Training to become a teaching assistant is a great career choice. The role of a TA is to support the teacher in the classroom and assist with children’s education, development and growth. Generally, the position will entail 35 to 40 hours per week and offers a salary of £14,000 to £25,000 on average each year.

Working as a teaching assistant is a great avenue to pursue if you have GCSEs between A* to C in English and maths and previous experience of working with children. But what makes someone go from being just ‘average’ to being truly ‘great’?

Do you have the skills required?

It takes a certain type of skill set to work with children and some people find that it comes naturally to them. If you find it easy to construct positive relationships with children, this is likely the right career path for you. It is also helpful to be able to work closely with teachers and parents, so being a good communicator is also necessary.

Not all children are easy to work with and often, there will be children in the classroom who display challenging behaviour. It is important that you are able to manage this effectively and know how to support these types of individuals. Often you will be asked to work closely with them by the teacher, as they will be the ones who need extra support and guidance.

What else?

In this role, you’ll be pretty hands on and chances are the teacher will need your support with all areas of the lessons. It’s good to be versatile in your skills, but having a sound knowledge of how computers work will be particularly useful. You’ll most likely be printing off lots of worksheets, helping to create displays, finding resources online, copying up plans and writing up letters on occasion too.

This role will also require you to look after children who are upset, so being able to be empathetic, patient and compassionate is key. At the same time, you may occasionally have to lead a class or assist on school trips, so being able to demonstrate authority and leadership skills will be valuable. This will be particularly key if there are any challenging behaviours demonstrated.

Having first aid skills will also be beneficial as there will be a number of occasions when you will find yourself presented with a child who has fallen over or hurt themselves. Being aware of the necessary protocol will stand you in good stead, as will not panicking when stressed.

If you’re interested in pursuing a career as a Teaching Assistant, you can find out more about our courses here.