Teaching assistants

Hi

I'll be returning to Sydney after 16 years in uk. Primary school teaching assistants didn't really exist as a job when I left oz but it's what I've been doing in England and wondered if the role has progressed now over there? Does anyone have any experience and know of any job agencies in Sydney? I've searched the smh jobs pages but only seem to find TA jobs for secondary schools.

thanks

Don't know about Sydney but teaching assistant jobs are few and far between here where we live. They just don't have them as they do in the UK. Yes some positions exist but they don't seem to come up much and have lots of people applying. And they visit pupils or groups around the school rather than assist in one or two classes only. Often it seems if you are known at the school, as a parent volunteer with a foot in the door you may have more luck if and when a job does come up.

Class numbers are smaller here until the later years of primary. Reception here my son's class had about 14 kids, Y1 it was 24 or so, Y2 a few more and Y3 its 28 or 30 and his Y3 teacher is on top of things and they are all that bit older now too. Plus they go for music, PE, history and a couple of other things by other teachers.

Eta - to clarify, I was meaning if qualified, parents who are known to a school via volunteering. So parents with kids at a school may stand a better chance

Hi

I'll be returning to Sydney after 16 years in uk. Primary school teaching assistants didn't really exist as a job when I left oz but it's what I've been doing in England and wondered if the role has progressed now over there? Does anyone have any experience and know of any job agencies in Sydney? I've searched the smh jobs pages but only seem to find TA jobs for secondary schools.

thanks

Each state tends to be somewhat different. I am in WA and there are just a few education assistants at my school. I sometimes have one that comes in who is placed with a particular student, but then I have over five hundred students a week, so not that many assistants really..

All straight pre-primary classes in WA have an education assistant attached, they are all qualified though, it's not just a case of an interested parent stepping in. Education assistants in other year levels tend to be placed over a variety of classes. Special needs qualifications are valued and so it may be worth you doing some more study once here.

However, it varies from state to state and so hopefully somebody from NSW can give you some advice on the prospects of Ed Assistants there.