 38 weeks term time plus 5.6 weeks statutory allowance), are deducted, then reduced down to 30 hours a week, they are down to £12k pa

I'm a GP receptionist and I love it. I've been there a year now. The pay is ok, pension is good and the practice I work for has a lovely manager who is very accommodating with family emergencies. There is also room for progression, which I'm guessing there isn't so much with a ta job? No day is the same and it's not just answering phones, there's processing scripts, processing correspondence, scanning in letters, answering questions from patients online.

Yep and that's because I have 10 years experience and am the top of my pay scale!

I did GP receptionist. It was awful.

TA all the way for me.

Honestly whilst children are primary school age I'd go for TA purely for the fact I work in a small NHS admin team and we have to agree holidays within the group and end up working over Christmas/ NY period. With a TA your hours would work better for family.
But you have to like being around kids.

I’d do GP receptionist however if I had children I’d do TA so I’d have holidays off

I’m sure the TA work will be lower paid as PP’s said. But you’ll save childcare costs in holidays. I think it would be more fun, e.g. Christmas time in a primary school is magical! But children are exhausting and you have to be “on” all the time - crowd control, engaging them in teaching circles etc.
Then have energy for your own kids after your day’s work.

I think the highs would be higher but lows lower, it’s stressful and inflexible. You must have an inkling if you’d enjoy working with kids or would prefer a desk job?

Gp receptionist by a mile

I would also recommend checking the TA pay - it’s pro rata so I’d be very shocked if it was the same as a receptionist that is year round.

For childcare I would go for the TA role.

I'd go for TA. I've worked as a TA and then I was a teacher for many years. Career progression for TA is moving into HLTA. I'm not sure what the career progression for GP receptionist is like, and I'd also query the hours you'd have to work at the GP surgery, as many of them open their phone lines at 7:30-8am and close the practice at 6-6:30pm. With TA work you get all the pros of being a teacher and none of the drawbacks. If I could find a well-paid TA role I'd be on it in a flash so if you've got one, grab it!

I'm a teacher now and used to be a GP receptionist - go with the TA role.

Working with children is so rewarding - they are so funny and everyday is different.

As a GP receptionist you'll get all the morning and abuse from patients that they never direct at doctors- everything will be your fault and the work is dull!

TA

Worked in both.

Definitely GP surgery. You get to sit down, a lunch break, coffee and even access to a toilet without being told off for being lazy.

I work in a small village Primary and for the most part love it! It is extremely busy, you have to have your wits about you constantly and you’d be amazed how tiring it can be given it’s shorter days… but it can also be completely hilarious and magical. The term time part of it is for me the biggest bonus and absolutely worth the pay sacrifice.

Haha!

Boring?! I'm on my feet all day, every day is totally different. TAs cover a lot of lessons now a days, no school nurses anymore so we often deal with all of that (diabetes injections etc). The list could go on and on... it's not just sticking in work sheets and zipping up coats!

If you've got kids, the obvious answer is TA

As an emetophobe that's a hard decision.....probably go with the one that offers a good pension ....

The million dollar question! These two roles are about the only part time roles available in my area, and as much as I need a job, I really don't fancy either.

I really can't believe the TA role will be better paid? The advertised rate is often the full time year round salary...but you won't get paid for school holidays and it won't be 35/37 hours a week.

im not knocking it, i just know how it felt as a trainee teacher. Watching someone else’s lessons all day was really boring for me. A lot of TA’s I know just sit in the class, sometimes having a little wander around, but mostly sit there waiting for the bell to go!

A lot of TAs work 32.5 hours a week. Makes a difference. I earn 11.18 an hour and if the unions ever stop arguing, we are due another pay rise of about a pound an hour.

My local surgery pays minimum wage and if it is an NHS pension, your contribution rate will be more expensive than LGPS.

Of course the TA role will pay less over the year but I bet the hourly rate is higher.

Personally I love, mostly, being a TA.

I’d go for TA. I’m sure it’s stressful but little kids are so interesting to be around! There’s always someone kicking off or in tears in our GP surgery - it seems like a lot of aggro to deal with.

I think either is the type of job you have to have a bit of passion about for it to work. I am a TA and to be one well you need to really care and want to help. I don’t know about GP receptionist but I would imagine the same would apply.

I'm a teacher and I agree, would not advise anyone into schools. It's extremely difficult and stressful, TA might spend all their time trying to support disregulated, upset, angry or violent children and others with a level of need a mainstream school can't handle. Very difficult and most people hate it. A small village school sounds less like that but I stress 'sounds'. I'd go for GP job.

I have worked as both.

TA for many years, I really enjoyed it, it was brilliant seeing children progress and their excitement at Christmas, sports days etc. Being around after school to take my own children to clubs and being with them every holiday was great. It wasn’t all good, it is busy and I was physically assaulted but the good definitely out weighed the bad.

Work in a GP surgery is varied and busy it is not all just answering the phone to people looking for an appointment, I enjoy the variety of work. We do get the occasional demanding or frustrated patient but most are nice.

Term-time working was great, I am so grateful that I was able to work in a job that meant I could have all school holidays off with my children while they were growing up, even when they were teenagers it was nice to be around for them but I’ve been glad of the change now that my children have grown up and left home.