Starting new job - TA in primary school

[PlomBear]

After volunteering for a year, I’ve been offered a job as a 1:1 TA in a primary school, they said I’ll get lots of support and that it’s easier to start off as a 1:1 TA then move to a whole class TA. I’m thinking of teacher training longer term, I have an undergraduate degree and a Master’s degree.

My background is professional office work and I’m vaguely terrified about starting this new job! The staff seem lovely.

Any helpful hints please?

Be calm and patient and don't be afraid to ask for help. You'll smash it x

What Pops said.

Have you been volunteering in the school you've been offered the position in?

If you've been volunteering already you're 3/4 of the way there I'd say. Congratulations on your new job. I'm also a (recent) graduate and have just started as Learning Support Assistant in an FE college. Also to see if it's for me and considering teacher training. My advice would be listen to fellow colleagues but don't gossip. Get the feel of the place. You'll discover the members of staff who you respect and think in a similar way to you. Others, you may find, you wonder why they're in the job!! They're not happy, they moan about the other staff, kids constantly. Have a negative aura. They're the ones not to become like. Be one of the good ones.

Having just got my son who has autism through mainstream through to GCSEs I've had plenty of experience of good teaching staff and bad teaching staff and that is nearly all down to their attitude. I want to be one of the good ones. However I feel I walk into work in the morning with a smile on my face and I look like I want to be there!

Congrats. I thought you were a secondary LSA?

The best advice I had when starting out as a secondary TA is that: 'you are a Ninja, you make a positive impact but you are not seen or heard.' you'll be a 1:1 so not quite the same but you can see behavioural problems in the class before the teacher does so deal with them stealthily and quietly. Now I'm teaching there's nothing worse than a TA chatting to a student whilst I am addressing the class.

Read up on the child's condition and how that might impact their learning. Don't be surprised if you aren't given much training. I found books and blogs invaluable.

Try and learn the curriculum and what the teacher is planning ahead of time and the current method of teaching those concepts.

My friend teaches at a primary school and she bought herself and her TAs little resource aprons (like a large market cash bag) to keep spares pens, tissues, stickers in from etsy she says they are a life saver and very useful.

willothewispa - in the end I turned down the secondary school job. I went for a visit and really disliked being in that environment. I knew I wouldn’t feel comfortable being there every day.

Thanks for all the comments. I will see how it goes! The money is crap obviously. It’s a different school to the one I’ve been volunteering in.