Why Becoming a Teaching Assistant Could be the Career for You

Becoming a teaching assistant may be the best choice you ever make. Not only does it offer a healthy work-life balance and a varied workload, but it’s also extremely rewarding. And there’s nothing more satisfying than that.

There are many reasons why becoming a teaching assistant could be a great career move. They’re all listed in this article, and if you think you’ve got what it takes to become a teaching assistant, we’ll tell you how you can get started, too.

So here it is — all the great reasons to become a teaching assistant:

Salary

Salary may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a teaching assistant, but the pay grades have become more attractive in recent years, with plenty of opportunity for progression. 

Level 1 TAs can expect to make around £17,364 but can see their salary rise to £25,000 as they progress.

Flexibility

Teaching assistants enjoy greater flexibility than teachers. In addition to working in-school hours only, teaching assistants tend to have greater control over how many hours they work. Some teaching assistants choose to work full time, whereas others only work part time. The details of your hours should be worked out with your employer before you start the job.

Holidays

Another great benefit of becoming a teaching assistant is your time off. While you may love being in the classroom, you’ll also love the six weeks of summer holidays and all the half terms you’ll get off throughout the year. And if you have a family, you’ll get time off at the same time as your kids, meaning you can spend more time with your own children!

Job opportunity progression

The teaching assistant role is extremely rewarding but may only be your first step into the education sector. With the skills and experience gained from the teaching assistant role, you may wish to progress into a specialist support role, or even take the first steps to becoming a teacher. 

Variety

When it comes to being a teaching assistant, no two days are the same. That’s because you’ll be working with a variety of pupils with a variety of needs in a variety of lessons. You’ll also have many different responsibilities — assisting with lesson plans, supporting pupils, marking work. High-level teaching assistants may also take on extra responsibilities, including covering planned absences by teaching classes on their own, or managing other learning support staff.

Fulfilment 

Perhaps the greatest benefit of them all is the feeling of satisfaction and fulfilment you get from knowing you’re making a difference in the lives of your pupils. The teaching assistant role has long been considered a rewarding job, with most teaching assistants reporting high job satisfaction.

Why wait to get into teaching? Becoming a teaching assistant is now more accessible than ever. Start your journey to becoming a teaching assistant with a distanced online learning course from CTC Training. At CTC Training, we provide courses that fit around your lifestyle. After enrolling on a course for a one-off or monthly fee, you’ll gain access to our 24/7 student portal, where you can view course content and upload assessments at your leisure. You’ll also be assigned a named tutor who will offer support and advice throughout the course should you need it.

Take a look at our courses on our website to find your next career move.