How do you become a TA?

[sportinguista]

Thinking of this as a possible career change. Am edcucated to degree level but no experience teaching as such except for ESOL. What do I need to do?

Can any TA's on here give me advice on how to go about applying and what extra qualifications may be needed?

Agreed about the low pay, my friend does 25 hours and gets about £800 a month.

It is outrageously badly paid imo.
Some strong TAs cover classes and plan and deliver their own small group interventions, which should be reflected in their salary but is often not.
There is some scope for progression, though.
An HLTA can earn significantly more, for example.
I went down the behaviour route and became a behaviour support worker, then Learning Mentor. In my current Pastoral role I earn around twice as much as I did as a TA.

HLTA's a few and far between in my county, in fact I don't know of any in the surrounding schools.

I work in an inner city school where there are a huge number of support staff.
We have 2 HLTAs, one specialising in EAL, around 25 LSAs (TAs with less emphasis on classroom admin and more on supporting learners), 2 learning mentors, 3 behaviour support workers, 1 parent support advisor and a Pastoral Support Manager!

Ime support roles are more common in inner city schools in deprived areas. Plus the roles tend to be more interesting. No backing boards for the LSAs where I work!

Even as a HLTA the pay doesn't really reflect the job done. I get the very highest amount I can get at the very top of my pay scale but it is still not high. I plan and teach whole classes; I'm a subject coordinator and do a lot more besides. A lot of the time I do a very similar job and have a similar workload as I did when I taught as a secondary school teacher - I just get paid a fraction of the amount.

But - and it's a big but - I do love it!

Why would anyone with a degree be a TA on little more than the minimum wage.

None of our TAs do things like backing boards much. iME often teachers like to do their own displays anyway - I know I always did. I back boards in the ict suite but that's because it I where I work most and it is my classes work.

Most of our TA work is working directly with pupils and the TAs are part of the teaching staff team, rather than admin and support.

Amothersplace

Lots of reasons.
We have a number of fully qualified and experienced teachers working as TAs for a range of reasons - some for reduced workload/stress, some as a reduction before retirement, some for experience in another key stage, etc

Other graduates do it before going on to do teaching qualifications and to gain experience.

There a big range tbh

I agree that pay in school support does not reflect the workload.
I have my own classroom, plan and deliver PSHE, am responsible for attendance and behaviour and am the lead on CP. I also write the school's safeguarding, CP and behaviour policies, manage our links with outside agencies and apply for statements connected with behaviour ( the senco is responsible for learning statements).
I come out with £1400 after tax a month.

I've looked at eteach and there appear to be a number of temporary vacancies in the area, might this be good way of going into the profession and then doing the qualification. I've no problem with doing the qualification and am not looking for the best paid job as I may be able to supplement income with freelance work.

It seems a lot of people are sying the best way is to do the qualifications first though. How does this work? Do you do this through a local college and then have to try and find work as I guess you can't progress through the levels without having classroom experience?

By the way I'm not put off by the salary as I was outrageously poorly paid for what I currently do anyway!

TA jobs are like gold dust because they're so popular with women who need some pin money. Sorry, I know it's not right but that's how it is. TA's are either very young people still living at home or they're previously SAHMs for whom the extra cash is useful but who don't need a living wage. Many do start as MDAs or volunteers. I'm not sure it would be possible to do the qualifications without working in school - doesn't it involve a school based project?

There are two kinds, babysitters who effectively keep the more challenging children out of the classroom, allowing the teacher to teach the rest. That's not as bad as it sounds, some of these TA's are amazing in the way they can relate to troubled children.

Others, usually HLTAs, are used as teachers a lot and that's not right for them, the children, or properly qualified teachers IMO.

