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Got interview on Monday for secondary TA role - tips?

4 replies

CockneySparra · 28/01/2011 20:59

Original thread here

Just wondering if any teachers or TAs around to offer any advice? TIA

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 29/01/2011 18:39

TES has a teaching assistant forum here community.tes.co.uk/forums/63.aspx

TinyDiamond · 30/01/2011 20:02

In my TA interview I was asked specific details of all the experience I had working with children previously...if you have your own children obviously mention this too.

Ask if the TA roles at the school are split into SEN/EAL roles or if they are mixed, do you know if the job is to support one particular student or whether you'll have a very mixed timetable for all yeargroups. (Unlikely but if they were to give you a choice I would opt for a mixture-variety is the spice of life and working one on one with the same student 25 hours a week can be tough).

Ask about the school's behaviour policy and if TAs are supported fully delivering sanctions as teaching staff would.

Find out if you would be required to do any break duties, bus duty, after school club hours in your interview so you don;t have any future surprises. At my school TAs are not expected to do these but I know loads of schools where they are.

Is it a secondary role? I work in secondary myself.

If you have a preference or skill in a certain subject area then definitely mention this. Personally, I thrive in humanities/arts (but am hopeless at maths).

Be friendly, warm and never forget that the priority is the students and it's them you're there to help. With this attitude they'd be silly not to snap you up.

Hope you see this tonight

Good luck!

CockneySparra · 31/01/2011 14:34

Thanks Tiny. Unfortunately, it all went tits up Sad.

I had to do a group activity with a small group of young people with SEN and this went brilliantly. Felt like we had a great rapport, kept them on task, they seemed really engaged and apparently they gave me excellent feedback to the interview panel Grin.

But I then had to sit in the staff room for an hour (I was half way down a list of interview slots, as they were doing us all on the same day), and I just got really, weirdly nervous and totally ballsed up the interview. Classic blushing / mind going blank / really crappy stuff you should real;y grow out of when you are a first jobber. God, it was cringey! I don't know WHY it went so badly. I haven't been feeling that well recently, so don't know if it was that? Sad

Oh well. Good experience for next time, I guess!

Thanks to all (on my multiple threads) whi gave me such a wealth of advice. It is so massively appreciated x

OP posts:
freerangeeggs · 31/01/2011 20:18

What's fur ye won't go past ye, as my granny used to say.

You've clearly got what's required to be a great TA. Good luck for the future!

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