How to become a teaching assistant in the UK

6 minute read · 2026-08-28

Teaching assistant is the job most people name when they want school hours and work that matters. The route in is short and the training is affordable. The thing to understand before you apply is how term time pay works, because that is where applicants are most often caught out.

What a teaching assistant really does

There are two broad versions of the job. A general classroom assistant supports the whole class: preparing resources, working with a table of children who need a second explanation, running phonics or reading interventions, marking, displays, playground and lunch duty, and keeping the room functioning while the teacher teaches.

A one to one or SEN teaching assistant is assigned to a specific child, usually one with an education, health and care plan. That work is closer to care than to teaching: supporting communication, managing sensory needs, following a behaviour plan, sometimes personal care, and helping the child access lessons alongside their classmates. In special schools this is the majority of the role, and it can include positive handling under a recognised system such as Team Teach.

Checks, qualifications and costs

Two things are non negotiable. The first is an enhanced DBS check including the children's barred list, arranged by the school. Join the update service so it travels with you between schools, at an annual fee set centrally and published on GOV.UK. The second is safeguarding training under Keeping Children Safe in Education, which every school delivers.

Most adverts ask for GCSE maths and English at grade 4 or C and above, or an equivalent such as a functional skills Level 2, so get those sorted first if you do not have them. Then:

Level 2 Award or Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning: the entry qualification, commonly £300 to £600 through an online provider, or free through some adult education funding.
Level 3 Diploma or the Teaching Assistant apprenticeship standard: what most schools now prefer, commonly £600 to £1,200 privately, or fully funded and paid if you do it as an apprenticeship with a school.
Extras that get you shortlisted: paediatric first aid, Makaton or British Sign Language basics, autism awareness, positive handling and phonics scheme training.

Pay, and the pro rata trap

Support staff are usually paid on local government pay scales, negotiated annually, so the exact points move each year. Full time equivalent salaries for Level 2 and Level 3 teaching assistants are commonly advertised somewhere around £22,000 to £27,000, with higher level teaching assistants above that. The catch is that almost every post is term time only and part time hours, so the salary you actually receive is the pro rata figure, typically well below the headline. Always ask for the actual annual amount and how it is paid across twelve months before you accept. Supply teaching assistant work through agencies is commonly advertised at £80 to £100 a day with no pay in the holidays at all.

The realities of the job

School hours look family friendly and largely are, though the day starts before the children arrive and the work does not stop at the bell if you are preparing resources or attending a meeting. Holidays are unpaid in effect, since the term time salary is spread. In SEN roles you may be scratched, hit or bitten, and you need to be able to keep your composure and record incidents properly. You will also carry emotional weight: you are often the adult a struggling child trusts most, and you will see families in difficulty. Many assistants take a second job in the holidays, which is worth planning for rather than discovering in August.

Getting hired and moving up

Schools recruit from people they already know, so volunteer, do lunchtime supervision or sign up with an education supply agency to get through the door. Watch individual school websites and local authority job pages, because many vacancies never reach the big boards, and apply from January onwards for September starts. Write your application around evidence with children, including your own parenting, scouting, coaching or youth work, and read our guide to a CV with no experience if your paid history is thin.

Progression runs to higher level teaching assistant, cover supervisor, SEN or pastoral specialist, family support and behaviour roles. From there some people qualify as teachers, either through a degree apprenticeship or an assessment only route if they already hold a degree. Others move sideways into care or youth work, and our guide to becoming a care assistant covers that ground.

Next step: search current education and support vacancies and ask every school you apply to for the actual pro rata salary in writing.