Going back work would love to do teaching assistant advice please ???!!!!

[ruth6692]

Hi my youngest ds starts school in Sept i havent worked outside the home since having kids my eldest is 15 only worked from home for Dh so im alittle nervous !!! I would love to work as a teachers assistant i have been told of a place going as a level 1 teaching assistant which im going to apply for at my friends school i was told i need no previous experience but just wondering has anyone else gone into this with no qualifications and also do you know of any courses i can do from home in relation with this work .
Thanx

I was a TA for a while.

You may well be able to get a Level 1 TA job without direct experience. In some areas/schools, they are quite happy to take on keen candidates who want to learn on the job. However, it is also worth bearing in mind that you may well be competing against people with experience and/or graduates who wish to enter the teaching profession and want classroom experience.

If I were you, I would approach your son's school first, then other local schools afterwards, and try to get some voluntary experience. Even a few hours a week for a few months will make your application much stronger.

Also, do you have GCSEs? Or equivalent in Maths amd English? Not essential, but it will definitely work in your favour.

You could also try to put together a little list of your skills and experience, based on your past employment and your time at home with your children. This will help when it comes to applications and interviews.

thats great thanx very much

I second the volunteering in school bit. I volunteer in a school, most of the other volunteers have already qualified to be TAs but can't find jobs close enough so are still volunteering whilst they sit the 2nd year of their TA course.

My friend started volunteering with a view to becoming a TA, she wanted to see if it was what she thought it would be. After a few months of volunteering she started a college course. It is only 2 hours a week but you have to have the school placement set up first.

I am surprised you can apply for a job with no experience, the school I'm in made us sit a course and then take a test! seriously, and that is just to volunteer. It is outstanding on OFSTED though.

It is possible. I've been a TA for nearly 4 years now and I have no childcare qualifications whatsoever. I also had no experience in primary schools prior to this although I had worked with pre school children.

Bear in mind that it's a job you simply don't do for the money because we get paid an absolute pittance. However, I love my job and the only reason I'm leaving is because I'm about to start my teacher training in September.

You may not need GCSEs in Maths and English or equivalent but you'll find it difficult if you don't have them.

I got my first job as a TA in a secondary school after volunteering in adult education classes (literacy and numeracy) as a classroom assistant for a year. Experience is much more important than qualifications. I have a degree but I don't think I was favoured as a result of that.

When I did level 2 if you didn't have GCSE in ENG, MATHS, you had to start at level 1 and complete the eqivalent before being allowed to do level 2. You had to have a placement but the college sometimes helped if you couldn't find anywhere. There are lots of posts relevant to TA's on the tes website, you can read or join to contribute in the forum.
There are now many unemployed teachers due to the government excess recruitment into Initial teacher training and many are opting to take TA roles. Some schools allowing some pt cover so they can complete QTS. This seems unfair as their degree must give them an advantage. I myself found I was better off financially not taking a position as tax credit was more if I didn't. The pay is very poor, the holidays good but not always the full holiday due to assisting with planning, creating resources and meetings.