You could at present be working as a teaching assistant and looking for a career change, possibly to secure a permanent job or better paying salary. Being offered a school TA position working with 3-18 year old children means you already had existing positive personal traits and job related skills when offered the role.
People are capable of numerous job roles with life skills, knowledge, determination and motivation they currently have. Transitioning from being a classroom support assistant choosing a different career change means you have options with TA transferable skills, current qualifications, relevant work experience and a job reference.
School teaching assistant career change options
What can I do after being a teaching assistant?
- Learning support assistant.
- Qualify as a school teacher.
- Home or online tutor.
- School head of year.
- Child behaviour specialist schools, council, hospital or education centre.
- Educational physiologist.
- Education officer.
- Youth worker.
- Family support worker.
- Business training.
- Probation officer.
- Nursery practitioner.
- Family support worker.
- School office assistant.
- Education research assistant.
- Registered child minder.
- Social worker.
- Librarian at primary or secondary school or university.
- College or university lecturer.
Career progress as a teacher assistant
- Level 2 Award in Support Work in Schools.
- Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools
- Level 3 Award in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools.
- Level 3 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools.
- Level 4 Higher level teaching assistant.
- HLTA status standards.
Starting at a young age as an unqualified teacher assistant you can gain valuable relevant work experience as a TA while completing a level 2 qualification.
You can then progress to level 3 TA or even go directly to level 3 training & studying towards a certification that’s allows you to work in a primary or secondary school classroom in England with a teacher.
At each classroom assistant level you acquire skills, knowledge, training and a certificate that enhances you’re TA career progression and alternative job prospects.
Working as an HLTA you use presentation, critical analysis, motivational skills, behaviour strategies that can be used to train as a school teacher, lecturer, nursery practitioner, probation officer, youth worker or trainer.
What other jobs can teaching assistants do?
After being a teaching assistant in a temporary or long term job you could be ready for another career using you’re relevant TA skills for a career change. People use a teacher assistant temp job as it’s a good initial or career change option.
Should I put teaching assistant on my CV? You’ll show you’ve gained relevant skills, work experience with children enabling you to train as teacher, educational physiologist, education officer, trainer, college or university lecturer if you have a degree.
Many graduate teaching assistants or HLTAs gain relevant experience working with children and others required to train or work in another job career.
Using transferable skills of teaching & presenting, data analysis, problem solving, teamwork and good organisational skills you can work as a social worker, education research or police officer.
Job roles in schools as learning support assistant, pastoral head of year, child behaviour specialist for schools/council/hospital or education centre teacher assistants can change career too using behaviour strategies, problem solving, and motivational learning.
Transitioning career from teaching assistant using IT & computing, teamwork, creative thinking, motivational, behaviour management and trouble shooting skills you can be:
- School office assistant.
- Probation officer.
- Nursery practitioner.
- School office assistant.
- Registered child minder.
- Family support worker.
- Librarian.
With you’re transferable skills & TA qualification at level 2/3 with no undergraduate degree or other work experience TA career change choices are limited unless you up skill and retrain for another career.
Entry level jobs or using TA skills you’ve acquired such as IT & computing, working as a team, well organised, excellent communicator and numerate can be used to work in school, nursery worker, hospital role or office job.
Changing career and continue working in schools you can use TA skills of behaviour management strategies, data gathering & analysis, good communicator and IT skills, as a family liaison, school support worker or school pastoral head of year leader.
The roles don’t require much formal qualifications, although you should have good people skills, persuasive, and able to communicate effectively with children, which are school TA skills.
Transferable job description skills
Skills you bring to a teaching assistant job include:
- Efficient communicator written & verbally using email and face to face contact.
- Good level of English & mathematics skills.
- Teaching and presentation skills from teaching class and small groups as an HLTA & graduate teacher assistant.
- Orginised and always well prepared.
- High level knowledge of school national curriculum.
- Flexible & adaptable to change while multi tasking.
- Lesson preparation and pupil assessment skills.
- IT & computer literacy efficiency skills.
- Behaviour management skills, trouble shooter, problem solver and analytical mindset
- Strong data gathering & administrative skills.