4 life hacks for graduate teaching assistants that will help you love your job

Teaching assistants are the life and soul of any school and are integral to supporting the education of students all over the world. Working as a teaching assistant, you will be responsible for supporting teachers, ensuring that pupils get the most out of their school life and helping with their personal development in the classroom. A graduate teaching assistant role can be one of the most important stages in your career as you begin to take steps towards being a classroom teacher.

A teaching assistant role is rewarding and fulfilling, but, if you’re just starting a new teaching job, it can seem overwhelming. Much like your first day at school as a pupil, your first day as a graduate teaching assistant can be exciting, daunting and everything in between. Here, we’ve provided you with a few rules of thumb to help you hit the ground running and enjoy a successful start to your teaching career.

Whether you’re starting at a new school or embarking on a brand-new teaching assistant career, establishing where you can get help and support is essential. Like in any workplace, a friendly relationship with your co-workers is invaluable, and your new teaching colleagues are going to be your best resource for any help. This is particularly important in TA roles, as fellow staff members can help you with behaviour management strategies, offer advice on best practices for your classes and much more!

Cultivating a good relationship with your colleagues can be as simple as remembering their names, offering to go to lunch with them or taking part in any after-work social events. Staying on first-name terms establishes a mutual sense of trust and familiarity that you can build on in social situations.

As a teaching assistant, one of the strongest impressions you can make on students is making them feel pride in themselves. When you create a bond with students and show them that you care about their education and wellbeing, they are much more likely to engage, work hard, and cooperate within lessons.

As a graduate teaching assistant, one of your priorities should be to quickly build positive relationships with your students. A good rapport with your pupils makes for a healthy classroom environment and a more stimulating learning experience. Some brilliant relationship-building techniques include:

• Spending one to one time with each student
• Showing a genuine interest in their hobbies and passions
• Sharing stories with them
• Offering support of any kind

Being proactive and using your initiative in the classroom are essential skills that any graduate teaching assistant must be able to demonstrate. The best teaching assistants can confidently impose themselves on a classroom without having to be micromanaged by the teacher.

Display confidence in your abilities to work independently and take the lead in certain areas within the classroom. If you notice that some students are finding a task difficult, or if others aren’t challenged enough by the lesson, take the initiative to assist them and provide additional tasks.

The classroom can be an unpredictable environment and a TA’s self-starting mindset can really help the class teacher when they are trying to manage any issues within a lesson. Whilst the teacher is tending to the situation, you can reduce the disruption by keeping the rest of the class focused and engaged.

Being a great graduate teaching assistant means demonstrating your passion for teaching and going the extra mile each and every day. This can include creating extra lesson plans, producing innovative learning activities, or simply helping the teacher set up the class and the beginning and end of every day.

Teaching assistants who show their passion, enthusiasm and desire to provide the best education for their students stand out from the crowd. A positive attitude is infectious, and your motivation can make an impression on your students and fellow colleagues.

If you have plans to become a classroom teacher yourself, taking a hands-on approach to your teaching assistant role will give you invaluable insight into the everyday life of a classroom teacher.

If you are ready to embark on a new teaching assistant experience at a school near you, then Teaching Personnel is the place to start. As the UK's leading education recruitment agency, we place teaching assistants into rewarding roles up and down the country.

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