Attachment to students

Hi everyone,
I’m new here. I am currently working as a teaching assistant but I feel there is so much more I could do for my students.

I have a degree, and my plan was to go on to be a primary school teacher - however there is no funding for SCITT and due to being a single Mum I can’t pay for my own PHD.

What other jobs could I do whereby I could make a difference to a child’s life? I’ve often thought that being a Primary teacher would be hard because of the ‘red tape’ Eg: no cuddles for comfort, teaching how to conform
Rather that how to socialise and have a happy Life.

What job could I don’t instead? Im
36 and feel a bit lost in my career.

Reply 1

WantToTeach95

You sound lovely and really dedicated to making a difference to children's lives!

It is a real shame that there is no funding for most primary routes into teacher training. How many years of experience do you have as a teaching assistant? Have you worked with both key stages? You may be eligible for the salaried School Direct teacher training courses.

Have you looked into student finance? You can apply for a maintenance loan of up to £9,000, dependent on your household income. Would this be any help?

With regards to other careers, the first that comes to mind is becoming a nursery practitioner. But it's low paid and underappreciated - I've always preferred working as a TA. What about working with children and families from the social care side of things? Some council roles value skills from education staff like you.

Hope this helps x

Reply 2

SarcAndSpark

Original post by Em2685

If you're a qualified TA, you may be able to find a salaried school direct course which would lead to primary QTS.

It's a myth you aren't allowed to cuddle students, though.

I can't really think of any jobs where there's a lack of that kind of red tape, but if you want to make a difference to individual children, have you considered social work?

If you want to help children socially, then youth work may also be an option, although the pay often isn't great.

I would say that teaching children basic skills (including literacy and numeracy) does have huge benefits in terms of "having a happy life" though.