How to Become a Teaching Assistant in Luton and Bedfordshire

If you are wondering how to become a teaching assistant, the good news is that there is more than one way in, and you do not always need a specific qualification before you start. Schools set their own requirements, so this guide explains the usual routes, what schools tend to ask for, the checks you will need and how supply work through an agency can help you get experience in schools across Luton and Bedfordshire.

What a teaching assistant does

Teaching assistants support teachers and pupils in the classroom. Depending on the school and the role, that can mean working with small groups on reading or maths, supporting a pupil with special educational needs, helping to prepare the classroom, and looking after children’s wellbeing during the day. The job is usually term time only, and hours vary from part time to full time.

How to become a teaching assistant: the main routes

The National Careers Service lists four main ways in.

1. A college course

Courses in supporting teaching and learning in schools, or in childcare and education, give you the background schools look for. The T Level in Education and Early Years is another option. Entry requirements vary by course.

2. An apprenticeship

A teaching assistant advanced apprenticeship at Level 3 combines work in a school with study, and takes up to two years. You usually need five GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English and maths.

3. Volunteering

Volunteering in a local school or a community organisation gives you experience and a reference, and it shows you whether the work suits you. It can also help when you start applying for paid roles.

4. Applying directly

You can apply to schools, local authorities and academy trusts. Each school sets its own requirements, but many ask for GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths. Experience with children, or a childcare, playwork or youth work qualification, can help your application.

Teaching assistant qualifications and checks

Because you will work with children, you must pass an enhanced background check through the Disclosure and Barring Service. Schools will also ask for references and check your right to work in the UK.

Beyond that, the qualifications that help most are English and maths at GCSE level and a recognised course in supporting teaching and learning. If you want to work with pupils who have special educational needs, experience or training in that area makes a big difference.

Skills schools look for

• Building good relationships with children, with patience and understanding
• Clear communication, and listening to what a child needs
• Staying calm when a lesson or a day does not go to plan
• Working well with teachers and other staff
• Adapting quickly to different classes and activities
• Basic computer skills

How much teaching assistants earn

The National Careers Service gives a typical range of £19,000 for a starter to £26,000 for an experienced teaching assistant a year. Because many roles are part time and term time only, check whether a salary is quoted as full time equivalent or as what you will actually be paid.

Becoming an SEN teaching assistant

Many teaching assistant roles involve supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, sometimes one to one. The routes in are the same, but schools will look closely at relevant experience: caring for a family member, volunteering with a youth group, or working in a setting with children who need extra support all count. Short courses on specific needs, such as autism or speech and language difficulties, can strengthen an application. Ask about the needs of the pupils you would support at interview, so you know what the role involves day to day.

Do you need a degree?

No. A degree is not part of the usual entry routes for teaching assistant work. Some people work as a teaching assistant while deciding whether to train as a teacher later, which does need a degree, but you can build a long career as a teaching assistant without one.

Becoming a teaching assistant in Luton and Bedfordshire

Luton has a large number of primary schools and a growing secondary population, and nearby Dunstable, Houghton Regis, Leighton Buzzard and Bedford all have schools that take on teaching assistants, including SEN support roles. In Luton, the University of Bedfordshire campus and local colleges offer routes into education, and many TAs start with day-to-day supply work to see which school and age group suits them.

ST HECS places teaching assistants, SEN support staff and cover supervisors in schools across Luton, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. If you are starting out, we can talk you through what schools here ask for and offer you days in schools near where you live.

Using supply work to get started

Supply work through an education recruitment agency is a practical way to build experience. You work in different schools, find out which age groups and settings suit you, and build references. Some people move into a permanent role at a school they first worked in on supply.

ST HECS recruits teaching assistants, cover supervisors and supply staff for schools in Luton and Bedfordshire. Read more about our education recruitment in Luton, or get in touch to register your interest.