School Teaching Assistant Review

I worked in Beverley C of E Primary school for just over year. I initially applied because after i finished school i was really interested in becoming a teacher myself. On a daily basis i would help the teacher prepare lessons for the students, help students with their work and also tidy up at the end of the day.

I definitely improved on my communication skills and gained more confidence talking in front of the whole class. I felt more independent and adult as well when working there as i needed to be for the job role. I enjoyed working with the students and learnt how to better help children and provide them with support they needed.

I enjoyed it quite a lot as it is something i have always wanted to do and the work experience enabled me to get my foot in the door with this. I couldn't thank the teacher i worked with enough as she kept me busy but without giving me very difficult tasks and she was very kind and treat me as any other member of staff.

It was quite organised. There wasn't so much as a 'plan' for me to stick to whilst there, however i was given relevant information and documentation for me to use. As it was my old school i knew where places where in the school and if i needed assistance i was able to ask the receptionist or teacher i worked with.

I learned a lot about the working hours and the effort outside of school hours that teachers put into the work, i.e. setting up the classroom for various lessons before/after and also during school hours such as at lunch sometimes. I didn't know how much work teachers' put into their lessons until i had this work experience.

Although i ended up on a different career path, it definitely gave me a lot of insight into how much i wanted to become a teacher. I was accepted into my local college on a teacher training course however i was also accepted as an apprentice in a different company, after weighing up the advantages of each i went with the latter, but i can safely say i would have still loved to have become a teacher after this work experience.

No, i called up the school and emailed them to ask about any placements or experience weeks for students such as myself. At the time, i was completing my A-levels and luckily had a couple of half-days a week when i was free so went in on these occasions for the experience. Although i wasn't paid, i definitely learnt a lot and was thankful for the experience.

I met a few different employees in the staff room and i was always asked questions with others interested in what i was doing. The teacher i worked with was very chatty and helpful and i was glad to be working with her. I had a minor problem with the receptionist where she misunderstood a situation and told the teacher, however this was quickly resolved.

Yes

I would recommend anyone thinking of going into teaching in the future to ask for work experience at a local school. I think it's very beneficial for both the teachers'/school as well as yourself as you get the knowledge and experience first-hand without the hassle of having to apply for a job and start working head-on so to speak. Although unpaid, this gives you more freedom to perhaps ask to work on selected days around your schedule as they are getting your assistance for free of course!

I would say to go in with knowing what it is you want out of that experience and also make sure that you let the staff/employee know why you would like to do that work too. Perhaps make a diary and take notes of what you enjoyed about it etc. for future reference.