Please tell me all about being a Teaching Assistant

[anniebear]

Just had a passing thought this morning about it

what is the course like? course work?

I have just started going into my daughters school to do reading with year 1 and 2

thats fine but could I really be a teaching assistant....I am thick!

Probably they could spell better than me!!

think I would have to go and do maths and english course lol

????

thanks

TAs do all sorts of things in different schools, but, like everything else, the job is getting more dependent on qualifications as TAs are used more and more as (cheap) replacement teachers. On the other hand, there is still a lot of photocopying and laminating.

I was a classroom assistant ten years ago and loved it, before I retrained as a teacher because I was doing all the work of a teacher without the pay or recognition. That was due to the school I was working in and because I was happy to do it; I don't think it is universal.

It would be very useful to be able to spell (at least) as well as the teacher and to have a reasonable grasp of grammar and numeracy, as you would be working with groups of children in maths and literacy, if not with the whole class. Being able to use a computer would make you very popular!

From what I have seen of the training (NVQ2/3), it is not hard, but complicated and long-winded. I have mentored TA's in training - like all modern courses, it is all about showing what you do and getting accreditation, not learning something new.

If you think would like to do this, keep volunteering and get as much experience as possible - you will need it for the training.

thanks so much

The other thread was nowhere to be seen when I posted this!

was waiting for some one to tell me off for starting another one !!! lol

thank you