Become a standout Teaching Assistant with Prospero Teaching&#8217;s guide to success!
Scroll down to explore our advice on becoming a TA, finding the right work for you and boosting your skills.

Teaching Assistant Guide

Becoming a Teaching Assistant

Register for Teaching Assistant jobs in your area

Schools set their own requirements, although most will expect GCSEs in English and Maths (grades 9 to 4, or A* to C). You&#8217;ll also need to demonstrate that you can work well with students, other education professionals and parents.
For a run down of the key attributes that schools are looking for, see below:

What qualifications do I need to be a Teaching Assistant?

There are several different possible routes to becoming a Teaching Assistant.
Discover your eligibility and decide if this is the career path for you by exploring the resources provided on these pages.
Once you are in a position to start working as a TA, why not register with us? Our friendly consultants are dedicated to finding the perfect position for you.

Register to become a Teaching Assistant

Whilst not all job applications require one, providing a personal statement is often necessary if you are considering applying for higher education, or enrolling in teacher training programmes.
Whether needed for a job application or just for you, getting down in writing your approach and motivations can be a highly beneficial exercise.

Write a Teaching Assistant Personal Statement

Interviewers will want to find out more about you, to feel confident you are a good fit for their school. This is your chance to shine! Talk about your passion for supporting learning, and explain how you will have a positive impact in your new setting.​​
See below for our tips on handling common interview questions.

Prepare for TA Interview Questions

Schools will assess TAs before offering long-term positions, either through a trial day or an interview. Trial days involve working in a classroom to support student learning and provide a chance to learn more about the school. In both cases, you will need to show that you can:
<ul>
<li>Build rapport with students using positive and clear communication</li>
<li>Motivate and get students engaged with an activity</li>
<li>Adapt an activity to remove any barriers to learning</li>
<li>Are proactive with supporting in the classroom</li>
</ul>
Therefore, brushing up on your TA skills is important if you are going to impress on your next  interview or trial day.
To support you, our <a href="https://www.prosperoteaching.com/free-accredited-cpd-for-teachers">Training &amp; Development team</a> offer personalised interview advice for every TA.

Attend an interview or trial day 

Book your space on one of our upcoming live training sessions:

It&#8217;s important to think about what you as an individual can bring to a school. Tailor your TA career to your strengths by choosing a specialism, a <a href="https://www.prosperoteaching.com/types-of-roles-in-education">preferred school type</a>, and enhancing your skills through training.

Finding work as a TA

Do you have a passion for a particular area of the curriculum? Would you be interested in running an after-school club?
If you are looking to find a long term TA position, you&#8217;ll want to ensure you stand out from the crowd. Be sure to demonstrate your strengths during interview or trial day.
Below is further advice on how to show that you are committed to having a positive impact on the learning of the students you support.
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Stand out from the crowd

Another great way to get noticed by schools is to have a specialism that can really make a difference to student outcomes.
You might have a passion for <a href="https://www.prosperoteaching.com/blog/2023/02/outdoor-learning-in-early-years">outdoor learning</a>, or a particular learning resource such as <a href="https://www.prosperoteaching.com/blog/2023/02/colourful-semantics">colourful semantics</a>.
Teaching Assistants are often needed to help boost skills in the core subjects, maths, science, writing and reading.
An understanding of phonics (breaking words down into letters and sounds) is must, especially for primary TAs:
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Choose your specialism

Increasingly, school are looking for TAs that have received Team Teach training. Team Teach focuses on deescalation strategies and on working with young people to support them in building positive relationships.
This training is particularly important if your are interested in working in alternate provision or as a behaviour mentor.
If you are working through Prospero Teaching, we offer free Team Teach training.
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Become Team Teach trained

If you speak multiple languages, then you are in a great position to support students in the classroom who speak EAL (English as an Additional Language).
Find out more about what we mean by &#8216;EAL&#8217; and what is involved with supporting EAL students in the classroom.

Support students with EAL

At Prospero Teaching, we are committed to providing free Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and courses suitable for TAs, and assisting those who are looking for work in the education sector.
These courses can be accessed online, on-demand. To start with, we recommend <a href="https://www.prospero-learning.com/course/positive-behaviour-management-for-teaching-assistants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8216;Positive Behaviour Management for Teaching Assistants.&#8217;</a>
For our full courses catalogue:

Take online courses to boost your TA skills

Consider a rewarding career path and support children with special educational needs as an SEN Teaching Assistant.

Working as an SEN Teaching Assistant

If you are passionate about working with children with special educational needs and want to make a positive difference in their lives, becoming a Special Educational Needs Teaching Assistant (SEN TA) may be the perfect career path for you.
The demand for SEN TAs is increasing all the time. SEN teaching assistants are able to support SEND students in class, working with students on a 1:1 or group basis.
Find out more below.

How to become a SEN TA

Discover the essential qualities that set effective Special Educational Needs Teaching Assistants apart.
Read about the six key qualities that make a good SEN TA: