Want to become a teaching assistant and start your journey on this rewarding career path?
At Milk Education, we’re on the lookout for enthusiastic, dedicated teaching assistants to work in schools across the country, and we have a plethora of teaching assistant jobs available. That’s why we’ve compiled our top tips to become a teaching assistant, and how you can become a teaching assistant with no experience!
Teaching assistants make up around one quarter of the workforce in mainstream schools in England, with around 283,000 full time teaching assistants employed in 2023.
To help you get started in the teaching assistant community, we’ve answered your top questions about the role:
- Why become a teaching assistant?
- What qualifications do I need to become a teaching assistant?
- Can I become a teaching assistant with no experience?
- How to become a Higher-Level Teaching Assistant
- What are the day-to-day responsibilities of a teaching assistant?
- What are the typical working hours of a teaching assistant?
- What is the average salary for a teaching assistant?
If you’re passionate about making a difference and supporting pupils with their learning and development, a teaching assistant could be the career for you!
Why become a Teaching Assistant?
Teaching assistants are the glue that holds a classroom together. Not only do they help to prepare lesson materials, but teaching assistants also create a safe learning environment, supporting pupils to reach their full potential.
The responsibilities and role of a teaching assistant will differ depending on the school and the needs and ages of the pupils. There are different teaching assistant roles available and job titles might not be the same in every school, with duties for each one being slightly different.
Instead, a teaching assistant may be referred to as a Classroom Assistant, Learning Support Assistant, Special Needs Learning Support Assistant, or Pupil Support Assistant. These roles may differ for different schools, however.
What qualifications do I need to become a Teaching Assistant?
There are several different routes you can take to become a teaching assistant in the UK, and not every career pathway is the same.
Volunteering
Volunteering is a common way to gain experience with children and can help you to understand the day-to-day routines of working in a school and supporting a class teacher.
Volunteering can include supporting a local youth club, childminding, or helping out in a school or nursery. Looking after your siblings or own children also counts as gaining childcare experience and should be mentioned on applications and in interviews.
If possible, try to gain some experience volunteering in a local school. You may know a friend who works in the school already, or you can simply contact the school and explain that you’re looking to gain some experience to help you become a teaching assistant. Many schools will be more than happy to have additional support from an enthusiastic volunteer.
By networking with experienced educators in a classroom setting, you’ll gain invaluable educational experience. This could even lead to a job with that school if a position becomes available!
College
One of the most popular routes is to take a college course. Many colleges offer qualifications to help you get a job as a teaching assistant, including courses in:
- Childcare and Education.
- Education and Early Years Studies.
- Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools.
Apprenticeship
Another option is to complete a Teaching Assistant Level Advanced Apprenticeship. This will typically take around two years to complete, combining on-the-job training and academic learning. Entry requirements for this are usually five GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English and Maths.
Working with Milk Education
Register to find work with Milk Education and we can help you to find teaching assistant roles near you!
Some roles require experience, whilst some of our roles will be for unqualified teaching assistants. Once you register with us, we can get in touch to discuss your experience and suitability for roles.
Alternatively, you can start applying directly for roles with us on our Job Board.
Can I become a Teaching Assistant with no experience?
The answer is – yes! You can gain experience as a teaching assistant by volunteering in a school, or by working with young people in some capacity.
For aspiring teaching assistants with no qualifications, we may have unqualified teaching assistant roles and trainee teaching assistant roles available near you.
Register with us to learn more!
What essential skills do I need to become a Teaching Assistant?
However, even with no direct teaching assistant experience, you will need a range of soft skills to support your application, including:
- Excellent verbal communication skills.
- The ability to work well in a team.
- Being adaptable to different situations.
- High standards of organisation and time management.
Although you won’t be required to have specialist subject knowledge, you will need strong numeracy and literacy skills to help best support students.
How to Become a Higher-Level Teaching Assistant
You will need to have experience as a teaching assistant already to progress as a higher-level teaching assistant (HLTA) and will require the funding and support of your headteacher and local authority.
You will need to then complete:
- A HLTA Preparation Course.
- A HLTA Assessment, including a half-day school visit by an assessor.
This assessment process will ensure that you meet the HLTA professional standards.
As part of their career progression, higher level teaching assistants will have more responsibilities than other teaching assistants, such as planning, preparing, and delivering learning activities with individual pupils or small groups, as well as maintaining records of progress. They may also be required to cover classes if necessary.
When you register with Milk, you’ll receive two FREE CPD courses and access to discounted courses through Milk Academy!
We have a range of relevant courses available on Milk Academy, including:
- Becoming a Higher-Level Teaching Assistant Certificate.
- Level 2 Teaching Assistant Diploma.
What are the day-to-day responsibilities of a Teaching Assistant?
Every day is different when you’re a teaching assistant, but your roles and responsibilities will generally stay the same.
Here’s what to expect when working as a teaching assistant:
- Support pupils with their learning and development.
- Set up the classroom environment and equipment.
- Support pupils with SEN.
- Assist the lead teacher with pupils’ social and emotional development.
- Prepare resources and materials for lessons.
- Work with pupils on an individual basis or in small groups.
- Look after pupils who may be upset or ill.
- Report to the class teacher about pupil progress.
- Provide a safe learning environment for pupils.
What are the typical working hours for a teaching assistant?
Typically, a full-time teaching assistant’s working hours will follow that of a normal school day.
Working as a part-time teaching assistant, however, is generally quite flexible, and the working hours may differ depending on the needs of the school. For example, some teaching assistants will only work mornings or only work in the afternoon.
What is the average salary for a Teaching Assistant?
For permanent teaching assistants, the average salary is generally between £21,000 and £25,000.
For supply teaching assistants, the pay per day will depend on the rate set by the school and the supply agency.
At Milk Education, we offer competitive rates of pay to all our teaching assistants and support staff, so you can be confident that you’ll receive appropriate pay for your work.
To learn more, register with us today and we’ll be in touch to discuss the opportunities we have available!
Online Qualifications for Teaching Assistants: CPD Courses
If you’re looking for online qualifications to support your teaching assistant career pathway, we’ve got a variety of professional development courses available at Milk Academy!
Our courses include:
- Level 2 Teaching Assistant Diploma.
- Becoming a Higher-Level Teaching Assistant Certificate.
- The Complete SEND Diploma (Level 2, 3 & 4).
- Disability Awareness Certification.
- Safeguarding Children L4 (Including Internet Safety Certification).
Visit Milk Academy to access our range of teaching assistant courses and qualifications!
Become a Teaching Assistant and Apply with Milk Education
Register to find work with us today, and we’ll find you a role that’s suitable for your qualifications and preferences, in a school that’s local to you!
When you work with Milk, you’ll gain exclusive access to:
- Local roles in schools suited to your qualifications and preferences!
- FREE PSHE lesson plans, focused on sensitive and stigmatised topics.
- FREE and discounted CPD courses, focused on both professional and personal development.
- Our FREE Educator Wellbeing Guide, filled with tips and advice to help you manage your mental health.
- Round-the-clock support from one of our trained consultants.
Choose a location near you and we’ll help to place you in your ideal teaching assistant role in a primary, secondary, or SEND school!