Teaching Assistant CV Writing Tip's

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Teaching Assistant CV Writing Service

If you enjoy working with children and would like to play a part in their education and wellbeing, a job as a teaching assistant could be ideal for you.

Usually local education authorities and individual schools decide which qualifications or what experience they want applicants to have. If you have enough experience of working with children or can show employers that you have the right personality and potential, you may be able to start work without qualifications. However, you will need Criminal Records Bureau clearance.

Once you’ve started work as a teaching assistant in a nursery, infant or junior school, special school, secondary school or independent school, there are good opportunities to develop your career by completing further qualifications from Nursery Assistant right up to Early Years Professional Status.

You could also go on to train as a teacher if you meet the entry requirements.

As a teaching assistant you would support teachers and help children, both in and out of the classroom. Your exact job will depend on the school and the age of the children.

Your job would usually include:

getting the classroom ready for lessons
listening to children read, reading to them or telling them stories
helping children who need extra support to complete tasks
helping teachers to plan learning activities and complete records
supervising group activities
looking after children who are upset or have had accidents
encouraging younger children to learn through play
helping with outings and sports events
carrying out administrative tasks.

You would also support children with particular needs, working with them individually or in small groups. With experience, you could lead some classes.

In some schools you could have a specialism, such as literacy, numeracy, Special Educational Needs or music. Bilingual teaching assistants are often employed in schools with a lot of children whose first language is not English.

A teaching assistant might also be called classroom assistant or learning support assistant.

Higher Level Teaching Assistant

As a Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) you would have more responsibility. This could include:

working alongside teachers to support learning activities
helping to plan lessons and prepare teaching materials
acting as a specialist assistant for particular subjects
leading classes under the direction of the teacher
supervising other support staff.

You would also assess, record and report on the progress of children you work with.

Hours

You would usually work during school hours, Monday to Friday, in term-time. You might also take part in activities such as school outings, staff meetings and training, which could mean working extra hours. Many teaching assistants work part-time.

You would work either in the classroom, or with individual children or small groups in a separate room. You might also go with children on trips outside the school.

Income

Salaries for full-time teaching assistants can be from around £12,000 to over £17,000 a year.

Salaries for full-time HLTAs can be between £16,000 and £21,000 a year. This will vary depending on the Local Education Authority (LEA) and the responsibilities of individual jobs.

There is no national pay scale and wage rates are set by each LEA. Teaching assistants who work part-time, or are paid only for term-time, earn a proportion of full-time rates. This is known as pro rata payment.

Entry requirements

LEAs and individual schools decide which qualifications or what experience they want applicants to have. You can get an idea of what you are likely to need by looking at jobs advertised locally or by checking with your LEA.

Nursery nursing, childcare, play work or youth work qualifications could be useful but are not essential. If you have enough experience of working with children or can show employers that you have the right personality and potential, you may be able to start work without qualifications. You can then gain your teaching assistant qualifications whilst you are working.

If you do not have any relevant experience or qualifications, a useful starting point is to volunteer to help in a local school for a few hours a week.

Training and development

Once you are working as a teaching assistant you would normally complete short, nationally approved induction training. Some LEAs also offer a range of in-house training, which could lead to qualifications.

The teaching assistant qualification is Level 2 and Level 3 Award/ Certificate/ Diploma in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools.

To gain these qualifications you would be assessed at work, so your job would need to include responsibilities suited to the qualification you want to gain. Level 2 is suitable if you are new to the job or have limited responsibilities. Level 3 is for experienced teaching assistants with more responsibilities.

You will not need to be working to complete the Level 2 or 3 Award but if you want to gain the Certificate and Diploma you will need to be working or volunteering in a school. It is best to check entry requirements with colleges, as you may need GCSEs or the equivalent in English and maths.

As an experienced teaching assistant, you may be able to study for a foundation degree. These are available at a number of colleges and universities, and have various titles such as Teaching and Learning Support. To search for foundation degrees see the UCAS website.

Skills and knowledge

As a teaching assistant you will need:

experience of working with children
the ability to build good relationships with children, teachers, parents and carers
flexibility and creativity
the ability to work as part of a team
good reading, writing and numeracy skills
patience and a sense of humour
the ability to manage groups of children and cope with challenging behaviour.

In some jobs it could be useful if you have IT skills or are fluent in local community languages.

Opportunities

You could work as a teaching assistant in nursery, infant or junior schools, special schools, secondary schools or independent schools. There is usually a lot of competition for jobs.

With experience you may be able to progress to senior assistant or be assessed for Higher Level Teaching Assistant status.

Originally from national careers service

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