Part Time TA/LSA Jobs. Do they exist?

[aquababe]

Have been thinking for sometime about going into teaching, but am not 100% certain. Thought getting a job as a Teaching Assistant would be a good way of getting both experience and checking if I would be any good/enjoy it.

The only problem is that as I have a 2.2yr old dd I would really prefer to only work part time at the moment.
Do these you get kind of positions or do schools want continuity of care?

Where should I be looking? Websites etc
Any help really appreciated

I'm in Kent(Maidstone area)

I work part time as a TA, Mon - Fri mornings only.

I would say the best advice I could give you is to offer you local primary school some voluntary work perhaps once or twice a week.

That is how I got into in the beginning, then eventually when a place became available they asked me!

There are courses around, not sure how successful they are - haven't met anyone who has taken part in one.

I'm reluctant to do voluntary work as I'd need the work to put my dd into nursery.

would I need to do a TA course?
I have a degree

how about volunteering to read with the children for a couple of hours a week? schools are usually crying out for people to do this and then you'll know if you want to do this for living.

i believe that getting a ta job in a school is very competitive though so you need to get your foot wedged firmly int the door.

Most of ta's at dc's school (private) are part time and have seen several state lsa/ta jobs advertised on a part time basis recently in local press. Also check the CC website.

Hi Aquababe. I have worked as a TA/LSA and my Mum is an LSA. I got my TA job acidentally really, was on a gap year before uni (studying teaching) and needed work experience so I went in for a 2 week placement (voluntary of course) and was offered a job for the rest of the year (2 terms) on a full time basis, but most of the other TA's were part time. Had no qualifications at all.

My Mum is also a LSA (works 15 hours a week). She also started with no qualifications but has done and NVQ 3 whilst working part time at college.

Her job was advertised in the local paper but many jobs are simply offered to people who are voluntering at the time so often it is the best way in. Could you not volunteer say a morning a week and ask a friend/relative to baby sit for that short period of time?

I thought by law jobs had to be advertised.
But not sure where/when to start looking

'advertising' a job might be as little as putting up an internal notice on the staff noticeboard but they already have a candidate in mind that they want to offer the role to. It doesn't necessarily mean it goes in the local paper etc.

you would probably have to have some form of interview though for them to make sure .

Your council website should have a list of vacancies under e.g. jobs/schools/support staff. Most LSA/TA jobs IME are part time either mornings or afternoons. Infant schools tend to have more full-time positions. Always have loads of applicants though!

I found it much easier to get a TA job in the local secondary school. Part time; hours renegotiated every year. Degree doesn't make much difference, how effective and in tune with the pupils you can be does.
Try ta.forumup.org/forum - I found answers there. Good luck!

The competition for TA jobs is fiercer than for just about any other job. Forget advertising, the City, journalism - part-time school work demands a long-term strategy which includes much plotting and brown-nosing.

At the dc's school there is an unwritten rule that TA wannabees must serve their time as a dinner lady before they can be considered for anything else. This is not a bad scheme, as before they couldn't get any dinner ladies, and it weeds out those who are not really committed.