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The staffroom

Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Talk to me about being a teaching assistant

4 replies

spotttyshortsmanc · 07/07/2024 09:21

I have worked in the corporate world for over 25 years and want to do a PGCE in Primary education September 2025. Over the next year I am considering becoming a TA in a primary school. I've been told I can expect to earn £88 per day (which I can live off but is insane how low the wage is)! I'd love to hear all experiences of being a primary TA:

  • what is your average day like?
  • what additional duties do you normally have to do outside of helping in the classroom?
  • any other safe advice?
  • do you get paid during the holidays?

I have a two year old that will be in nursery alongside working.

OP posts:
BoleynMemories13 · 07/07/2024 09:46

I'm a teacher so can't advise from personal experience of the role, but as long as you're prepared for the appalling pay, it will give you great experience being in the classroom every day and learning from the teachers around you. Many teachers do start off this way.

Each year group is different. I'm in Reception so a big part of my TA's role is assisting me with setting up the environment, helping to create engaging role plays and small world set ups etc. I generally come up with the initial ideas, based around our learning, but I'm more than happy to take on my TA's suggestions. They also assist during carpet inputs (usually sitting with children who need support to focus). Throughout the day they listen to readers, run small intervention groups and support the children in provision. In Reception, there's often at least one child in nappies each year, unfortunately, who our amazing TA's usually take the lead in supporting.

Other year groups will be different, in that you'll probably work with groups each morning to support in English and Maths, but it's pretty common for most TAs to listen to readers and run intervention groups in the afternoon in Primary, whatever the year group.

Whatever the age group, you'll be expected to show initiative with behaviour management. The teacher is ultimately responsible for dealing with major misdemeanors but, if you're lucky, your teacher will hopefully view you as an equal in terms of dealing with low level behaviour and let you deal with incidents as and when they occur, if you're first on the scene. This will be great experience for you.

I'm sure you'll find it a very worthwhile experience. If your school are aware of your plans to go on and train to be a teacher, many will support you with this and give you extra responsibilities, should you want them, to help prepare. They may even offer you the opportunity to train with them as part of the SCITT program, if they offer this at their school, which many prefer to the PGCE route.

spotttyshortsmanc · 07/07/2024 09:58

Wow @BoleynMemories13 this is an amazing and really positive response. Thank you. I have heard schools can offer the SCITT route. Do you know if a basic wage goes alongside this?

Thanks so much for your detailed response. On another note, can I ask about your experience of being a primary teacher? (If you don't mind) the pros and the cons. Just trying to gather as much information as possible.

OP posts:
BoleynMemories13 · 07/07/2024 11:00

I may be wrong but I don't think the SCITT program does pay, I believe that's the Schools Direct route? I was a undergraduate BEd student straight out of Sixth Form so have no personal experience of either SCITT or PGCE I'm afraid. Personally though, if I was a graduate looking to embark on teacher training I think I would have opted for SCITT over PCGE as I would have preferred to learn on the job, rather than sit in lectures for a high proportion of the course. People doing SCITT are usually treated more like a member of staff in their schools too, rather than being seen as a student. Often, many of them did start as a member of staff, as a TA looking to go into teaching. PGCE does works for many though.

Everyone's experiences of teaching are different. I won't lie, the first 5 years are definitely the toughest. There's a reason why most teachers who leave the profession for good are less than 5 years in. Once you get past the first 5 years or so, it does start to feel a bit easier. The planning, behaviour management, organisation etc all come more naturally. You have built up a bank of great resources, ideas, tactics etc you can keep calling on year after year, especially if you're in the same year group. Obviously new initiatives and schemes come in, you do constantly have to adapt, but the general day to day stuff is second nature after 5 years plus experience. It just takes patience to get to that stage. Every time you feel like quitting in those first difficult years, just keep repeating "it will get better, it will get better!".

For me, the rewarding aspect of the job outweighs the stress. I've had tough times, especially when leadership has changed and the Headteacher who respected you is replaced by one who wants to make as many changes in as little time as possible and doesn't care who they upset in the process. However, I've always trusted my gut. If it starts to not feel right, get out and find somewhere which does. I've worked in 4 schools in 14 years. The first was amazing for the first 4 years, I left after a difficult 5th where the ethos of the school changed dramatically. In hindsight, it wasn't a great move. Think frying pan to fire. I moved on again after just a year and the 3rd school was better, initially, but soured in the 3rd year, again after a change in leadership, and I moved on again. I've just come to the end of my 5th year at my current school and am as happy and settled as I've ever been anywhere. It's definitely the people who make a school and my colleagues and the families we serve are fab. However, if that was to suddenly change I wouldn't hesitate to move on again for my own happiness. It's not worth staying in a school which causes you more stress than happiness. Teachers who leave the profession completely have usually stayed in the wrong place for too long. As long as you find the right place, the positives of the profession far outweigh the negatives.

Good luck!

Pumpkin40 · 21/07/2024 09:01

I’ve worked as a t.a for 4 years now. I would say there is no typical day. Every day is different and I love it. I’ve changed teachers every September and that takes a bit of getting used to as they all work differently. I get paid over the holidays and I get a pay rise every year in November and it is usually backdated to April. I run some after school clubs and I do have to plan them in my own time. I wouldn’t do any other job now though.x

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