Teachers: would this man be a good bet for a TA?

[OrmIrian]

DH is applying for a TA job at a special school in the town. He is 46 and has been working in the construction industry for 9yr or so. But he is a qualified KS2 teacher but hasn't actually been in a school since about 1997. He has worked with adults with learning difficulties for SS.

Does he stand a chance?

The pay issue isn't that much of a problem. He will be out of work next month and with the constrution ind as it is he may well be for a long time. So low pay is better than nothing However the move back towards teaching in some form has been on the cards for a while.

And it may mean that I have to go back to full-time work as a consequence. And of course he will be able 'to fit in with the kids' a bit better which will enable me not to have to. So I will become the main breadwinner again.

We have a male Ta at my kids' school; we also have a highly qualified teacher who chooses to work as a TA as she found having her own classroom too stressful. She has repsonsibility for art throughout the school and we are outstanding in art as a result.

Make sure dh has some familiarity with recent publications such as every child matters/ special needs code of practice and has read some recent Ofsted reports.

Ok robin, will do. Thanks

Ok robin, will do. Thanks

Katebee- there's nothing wrong with my spelling; it's my typing that's pants.

Sorry, Orm, meant to say good luck to him !My top interview tip would be to make sure his interest in and enjoyment of working with children is clear.

KateBee made me lol actually. Was said with a wink after all.

Thankyou for your comments. I have the completed application form in my laptop case and will drop it in after work.

If you lived near us, we would snap him up!

What a shame he didn't want to continue with teaching, though. He should look into wirking in a special school setting - generally MUCH less paperwork, and the whole job is very different.

I think that is what he wanted to do originally tilly. But it's a long story - bascially his dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer when he was half way through his 3rd yr at college. DH had a very sad relationship with his dad (who was an arse imo) and DH more or less had a breakdown. Went from being told he was heading for a first, he ended up with a 2:2. And the time when he should have been looking for work he was basically out of it. Terrifying to see someone you love go downhill so suddenly. He taught for one term yr after he left college, and it made him so stressed he got ill again. But a lot of time has passed - I am hoping that he find what he wants this time.

MUCH LESS paperwork in a SS setting, it's all our bloody teachers do! If a C.A job in a SS came up would he apply for it? The pay is generally better. (over here anyway). Tell him to mention the words, school polices, confidentiality, and childrens needs in the interview you usually get an extra mark for them. Good luck.

He's got an interview. Only fly in the ointment is that they want to get a ref from the head at the school where DH taught - nearly 12 yrs ago ffs! No idea if the head is still there and TBH DH left in a bit of a hurry because of the mental state he was in. Not the best person they could approach really Never mind.

I know two TAs and a librarian who work in a school who are ex teachers.

I would have thought a special school would love someone like him. I suggest he visits the school prior to interview. It would give him a chance to see what the school is like and talk informally to the people he would be working with.

He need to look at the job spec and focus on how he fits their job spec. He needs to focus on his positives. He has worked with people with learning difficulties and has some idea what he is letting himself in for. What sort of special school is it?

It is likely he will be asked on why he is applying for a TA job and not a teaching job. He may well be asked why he gave up teaching.

He says that he hated doing a 60 hour week sounds better than saying he had a nervous breakdown. Teachers know that NQTs have an awful workload. It would be a mistake to say anything negative about the school he worked for.

The LSAs I know who are teachers are working as LSAs for a better family life/ work life balance. He can say that he has small children and he does not want to work 60 hours a week like a qualified teacher does. If women take lowly paid jobs for work/life balance reasons then why can't men?

If I was him, I would mention mental health difficulties unless he is directly asked. Obviously you can't lie on job application forms, but its silly to volenteer information that might damage your chances.

"generally MUCH less paperwork, and the whole job is very different. "

Lies
Infact special schools have more paperwork if anything. Remember that every kid in a special school is statemented. They have an IEP and some of them have to have internal and external risk assessments.

Special schools are more fun places to work. They are less constrained by the national curriculum. (Ie. kids mostly don't do SATS) However there is lots of teacher assessment.

I think that more is expected of support staff in special schools. Ie. as an ICT technician I get involved in lesson planning, where as in a mainstream school no one would even know my name.

Thanks reallytired. I don't think he would mention them. He regards it as private.

We have a friend who works for social services who knows the school very well. We're going over on saturday for a meal so she can give him some inside info about the place.

I'm not sure what kind of special school it is. As far as I know it tends to have children with behavioural difficulties rather than children with severe physical problems. But not sure.

I have workedin both mainstream and special, and the paperwork-load has been MUCH less in special. Think writing reports, etc for 30 children -v- 6 or so....

BUT the during the day work with the children can be very intense and trying on your patience if you don't adopt a laid-back approach!

I don't think he's have any problem with dealing with the children bigtilly. He has hugely greated patience than I do with ours in general. It was the paperwork that got to him mostly.

he got the job!

And he was so chuffed Inspite of pretending that he didn't care that much. Now I've got to talk to me employers about going back to work full-time

Message withdrawn

Congratulations! Good luck to OrmIrian dh in his new job.

Thankyou!