Online Teaching Assistant course

[imtheonlyone]

Hi, I'm looking into doing an online teaching assistant qualification. I have found several and they all have the same qualification (level 3 teaching assistant with the NCFE), however they seem to vary quite a bit in the price, but also in the content which is now confusing me!

The first qualification is from ChildCareCollege - it has 11 units and costs £400. The second is from Stonebridge college. This costs £250 but has only 9 units. When I read through each syllabus they do seem to differ quite a lot.

Feels like a bit of a tall ask really, but does anyone know anything about either of these courses? Or know if one is better than the other? Or if I am barking up the wrong tree entirely? I have a placement sorted in a school already but I'm not able to commit to a college course because of children and work .........

Thanks in advance!

I would think the 9 units may only be a level 2 qualification are they definitely accredited the same.

Hey there,

Ok, there are a couple of factors here. Firstly, each level is made up of Awards, Certificates and Diplomas. Awards don't require a work placement, so have the fewest units to complete. Then comes the Certificate with more content and then lastly the Diploma. Both of these require a work placement and are more desirable by schools, but the Diploma contains the most number of units.

Secondly, which teaching assistant are you looking to complete? There are a number of qualifications under the teaching assistant umbrella (have a look here at the typical qualifications along with levels).

Can you post links to the two courses you mentioned? Those are typical prices for courses, but it all depends on where you want to work. If you post them, I can have a quick look.

The most common qualification to obtain is the Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools (Level 2 or 3). This is designed for those wanting to work in primary/secondary schools. If you're looking at childcare courses, the Children and Young People’s Workforce is probably best.

Local Education Authorities will vary in their requirements for the schools in their boroughs. Sometimes it's best to contact them to enquire about qualfications they accept. Some LEAs have been known to require NVQs, which were actually phased out a few years ago and replaced with the QCF qualifications!

Best,

JJ

Thanks, I will get back to you later as at work just now. Defo both level 3 - I will attempt to post links later - have a very busy day ahead so will be later tonight. Thanks for responding so far though

There's a teaching assistant course comparison chart here - www.tafocus.co.uk/compare-courses/

jjbingo's advice is good. Check with your LA what qualifications they will require. Look at job adverts too. I did a PDA (Scotland) some years ago which required me to be working in a school to complete it (I did it through the council).

Additionally, I became a supply classroom assistant/supervisory assistant to gain further experience, before applying for and gaining a permanent post. Before that I was an experienced childminder, completing a number of childcare courses through the SCMA.

Schools are looking for TAs/SAs/CAs to have proven experience working in schools and dealing with a wide variety of scenarios competently, confidently and calmly.

Finally, these sorts of jobs are very thin on the ground and always vastly over subscribed superb term time hours, very rewarding most of the time. The job I have now attracted over 100 applicants.