How to Write a Teaching Assistant Job Description
Not sure how to advertise that teaching assistant job? We’re here to help out.
Not sure how to advertise that teaching assistant job? We’re here to help out.
When you’re looking to hire a teaching assistant you need to be sure that you’re advertising for the right qualities. It’s important that your job advertisement is appealing to potential employees so that you end up with your pick of the best applicants. If you’re struggling to figure out what you need to include in your teaching assistant job description then we’re here to help you.
When you start out writing your job description, make sure that you have all of the basic information at your disposal.
Employees are going to be less interested in positions with vague details about things like pay, working hours, and contract length so you should ensure that you’re communicating everything you possibly can to potential employees. If any of these aspects of the job aren’t known then make it clear at what stage they will be decided and what options potential employees have.
Ensure that the location of the position is clearly advertised, otherwise you could end up with confused applicants applying to jobs that they don’t have the capability of even getting to, wasting both yours and their time.
When you’re advertising for a position in a school it’s a good idea to include some information about the school in your advertisement. Try to get across what type of candidate the school is looking for and who would best suit both the position and your school’s environment.
As you’re writing your job advertisement think about the level of experience that you need for the position and ensure that you mention it early. You could start off by saying something along the lines of “We are looking for an experienced teaching assistant” which would discourage applicants that don’t have the level of experience you’re looking for.
It’s going to vary for every position how much experience your candidates will need, so just make sure that you’re asking for the right amount. No one wants to see an entry level position requiring 2+ years of experience.
Alongside experience, you should list what kind of qualifications you’ll be looking for in the position. This is going to depend on your school and your own requirements for the position, since teaching assistants have no pre-defined requirements to be able to do the job.
When listing qualifications, skills and experience it can be a good idea to separate these into “Required” and “Desired”. This will allow candidates to self filter themselves without putting off some people who might not have everything you are looking for off.
This is an important aspect of the job description you’ll be posting and should make up the bulk of your advertisement. Ensure the responsibilities of the job are clear as well as workable, as people won’t be applying for a position where they would be overwhelmed, but this shouldn’t be an issue as long as you keep it reasonable and to the recognised standards of the job.
For a teaching assistant position you might list things like:
Teaching assistants are employed in all kinds of schools and educational organisations, taking on a range of responsibilities depending on where they’re based and the type of students that they’re working with, though no matter what type of organisation you’re hiring for, whether that be a state-run or private school, teaching assistants will still be dealing with a lot of the same responsibilities.
If you have a specialism as a teaching assistant you could be employed in a specialist school, such as a school focused on children and young people with special educational needs. If a certain specialism is required at your organisation make sure you advertise it well, otherwise you won’t get the right applicants.
This is an example of what your teaching assistant job description could look like. Keep in mind this may vary depending on the role itself.
Teaching assistant
Huddersfield – £18,000
Job brief:
Red brick school are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic level 2 Teaching assistant to be a part of our team. You’ll be expected to work 8:30AM-3:30PM with an hour lunch break, work days are Monday-Friday so you’ll be working 30 hours a week. You will only be expected to work within term times.
About Red Brick School:
For the past 103 years red brick school has been striving to provide top quality education to the local area. We have an Outstanding rating from OFSTED and our GCSE pass rates are the highest in the area.
Responsibilities:
Qualifications and requirements:
When putting together a teaching assistant job description make sure to include the information mentioned above, as well as anything else that would be relevant to the position. Think of it from a prospective employees’ perspective and what you would want to know about a job you’re applying for.