Older TA’s

[getanicepack]

In the same way that older/experieced teachers often find they are being bullied so that they leave, are there any older/ experienced TA’s finding they are also being treated badly?

I definitely witnessed this in one school I worked in recently. Mostly because they stood up to unreasonable demands such as being expected to cover every break and lunchtime (without any break!) or being asked to make notes (spy) on teachers. Unfortunately a large number of schools are filled with bullying senior management teams who don’t like anyone disagreeing with them! This particular school definitely favoured young agency staff who wouldn’t speak up because they knew the school would get rid of them!

That sounds awful Foostit. Apart from a few (one or two) select TA’s who are favoured by SLT, the preference does seem to be towards young TA’s without any experience or knowledge. Wondering if older TA’s are just not valued anymore and seen as less useful? But don’t know why, when we have so much experience to offer.

I mean, it’s not as if we cost any more than the young TA’s with no experience, as TA’s all get paid the same. We’re not costing them any more than a young TA, but have more knowledge to offer and so more useful.

We had a new head.... favoured her young "golden girls" and didn't appreciate years of experience and common sense.
After 20 happy and rewarding years as a reception class TA I decided enough was enough and left.

In my school, we have a mix of TA’s at all levels.
Youngest is 19 and the oldest is 73 so very diverse team. I’d say 40% of the team are over 50.

It’s a very strong and stable team. No bullying etc. The same for my old school too.

I personally think it’s great to have the experience across the department. Those in their 20s who have been doing the job for a lot less than those in their 50s. It’s the experience that they can teach.

All TAs at my school are in their late 40s to 60s - we're very experienced but knackered!