Working as a TA

[Polarbearflavour]

So I’m thinking about doing a Primary PGCE next year. There are a few jobs where I live for TAs. Would this help my application?

I’ve been volunteering in a primary school as a classroom volunteer for one day a week for the past year - and enjoy it a lot more than my boring office job. I fully appreciate that being a volunteer is not like being a teacher or TA full time but it has given me an insight.

Wondering whether to take the plunge and apply!

As long as you have got school experience then you are in with a chance of getting a place. The thing to remember is that being a TA is a completely different job to being a teacher, some former TAs that I know have struggled to change to being a teacher because they have kept the TA mindset. If you ask the university you are considering applying to they will let you know whether they think it is a good idea or not.

I'd say definitely do it. It will help you no end in your application and give you lots to talk about at your interview. You will know your strengths and areas for development. You will gain lots of experience, skills and knowledge which will help you during your training. You will learn about tricky areas like assessment and also what's required in lesson planning. You'll get a better idea of what age groups you prefer to teach. I was a TA for 10 years before finally doing my pgce last year. Despite the re being a teacher shortage the course is oversubscribed. Being a ta will give you a definite advantage.