Everybody says working with children is very rewarding. As a teacher, you are shaping young minds and watching your students become intelligent and independent adults. As exciting as that is, it’s not always easy. What more, it’s often harder than teachers like to admit.
Fortunately, they don’t have to do everything by themselves. Every lead teacher can have an ‘assistant’ called Teacher’s Aide. The Teacher’s Aide has a support role in-class and out-of-class activities. Their main focus is on helping the lead teacher prepare materials for a lesson, making sure children are staying on task, assisting with school paperwork and giving the teacher an insight into children’s progress.
Flexible Working
One of the many positive things about working as a Teacher’s Aide is flexible working! If you choose this career you will be working family-friendly hours. This is super convenient if you have a family you have to take care of. You can easily fit in your working schedule with home dynamics.
On top of that, you’ll also get school holidays off work. This all means you’ll have more time to enjoy with your family and friends.
No Formal Qualifications
Unlike the lead teacher, the Teacher’s Aide doesn’t need to have any formal qualification. All you need is a good understanding of basic numeracy and literacy skills. Of course, you have to be interested in helping both children and teachers. As Confucius said: Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
Opportunity For Further Development
Even if you don’t need formal qualifications for the role of Teacher’s Aide, this job is a great opportunity for further development in your career. If your ultimate goal is to become a teacher then being a Teacher’s Aide is an excellent start for you! Experience you’ll gain as a TA is invaluable.
No book can prepare you for what’s expecting you when you walk into the classroom, but the position of TA can. That’s why you can’t go wrong with being the TA before becoming the teacher.
Every Day Is Different
Being a TA is never dull! The variety of tasks will make each day a unique experience. That’s why flexibility is a must-have trait for the Teacher’s Aide. This job is very exciting because you never know what activity you’ll be involved with that day. There are things you have to prepare in advance (of course) but be prepared for a few twists and surprises.
If you want to become a teacher’s aide make sure you’re always open to new experiences, able to think on your feet, and come up with creative solutions for children’s problems on their educational journey.
Helping Kids Overcome Their Obstacles
As a teacher, you have to find a golden mean for the whole class. That means you can’t focus on students as individuals but as a group. Since every child learns at their own pace, here is where the TAs can help. Actually, more often than not this is exactly why Teacher’s Aides are needed.
Whether the child has learning difficulties or simply lags behind with schoolwork because of the tough situation at home, the TA will be there to help him. The best thing about this, besides helping the children, is the feeling of fulfilment when you do so.
Being a Part of Community
When you work at a school you’re never alone! A strong sense of community is present at all times. School is actually a big family made up of the school staff, students, their parents, and even locals who happily volunteer for different school manifestations.
Every member of this family is helping one another and working towards the greater good for everyone. Being part of such a team is another positive thing that will make you look forward to coming to work every day.
These benefits of working as a TA are just the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much more to this job. As you can see, if you choose this career you will be helping both teachers and students, you’ll never be bored and you’ll become a part of a big happy family.
Whether your end goal is to become a teacher, or you simply want to work with kids this is the right path for you. Tell us all about your thoughts about this topic. We can’t wait to read them all!
