To think most people have no idea how little HLTAs/Teaching Assistants earn?

[LorlieS]

Anybody want to hazard a guess at the average monthly income of a ft HLTA/TA?

It really is quite shocking!

No I work directly for the school, that is their salary. 37 hours a week, 39 weeks a year with 5.6 weeks holiday

That's pro rata. Even if you work 5 days a week, there's no pay in the holidays so it's part time. That's how they get you!

“I am off for 12 weeks of the year and only get paid for 5 of them “ - this is part of the reason why the pay is low! Because it’s a part time job. I work in a different sector, should I expect to get 12 weeks off a year and be paid for all of them? No! Most people only get 5 weeks paid holiday, it’s the norm.

If you work for an Essex school you get paid 44/45 weeks depending on how long you have been there. 39 weeks that you work ( depending if you are expected to go in/get paid for non pupil days) then 5/6 weeks holiday including back holidays. That is standard. So schools have to adhere

Yes they do?

Wages for TAs & also care staff, IMO are absolutely criminal!

Are we discussing 2 things here? Hourly rate and unpaid holidays?

With regard to the unpaid holidays I don't really understand the problem. Surely if you don't want to take off the additional time unpaid, you can just get another job during the holidays? It's not like there's a shortage of work in this country.

The hourly rate though I agree is crap. Lot's of unskilled/low skilled work is poorly paid though.

Criminal? Really? Do they not get paid minimum wage? If they are genuinely breaking the law then by all means report them.

@DwindleBug Exactly that. I chose to do this job (HLTA) because I believe SEN/SEMH/EHCP should have as much quality support that we can possibly provide. Yes I am well qualified; I have a first honours degree in Human Psychology, a PGCE, 2 years' experience working in a PRU for primary children who had been permanently excluded from education, 15 years of class teaching experience.
So why don't I just "go and get a better job?" if life is tough financially. I should stop complaining that we get paid so appallingly
Many reasons.
The main one I still find it very hard to talk about.

TRIGGER WARNING - DETAILS OF ATTEMPT TO TAKE OWN LIFE.

At the age of 35 my older brother attempted to take his own life in the most distressing of ways. His partner found him almost dead on their shed floor. My mum had to stand and watch on as paramedics administered CPR.
As a family we waited in Critical Care and were told to expect the worst. I had to think about how to tell my 3 and 6 yo sons about their beloved uncle who was like a father figure to them after their narcissistic father had hurt them so badly.
We have no idea how, but after two weeks and due to the exceptional care and skills of the NHS staff in HDU he slowly began to come out of his induced coma and pull through. I will never forget the time I was sitting beside him with mum and he first opened his eyes.
What has this got to do with me being a SEN HLTA?
My brother is autistic. He was never helped at school; in the 80s/90s there was no recognition of such conditions. He was repeatedly told he was naughty, that he was bad, he was lead to believe he was stupid, that he in essence was a no-one, that he couldn't make friends because no-one liked him. It destroyed his self-esteem and he carried this into adulthood. His mental health was torn apart.
When he went home to recover I had a conversation with him. I asked him if he would ever try to commit suicide again. He said that nobody would miss him if he did because he was a "waste of space."
I try my best often to show him that isn't true, but that's bloody hard for a 45 yo man with autism to accept or understand.
So why do I do such a low paid job? Why not just go back into teaching and stop complaining about the fact it's hard on such an awful wage?
Because I am determined that no child I get the privilege to work with and support is ever going to feel like they are worthless like my brother did as he lay dying on his shed floor.

That is pro rata. They are only paid for around 26.5 hours per week, and not for the holidays! It’s shocking.

I can’t see our government wanting a national pay scale of TAs or deciding they should be paid any more. Kemi Badenoch thinks they are ‘superfluous’ and we don’t need them anyway!

Just came on to say exactly this. I think it’s the pro rata bit that’s confusing and I don’t understand why they can’t advertise it for what it actually is.

@Bythebeachtoo I suspect because far less people would apply.

I agree-the actually annual salary that you get should be the one that’s advertised as it’s so confusing otherwise.

Doing a minimum-wage role for 25 hours a week, term-time only, is never going to be well-paid, but at least people would then know what they’re getting into before that first pay day arrives!

I know TAs that help run holiday clubs in the summer holidays and/or do evening work as well to bring in money, like other people might if they are working a part time job.

I'd guess around £12/13hr. I think most people do know they're not well paid. Teachers don't get much more. It's no big secret

All adverts should say the hourly rate as the job is hourly paid. The FTE is based on what? 35, 36, 37.5 hours a week? How anyone can work out their pay before accepting the job is quite tricky sometimes!

Teachers aren't hourly paid. Teachers earn a living wage eg enough to get a mortgage. Teachers get a pension based on a 52 week year. Teachers can progress up the career ladder. There's not really any comparison.

The 22k is if you worked 52 weeks a year. Pro rata as we don’t get paid for holidays it comes out between 12k and 15k.

They get paid for the hours they work but most generally spread their wages out equally over a year into 12 monthly payments. It's around £12.50/hr outside of London....and yes of course they get holidays pay.

I'd hope a TA could work out their hourly pay. Surely they need L2Maths. Its around £12.50/hr.

If you contact your LA sometimes even they don't know how many hours constitute a full working week. Without knowing that not even someone with a degree in maths can work it out.

@NaughtybutNice77 Well enough posters on here don't seem to be able to!! Apparently we earn around £22k pa! 😆

I need to recruit a TA in Hampshire, have had precisely zero applications, it’s not enough money, but it’s vital work. Every school position is difficult to recruit these days.

@wonderstuff I can imagine. With cost of living now it is nowhere near enough, and the expectations on us are through the roof. I'm basically a very cheap supply teacher!

Especially since the teachers also don’t get paid for most of their “holidays”