Annual Salary
£21,000 to £25,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Teaching assistants support teachers in the classroom and help children with reading, writing and learning activities.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings; occasionally
There will be
5.4% more Teaching assistant jobs in 2027.
As a teaching assistant, you could:
You could work at a school or at a special needs school.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.
You can get into this job through:
You could do a college course to gain some of the skills and knowledge you need to do this job.
Courses include:
You could apply to do a Teaching Assistant Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.
This takes up to 2 years to complete and is a mix of on-the-job training and learning with a training provider.
You'll usually need:
Volunteering is an excellent way to get experience of working with children and young people. This can also help when looking for jobs.
You can get experience by volunteering in a local school or with a community organisation.
You can apply directly for jobs through schools, local authorities and academy trusts. Each school sets its own entry requirements, though you'll usually need GCSEs grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths.
You'll also need to show that you can work well with children, teachers and parents. Volunteering, or a qualification in nursery work, childcare, playwork or youth work, may give you an advantage when applying for jobs.
You'll need to:
Teaching assistants may specialise in the kind of extra support they give, for example with:language and communication; behaviour; pastoral care; special educational needs
Teaching assistants are employed term-time only. A working week can vary from a few hours up to full time.
Advertised pay rates are often listed as full-time equivalent (FTE). Actual pay will depend on the number of hours worked.
You can find more on working as a teaching assistant from Skills for Schools.
You can also search for jobs using the Teaching Vacancies service.
When working as a teaching assistant, your employer will give you opportunities to develop your skills.
For example:managing behaviour; mentoring; understanding special educational needs and disabilities (SEND); providing extra support for particular subjects
With experience, you could take a course to become a higher level teaching assistant (HLTA).
You might also wish train to become a qualified teacher.
You can find more on working as a teaching assistant from Skills for Schools.
You can also search for jobs through the Teaching Vacancies service.
You'll need: