Training to be a TA

[wishIwasonaBeach]

Hi all.

I'm 40 next year and feel that I am at a professional crossroads.

I have a 3 year old and since she was 1 have been doing 3 days on the phone where I used to work before I had DD. Minimum pay but at the moment - it fits as DH is main breadwinner and what I bring in makes us a little more comfortable.

In the past I have always done roles like Account Management (Sales) and Business Development Manager roles. I was always good at my job and enjoyed what I did but now when I look at roles I feel like, because I've been off the scene I'm just not qualified. Industries are also different in the time I've been off and I really have no interest in tech etc.

So, I started thinking about what I really wanted to do and was thinking about nursing but then I'm a bit put off by going back to uni and shift work etc. Good old Chat GPT suggested a mental health role in a school. So now I'm thinking of re-training as a TA and then doing some off-shoot mental health courses. A big advantage of this is that DD will be starting school in 18 months and this certainly makes half term/holidays much easier to cover. I also like the idea of helping/making a difference but not having the full responsibility of teaching.

My question is - have you done this and if so are you please you made the leap into something new? 🙂

Do you know what the job actually entails now? If so, go for it. If not, get some experience in a school and then come back to us.

Not directly but my sister is a teacher so I've obviously spoken about it with her and what it entails/does she think I'd enjoy/could I do it etc..

I know that I will need to do some volunteering and spend some time in schools but this was just an idea last week, I am still doing my 3 days at work so just wanted to scope it out before talking to schools.

Yeh go for it if you'd enjoy getting physically and/or verbally abused daily for minimum wage

The money is very poor.

I thought about this for years. I finally took the plunge and volunteered one afternoon a week when my son was in junior school. I am now a TA and love it. I didn’t do the training because you needed to be volunteering for more hours than I could commit to while also working three days a week. But the experience I gained was what got me the job.

If you enjoy working with SEND children and don't mind very low wages, it might suit you. The qualification requirements are minimal and it's easy to acquire the knowledge. You will get a lot of on the job training too - mostly safeguarding, data protection, health and safety, etc.

Thanks @Handeyethingyowl and @WallaceinAnderland That's really helpful.

I know the pay isn't great but it's still more than I am on currently, plus not having no navigate childcare around the holidays makes up for the poor pay, slightly.

Think I will speak to some local schools.

Thanks all.

With the White Paper release this week, the pressure on TAs is very likely to increase further. You will also need before and after school care unless your child.attends the school you work at. The pay amounts to below minimum wage equivalent if you factor in it's not a ft job (not sure I've explained that well but hopefully you get what I mean!)

I'm interested in this as this is one of my pre-retirement plans, for when I turn 60 - I'll be able to leave my current full-time job, take some pension but would like to (and will need to) earn a bit of money. I always wanted to work in teaching and work in a broadly related field, but in admin. My plan is to do an NVQ level 2 in Sept 2027 to make me competitive and get some experience working in a school - around 1 x day a week and I'm lucky I will be able to get this signed off at work. Then try to get a part-time TA job from March 2029.

That's the plan anyway - acknowledging I will be 60 and completely understand the job is difficult and stressful - but will be so different to what I currently do and what I actually always wanted to do, I'm hoping that giving a few years to it will work out.

@MooBaggage It is an incredibly taxing job but if you are sure then go for it. One of my closest friends is retiring at 55 from her TA role and she is on her knees, bless her. The pressures from an increase in high-level SEND students are massive.

Minimum wage? That’s good. 😂TAs at my school seem to do at least an extra hour a day for free. I once was in a school in Derby where the TAs across the county did a work to rule protest. They were putting their coats on at the same time as the dc and walking out the four at their official finishing times.

I did it for a few years and I wouldn't go back to it if you paid me 250k a year.
Piss poor management, terribly behaved children, entitled parents, more and more work put on to you for crappy wages, having to cope with children who clearly should not be in mainstream education, getting walloped, kicked and screamed at, spending entire playtime sorting out incidents between children who literally have no idea how to interact with other , how to deal with disappointment and are rarely told no at home.

It's not about sitting listening to nice, compliant children reading and sticking worksheets in books, it's firefighting!!!

Awful job
plus they're reducing mental health sippprt in schools and returning it (rightly) to the NHS

A lot of agencies find work for TAs with no experience or qualifications, it’s a good way to try the role and find a school you like

I worked as a TA and always left at the same time as the children.

OP one point about volunteering is the DBS check. It costs the school so they may be reluctant unless you can commit to significant hours.