Train to be become a Teaching Assistant / Courses

Hi

I would love to have a career as a teacher however Irealised this far too late on as I am now 37 with two young children and thenormal household and family commitments. I do not have a degree and full time study is not an option due to financialand family commitments and part time study will take many more years to complete. I know some of you will say its never toolate and I understand that.

However, I do want to work in a teaching environment and tohelp children so I am now considering training to become a Teaching Assistantas this is a much more realistic option. So my question is what is the best course to study? I would like to work in KS1/2 (Primary).

I have no previous experience at all. I have seen some online courses (which is aminefield in itself because each site you visit differs from one to the nextbut the course titles are generally the same) but Im unsure which will be thebest to complete. I have understood andrealise the NCFE is a higher qualification than any CACHE courses and a diplomais higher than a certificate/award with Level 3 being a good level to study at. However, I believe some require placements ina school but due to current employment that would prove a very difficult option.

Can anyone help with the above and / or has anyone got anyexperience in studying any of these courses.

Any help extremely appreciated.

Steve

Reply 1

snowflake99

I know that when I was looking around at jobs last year, if schools wanted a qualification they asked for QCF level 3 (or the willingness to work towards it while on the job).

The thing that really seems to matter most with TA jobs is school experience. You will need to get some by volunteering in a school, even if you don't go for the qualifications. TA jobs are really sought after as the hours are so convenient and they offer some of the perks of teaching but without all the out-of-school planning/marking/etc. The more experience you can get, the better your chances of getting a job. Any voluntary work outside school with children (e.g. Cub helper) will also count in your favour.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Reply 2

crock

First of all, make sure you understand how much TAs are paid. Don't be misled by the annual pay rates as the pay will be pro rata for the actual weeks and hours you work. You don't get paid for the holidays. A salary advertised as £14000 to 16000 is more likely to pay £10000 to 13000.

You will need experience to stand any chance of being short-listed and even getting voluntary experience in schools can be tough.

Best bet is to try and arrange a week long observation in a school to see if you actually like being in the school environment and if you do then one of the training courses which include a school placement is the way to go as you will then have some experience and a qualification to help you compete for jobs. This will mean you'd have to bite the bullet and either go part time in your existing job or give it up altogether and get something part time to tide you over.

Have you looked at local colleges to see if they do any as evening classes. Some distance learning courses might be ok but the unaccredited ones are not worth the paper they are written on. You could give some schools a call or your local Authority and ask them if there are any specific qualifications they require for teaching assistants.

Reply 3

Child heart

Steve, what course did you choose, and what's it like while working at the same time (but not in a school)? The CACHE Level 3 Diploma in support work in schools looks good.

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