It is not hard to see the appeal of
becoming a teaching assistant. You can look forward to playing a role
in the lives of many children as they grow up and develop. Regardless
of the age of children you want to be a teaching assistant for, you
will find plenty of teaching
assistant jobs in South Africa today.
So here we have put together a list of
typical vacancies you can expect to find when you look for these
positions. You may find yourself applying for one or two of them once
you have completed your training.
1 - Teacher’s assistant – junior
classes
This advert indicates the age of
children you will be helping in the classroom. Very often you will be
helping the same group of children all day, although some of the
positions offered may be part time. This is worth considering as you
may not necessarily be able to take a full time position. Generally
speaking you will find opportunities in both cases.
2 - Teacher’s assistant/relief
teacher
You may see this type of advert on
occasion as well. Here you will be asked to assist with lessons but
also take lessons if the teacher is not able to attend, perhaps
through illness for example. Some vacancies such as these can offer
the opportunity to be employed as a teacher in the future rather than
as a teaching assistant. In this case you must be prepared to take a
class alone if the need arises.
3 - Pre-school teaching assistant
This may also be referred to as a
nursery school teaching assistant. In either case you will be helping
classes of very young children who are not yet at school. It is worth
considering which age group of children you would most like to help
teach. Many teaching assistants have a natural preference or affinity
for one age group over another.
4 - Home based teaching assistant
In some cases you may like to consider
being a teaching assistant for a home based pupil. This may also
offer the opportunity to support the learning of a child outside
school hours. If you would rather work one on one with a child, you
should look for this kind of position. You may find openings to care
for siblings during the day or possibly for specific hours during the
week, as the parents require.
As you can see there are several
options open to you when it comes to looking for teaching
assistant training. One thing you will notice is these jobs
exist all over South Africa. Wherever there is a school there is the
opportunity to have teaching assistants, so you are never very far
from a vacancy of one kind or another. Once you know which age group
you would rather help teach, you can start looking for the most
appropriate vacancies.
Teaching assistants play an important
role in a child’s life. So if you have the skills and the
qualifications you will go far in this career and enjoy every
position you hold too.
