TA job, any TAs about to tell me some thing?

[OnlyWantsOne]

What are the good and bad points of being a TA in a village primary? 100 pupils, role will be in either reception or year 3&4 class :)

I have 3 DC, one of which will be in year 3 in September soIm hoping if I get the job I can work in a different class to DC.

[amyhamster]

Bad points - low pay, lots of sticking & glueing
Reception is like working in a nursery

Good points - school friendly hours, holidays , kids can be fun sometimes & there's always a teacher in charge, no staff management , no work to take home at the end of the day

[OnlyWantsOne]

sticking and gluing sounds great ;)

re being around DD and seeing her - I already do things at the school, she's fairly level headed and gives me a wave and gets on with her stuff.
Thanks for your replies.. i was asked to apply by the head. Im doing the application form now.

dd3 starts pre school in September, so from a childcare POV its good timing for us.

[jamdonut]

Depends massively on your school. I'm not in a village school. TAs are expected to mark the work of any interventions/groups they undertake.That is an Ofsted directive. They are also expected to do a certain amount of record-keeping ,as well as giving written and/or oral feedback to the class teacher about the children they have been assisting. I've heard of schools where TAs are not allowed in the staffroom,but I think that is not widespread these days. Cutting and sticking is just one aspect of giving support. Along with the notion that TAs are there to "wash paint pots". We may do it occasionally,if art has been planned for (getting rarer and rarer) but it's not our purpose!!!

[JakeBullet]

Bad points ....the pay is poor but quite honestly it's the on,y bad point I can think of.

Good points

The children are generally fab, even those with behavioural issues are usually brilliant 1-1. It's the bit if my job I love most.

You don't have to take work home.

The holidays are nice...after 30 years of doing a highly responsible job in the NHS I am wishing I had become a TA much sooner.

I don't gave any problems regarding staff rooms etc...we seem to be welcomed everywhere in our school.

I love it and get loads of satisfaction from it,

I love doing classroom displays, sticking and gluing etc, it's fun.

[jamdonut]

Depends massively on your school. I'm not in a village school. TAs are expected to mark the work of any interventions/groups they undertake.That is an Ofsted directive. They are also expected to do a certain amount of record-keeping ,as well as giving written and/or oral feedback to the class teacher about the children they have been assisting. I've heard of schools where TAs are not allowed in the staffroom,but I think that is not widespread these days. Cutting and sticking is just one aspect of giving support. Along with the notion that TAs are there to "wash paint pots". We may do it occasionally,if art has been planned for (getting rarer and rarer) but it's not our purpose!!!

[spanieleyes]

Our TA's run phonics groups, which they follow given plans for, support children in lessons working with a small group following teacher's input, mark the group's work, run intervention groups devising additional activities to support the objective being covered, work with children to meet IEP targets, provide written feedback on objectives covered and targets met/not met and run guided reading groups.
If they have time they also create and put up displays, run after school clubs and occasionally wash paint pots when the children's attempts haven't worked!!
They get paid far too little!!

[SapphireMoon]

I am truly shocked that TAs not allowed in staffrooms at some schools. What sort of elitist crap is that?
School I am involved in has inclusive staffroom. As a volunteer I have been told firmly by teachers and the Head to get coffee in the staffroom when at first I sat in corridor unsure.
All staff from the cleaners to the Head use staffroom. Are they supposed to drink coffee in the toilets?
Bloody hell, schools that take that approach should be ashamed.

[Beautifullymixed]

Best job in the world! When I finish my level 3 qualification , I want to go for the higher level qualification so I can 'teach'as well.

I do phonics groups two days a week, literacy and maths interventions three/four days a week. Plan for these groups myself or follow teachers plans. Work with groups in the classroom and mark books.

I am also first aid trained and do two playground duties and three lunch duties a week. We are expected to play games with the children while on duty and have had training for this.

I also do all displays (love this!) and my classroom is all colour coordinated, I cover chairs and units with fabric. I've hung bunting and paper lanterns and put plants on the windowsills.

I am fanatical about tidiness and ensure the classroom and my cupboard are tidy before I leave (always later than I should finish).

I have set up classroom behaviour strategies with my fab teacher and we both purchase small prizes with our own money. A lot of time is spent on behaviour in our school (inner London school) , you might be more lucky.

Fruit/milk needs to be collected daily, staff absences mean you might be swapped around regularly.

We have folders to record our work daily and these are checked termly. We also have termly meetings.

Oh, and we also run after school childcare, sports and cooking clubs.