OP, with your Art background, have you considered going into schools on a freelance basis to cover PPA etc? We had a company come in last year and make some truly amazing displays with our children. Very simple ideas (once you know) but the effect was brilliant, the children loved it and so did OFSTED! They charged £200 per day per artist, you'd only need to work 2 days a month to match most TA salaries (most TAs do approx. 15/20 hours per week).

privatejourney

That is absolutely not my experience of support staff.
The best schools deploy their LSAs effectively to support learning in lessons and through small group targeted intervention timetables.
They may support children with EBD in class, but any child who is being kept out of class to be babysat should be referred to an alternative provision such as an LSU.
Most of the TAs at my school are graduates and work 32.5 hours a week.

Yes, the pay may not reflect the role but I would have serious concerns about a school deploying support staff in the way you describe. They sound neither valued or utilised effectively.

TAs at my school are not deployed in the way privatejourney describes either.

It's a far bigger role than simply babysitting challenging children.

All our TAs do longer hours too - most are full time. They attend staff meetings and inset too. So most are around 31 hours or so a week.

Many TAs work full time hours but not all are paid for them! We have several who work FAR in excess of their paid hours but trying to get them not to is difficult! They are a truely dedicated lot and I would never describe any of them, either class based or 1;1 as "babysitting"!!

Yes, think many of us do! Its one of the reasons I started doing FT - was originally PT every morning, but more and more I was ending up there later and later - so in the end I just went FT, at least I then get paid for those hours.

All our TAs are on FT hours though so do get FT pay.

Obviously none of us get paid for the work done outside of school, or when I stay late after school finishes, or when there before start time to help set up.

Ta jobs are like gold dust. Schools can be very selective in who they employ and they are. The last time we advertised, we were in-fluxed with applications. Compared to a few years ago, when we would average around 100 applications. We are talking average of several hundred.

The hours are average of 32 a week, plus extra for meetings. Also have to attend every single inset day, where we work our socks off.

During teaching hours, we are very, very hands on. Teaching groups, one to one, and writing assessments. Plus much, more more.

A number of our ta's are single parents who need a living wage (luckily we pay more than the living wage). We employ over 40 ta's, several are male. One still lives at home. 4 started out as mdm's and have been with the school for at least 4 years. None of us are babysitters, and in the past the head has firmly put parents in their place when they have called us babysitters when they have been pulled for sending in their ill child.

Our hlta's are amazing and their qualifications means that they can teach up to Alevel. But then the standards for hlta are high, and require a degree plus hlta qualification, something that not a lot of people realise.

Our PPA is covered by our teachers. The only time we ever use outside teachers is to cover illness and we are unable to use existing teachers/hlta's. Plus our budget would not cover regular sessions for freelance teachers.

On the occasions when HLTAs are required to cover they often do a better job than a supply ever could. This is because they have already built relationships with the children and are therefore better equipped to manage challenging behaviour.
They are familiar with the school's behaviour policy and lesson structure (eg guided reading, big writing, provision for children staying in to work at lunch.
I would prefer my daughter to be taught by a strong HLTA familiar with the class than a floundering supply unable to manage the challenging children.

In my area TAs are salaried (experienced TA earns roughly the same pay as a NQTS) and work same hours as teachers we would consider it exploitation to expect TAs to fulfill the same role as a teacher for TA pay

All salaried here too.

Generally different job too; working together with a teacher to aid teaching and learning.

HLTA role here is a different job and includes planning, delivery and assessment, etc.

I am paid additional responsibility points for subject leadership and have a slightly different role.

My friend is a combination of class TA and learning support, she's on about 8k a year and plans and teaches groups for children with special needs and supports groups of children that the teacher is teaching in the classroom. I know she does all the training days as I look after her children then.

OOo.. just found this thread. I've posted similar over in the Staff Room. Our local council aren't into funding any qualifications and every job advertised asks for Level 2 / 3. I've seen Cache, UK Open Learn and ICS offering distance learning self funded courses all at varying prices and one doesn't seem to have a placement requirement (which seems bizarre).... Is there a preferred provider?

I've asked our very lovely head teacher at the school for some info. Hopefully I might get a bit more help and find out what I need to do!