Is being a teaching assistant right for me?

Hey, first of all I would like to apologise if this is in the wrong section of the forum!

I’m a 19 year old Male, I have just finished a course, which helps young people find what type of jobs they want to go into, help there key skills etc. The next step is too go into an apprenticeship ( NVQ) All along I was going to do Business and Administration, but I have been thinking lately and I’m not sure if this is what I really want too do!

I have always thought I bond well with children, and actually enjoy the company of young children, I also think it would fantastic to have a job you actually enjoy, and though you do a job to get paid, I just think it would be fantastic coming home at night knowing you might have made a positive difference! Rather than file some papers away!

I saw a poster on my college wall about the NVQ’s they offer, and saw one for teaching assistant’s, my heart is telling me to go along with this … but my head is not too sure!

I have a few questions, and I hope some people here will be able to help me make my mind up!

1) What is the pay like when you’re a fully trained teaching assistant?
2) Is it strange for a 19 year old male to be a teaching assistant?
3) I have seen some Job adverts and they advertise teachers assistants jobs as no qualifications necessary? So what’s the advantage of doing the NVQ?

Many thanks for all your help!

Have you thought of other areas where young people are, such as youth work, I know the YMCA have many openings for trainees. If you are serious about being a TA you need to think about what area you want to go into i.e age group. At your age I would imagine it could be difficult to say go into a senior school with Year 9 upwards, even trainee teachers struggle with the age difference.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Thanks guys!

It's a really hard choice!

I was talking to a careers adviser, and she said I'd acutally be more employable being a male but how true that is .. I'm not too sure!

What are your ages? if you don't mind me asking

i say go for it if thats what you want, even if you do that training and move on you will have valuable skills and work with children and young peope is always available and worthwhile...and growing...childrens centres etc...get all the childcare training they are willing to offer you

you may not earn mega bucks but you will be making a difference and as a male you will be a great role model

age....hmmmm

I'd say do ask your local school if you can have a voluntary placement for a week or two to get the feel of it. I left Uni and had no clue what I wanted to do, only knew that I wanted to work with children. My placement really gave me an insight into the job of the TA and it helped me make the decision to become a TA. I'm 23 by the way so not much older than you.

In my opinion we need more males working in Education!!

i think its a great idea
there is a lack of male teachers and i know of no other male TAs
plus if you do NVQ and carry on you could use it as a kind of prequal to doing a teaching degree and become a teacher

nothing like geting paid while you decide if its a career you would enjoy

Yeah exactly!.. thanks for all your replies!

I had a talk today with the " Jobs Lady " haha at my course, and Apprantly I'll be doing a NVQ In Childcare, not teaching assisant's! but is this all really Simlar?

childcare will mean you can work in a nursery or similar, though you could branch out to TA with that, it is actually a good qual to have

what level is it...2 or 3?

You may find you need another job to survive as TA pay is not good. I was a TA during the day and a youth worker at night for a while. Youth work pays more which helped. I take it you don't fancy going the whole hog and being a teacher?

Level 2 i think!

I would love to be a teacher! but to be honest, I just don't think I could cut it!

What is the wage roughly for a TA? is it really that bad?

very roughly i bring home £600 a month
but i work at a school that pays on a good scale

and that is all day monday to friday

yep welcome to the world of poor TA pay!!!! hehe
but you get alot of job satifaction which makes it worth it