Don't forget the Xmas disco, Easter egg hunt, summer bbq and all the trips throughout the year. These often require extra hours (unpaid).

My ds 7 and 10 are in my school and come to work with me and go home whatever time I finish.

Hope I have included everything.

[Beautifullymixed]

Oh and the staff room is a riot of laughter and fun. Teachers and TAs alike.

In fact there would be a war if they ever dreamed of banning TAs from it. Perish the thought.



TAs keep our school flourishing and allow teachers to teach.
My boys are thriving.

[Beautifullymixed]

Also forgot to say the kids are fantastic.

Even I go into work feeling tired/sad they always cheer me up. I smile and laugh every single day.

There were a few tears when we broke up for summer hols I can tell you.

I've had a fantastic teacher a brilliant class and have laughed, danced and sang my way throughout the year.

[SapphireMoon]

Shocking kipling. Shame such schools can't be named and shamed.

[SapphireMoon]

So kiplingmidst, TAs, cleaners, caretakers etc at these awful schools would not be allowed to go to the staffroom to have a grown up cup of coffee? I am so shocked! How can these teachers put up with such an unequal system? Bet the Heads of such schools wobble on about inclusion and equality with children yet treat their own staff so appallingly as if lower beings. Name and shame!!

[Beautifullymixed]

That is shameful practice and sends a powerful message to all staff.
How is the school supposed to work together as a team if there is segregation already in place?

I could not work there and be happy. I work hard and know of teachers who work as TAs for personal reasons -how would they be classed?

There would be a full scale riot at our school. Have no doubt.

[spanieleyes]

I once went to a school that had a separate staff room for Ta's, the excuse being the "teacher's staff room was full"

Thankfully such schools are few and far between!

[Galena]

I was a TA for a year many years ago and while I was there they decided that the conversations that went on in the staffroom were 'not suitable for TAs' to listen to. The TAs were relegated to the stock cupboard (yes, really!) and not allowed in the staffroom except to make a cuppa to take back to the stock cupboard. I only hope that has changed now.

[fledermaus]

I don't think TA pay is that bad at all, at least not where I am (big city).

[Hulababy]

Galena - that's dreadful. TAs are very much part of the teaching staff at the school I'm in and definitely use the same staff room!


The pay is not good generally once you have pro rata'd it down to term time and x number of hours per week. Advertised pay seems fine.

As a level 4 HLTA at top of the pay scale for my level I know that my pay would be pretty hard to live on without a second income coming in into the family.

[Wait4nothing]

Our tas and support staff can use the staffroom - however have different lunchtimes to their own ks teachers as they do both lunch and play duty every day (in their contracted hours) it's a bit of a shame as to have a chat we have to wait until after school when they should be going home!

[fledermaus]

Do you mean pay isn't good compared to a full time job because TAs are part time? I do understand that, but surely people become TAs because they don't want to work full time.

[PrincessOfChina]

The pay is appalling, and where my Mum works has just been reduced further due to the Single Status programme. She now has to work 45m every day for slightly less pay than she was getting before.

She's been a TA for about twenty years and I've known her have varying levels of responsibility. She's certainly almost always run a phonics group daily and done the associated marking etc. a couple of years ago she was a key worker in a foundation class and the last couple of years she's been assigned to youngsters with special needs so worked mainly with them.

I wouldn't fancy it for the money to be honest - way too much responsibility.

[spanieleyes]

Part time for TAs here is generally around 26 hours a week, they are not paid for break or lunch so 8.45 until 3.15 would be 5 1/4 hours a day and just over 26 hours a week. Full time is considered to be c35 hours
If a post is advertised at (say) £16000 pro rata, a TA would be paid 26/35 of £16000. So £11,800. But this would be for a year ( ie 52 weeks) and TAs are generally paid for 39 weeks plus around 5 weeks holidays. So the £11800 is reduced by 44/52 and becomes £9900.
I don't think that's enough for what my TAs do!

[StillStayingClassySanDiego]

Agree that it depends on the school.

I TA in a reception class. As well as taking a target group daily for phonics and numeracy I also do half of the learning journeys and take the class one afternoon a week while the teacher is on PPA. I fill in assessment stickers, mark their work when I have a group as well as the general responsibilities of a TA.

I love it but the pay is rubbish for what I do, I also like the holidays.

[fledermaus]

£8 an hour is around what a lower level TA is paid where I am, £10-£11 for a level 3 (primary). I honestly don't think that is bad compared to similar roles. Obviously the annual salary is low because the hours across the year are low, but TAs are choosing a job that is school hours, term times rather than working 9-5 all year round.