Teaching assistants work closely with teachers to ensure pupils enjoy learning, take the information in and learn and develop important skills. These roles can often be found in primary or lower schools, and they can help the teacher maintain control of the classroom.

There’s no doubt about, they’re extremely important in a child’s education and their significance should not be played down. Many driven teaching assistants become teachers over time, and there is usually the opportunity to gain teaching experience when the main tutors are absent. If you’re a teaching assistant and you’re not looking to become a teacher any time soon, there are higher level teaching assistant roles available, and this position may involve some of the following tasks:

• Playing apart in planning lessons
• Setting work/objectives for students
• Lead classes under supervision
• Develop support materials for entire classes

Being a teaching assistant can be an early stage in your career, and it’s certainly not a ‘dead end’ position. So remember, it’s a great way to climb the ladder in education.