My tutor has helped and encouraged me and my peers to go for jobs that would work alongside our course and could help us to gain experience in the education industry.
Rebecca Baxter, Level 1 Introduction to Becoming a Teaching Assistant & Preparing to Work in Schools
I have completed the Level 1 Introduction to Becoming a Teaching Assistant and I am coming to the end of my Preparing to Work in Schools course. I have studied both courses part-time. I chose to study these courses so that I could develop the skills needed to work in education and help students like me who struggled in school.
When I started the course, I was working at a small village primary school as a Wraparound Care Assistant, but half way through the course, I secured a new job as a Nursery Practitioner at Busy Bees Nursery.
On my first day, I felt slightly nervous but excited to get doing.
I have learnt so much already and I have been able to use my knowledge to secure my role as a Nursery Practitioner.
The transferrable skills I have developed include communication and teamwork and the day-to-day skills needed to be an effective Teaching Assistant. There are lots of important responsibilities within the role, so I have enjoyed finding out more about this. In particular, how to give clear instructions to children and developing the skills to support them back in the classroom.
Looking forward, the course prepares you for your next steps and encourages you to think about studying a higher level course which can only improve our career prospects.
I have found a few parts of the course challenging as I have always struggled with English, but as the course has progressed, I have found that my English has definitely got better.
One of my favourite things about the course has been meeting new people and making so many new friends. I have also learnt so much from them - we all share our experiences which is a really important part of the course.
My tutor has helped and encouraged me and others in the class to apply for jobs that would work alongside the course and help us to gain valuable experience in the education industry.
Hopefully yes! I would be happy to study further at NSCG.
If you have an interest in working in education or a school, this course is a great starting point. The class sizes are small so you get lots of support from your tutor. You will also get careers advice on what you could do next which is really helpful in keeping focused and taking every opportunity. These courses are free, so just go for it!
