The role of a teaching assistant (TA) is crucial in the smooth functioning of primary and secondary school where they normally work along with the class teachers. Though teaching assistant may not be a lucrative career, they can open you up to the environment and responsibilities that a teacher has to face on a daily basis. With this experience, you can gradually advance yourself to a regular teacher, of course with the necessary qualification. If you are planning to apply for a teaching assistant job, you can refer for job vacancies on a resourceful website like Randstad. Here are few useful tips that can help you in successfully getting a TA job.
Understand the Skills Needed by a TA
Get to know what skills are needed by a capable teaching assistant and see if you possess those. If not, you have to take steps to develop these skills before attending the interview. Few of the required skills are:
- Excellent communication skills
- Writing, reading and numeracy skills
- Ability to develop good relationships with kids
- Good organizational skills
- Creativity and flexibility
- Passion for working with children
- Ability to handle and manage children with difficult behavior effectively
Illustrate Your Skills in the Application
Illustrate all your skills in the application wherever possible. For instance, you can demonstrate your good communication and literacy skills by forming a well-written application that clearly indicates your career objective and substantiates why you are suitable for the role. And your organizational skills can be illustrated by filling the application in full and providing any requested letters or documents in time. Though you may not be able illustrate all your skills in the application, try to do it wherever possible. The rest can be proved at the time of your interview.
Include Relevant Experience in the Application
When you fill the application, think about the relevant experience you have to substantiate that you are suitable for the post. Any kind of work including your involvement with children, whether on voluntary or paid basis, is great proof that you may be appropriate for the role. This kind of experience is the best guide you can provide to your potential employers about your abilities as TA.
Prepare for the Interview
Once the application process is done with following the above tips, you are sure to be shortlisted for the interview. Now is the time to brush up your skills as a TA. Stay aware of the kind of questions you are likely to be asked during the interview and prepare accordingly. Most of the questions would be aimed at understanding more about your personality, skills, experience and abilities to manage complicated situations like bad behavior of students. Ensure that you are fully prepared to answer related questions. Most schools may also ask you to demonstrate working with a small group of children on a specific activity to check how you handle children.
Follow these tips and hone your skills to get the best teaching assistant job that can not only offer you a good pay, but also add value to your teaching experience, and help in shaping up your career.
Author Bio: Steffi Marvin is a teacher at a reputed school, who has risen from being a teaching assistant to a headmaster today.
