What do schools look for in a TA

[sunnyshine]

I have already completed my local TA course and currently work full time with younger children. I would love a TA role in the fairly near future and wondered what schools look our for when recruiting ? Hope someone can help. Thanks

Primary or secondary?
Qualifications, experience with the right age group, experience of children with SEN.
Ability communicate with kids. (Which is why in secondaries they will almost always have a pupil panel.)
If secondary sometimes they like someone with a subject specialism especially if it is English, Maths or Science.

In our school the majority of our TAs have all given a year voluntarily first before being employed.

Primary!! Even the 12 year olds at secondary would be taller than me! I couldn't do a year voluntarily! How who you pay the bills?

I can't even get any local school to give me TA work experience on a voluntary basis and I've tried numerous!

But if you've done the TA course and have current experience that's going to help.

Being a parent of a child in the school often helps too it seems.

As someone who has been involved in employing TAs in school - IME, there are always SOOOOOOOOOOOOO many applicants, the school has to be really ruthless, and things like presentation (handwriting / spelling) is used as a filter straight away.
Next (assuming everyone is equally qualified in terms of Level 3, etc.) I'd look for experience of working with school aged dcs - again, this could be volunteering in school, but obviously realise many people need their current wage to live on - so I'd be looking for people who help at Cubs or Brownies or similar.
I'd look for extra qualifications of course - anyone who could play the piano would be well ahead of the rest, or speak french, or was a qualified swimming teacher, or already runs the local Little League Netball Team - as having a skill the school could use.
I'd also give credit to people who have done something outside of work / training and family - again, the cub leaders etc., people who have shown they have a bit of 'get up and go'.
Any experience or training to do with special needs would be a bonus too.

When I went for the job (special school) they needed experience with children who have disabilities, a good sense of humour, a decent standard of written and spoken english and a positive approach! I used to volunteer for swimming days and my face was known, which helped I think:) Been there 8 years now and love it..

I'm doing a level 3 TA/LSA course at a SEN school nearby starting this September. It will last the whole school year and give me 390 hours classroom experience so I'm really hoping NEXT September I will be in a TA/INA position either at the school doing the course with me or my children's school. Can.not.wait

Education, qualifications, experience, personality, ability to interact with children and work in a team

We have never employed anyone who has been a volunteer or anyone with less than a level 3 qualification plus relevant experience.

In our school the extra stuff counts, otherwise there are 100 TA level 2's or level 1's so what gives one person the edge over another?

So like BackForGood says, piano/musical instruments, SEN, speech therapy or counselling qualifications. My friend said in her interview that she could go on all the residential school trips she has done as well.

Our school is outstanding on Ofsted, I merely volunteer but to do that I had to sit a course that covered everything from school policy to first aid to whose who in the school and disclosure and how to deal with it, I then had to sit an exam, and once I passed that then a CRB check, only then will they let you through the doors

We have a high proportion of teachers who play musical instruments such as piano, violin, cello, flute, drums, we also have a SENCO teacher and a trained counsellor who deals with children with emotional barriers to learning so parents splitting up, a death in the family, not making friends etc all things that would affect a child's ability to concentrate.

We have a speech therapist too. All these give those teachers and TAs something extra on their CV.