Classroom Assistants in Primary Schools

[mikeandjayne]

Is there anyone out there that is in the know regarding working in primary schools here...I was a qualified Learning Support Assistant in UK for 3 years after gaining CACHE (Council Awards in Child Care and Education) at Certificate and Diploma Levels...I have just recently registered with Select Education in Melbourne and find they will only book me into ABC Centres and now tell me I need to verify my qualifications with the Victorian Institute of Teaching before I can be placed in Primary Schools...I am currently waiting on a call from them to talk me through it some more...

Has anyone else been down the same road?

Thanks...Jayne

[Guest dirtybird]

Hello Jayne

 

I was a teaching assistant in UK. 7 years experience in primary, Y1-Y6 working with all abilities. Qualification from Durham University and great references, no one wants to know! They only employ TAs on a casual basis which is a bit rubbish. I would like to retrain but its all down to money and the fact I have no idea what else I could do doesn't help.

Good luck

 

Jane

[twinkle]

Well it's not looking too positive for me then! I hold an NNEB diploma and am currently trying to find out whether or not it is a recognized qualification in Oz. I have worked with kids for 14 years in a range of childcare and education establishments and quite frankly don't know how to do anything else!!

Keep me posted if you find out anything else and I will do the same:)

[Guest dirtybird]

Well it's not looking too positive for me then! I hold an NNEB diploma and am currently trying to find out whether or not it is a recognized qualification in Oz. I have worked with kids for 14 years in a range of childcare and education establishments and quite frankly don't know how to do anything else!!

Keep me posted if you find out anything else and I will do the same:)

 

Hi

Don't be too down hearted! From what I have seen kindergarten and pre-school appears to be big business here. They are not linked to school and I think they are privately run, ads appear quite regularly for jobs (around here anyway). They are open long hours too. School jobs don't seem to be advertised often and when they are its only casual work, the department told me its usually term to term, which means no pay in the holidays or pensions! plus side is you can pick and choose when you work!

I worked in my Dads Fish and chip shop for 20 years and in school for 7 so0 I pretty much no nothing either!

Are you already in the process of getting your visas?

 

Jane

[twinkle]

We are in the process of getting the visa, hubby will be employer sponsored- lucky him!

I am toying with the idea of retraining if cash flow allows, but that will be somthing we will have to work out if we can afford it once we get there! If not I am not quite sure what I will do, I am more interested in the 'Education' side than the 'care' side but beggars can't be choosers I suppose?! Fingers crossed we can survive on hubby's salary and then I can be a bit more choosy. It makes more difficult as it seems qualification recognition differs from state to state:confused:

[Ellie 2]

We are in the process of getting the visa, hubby will be employer sponsored- lucky him!

I am toying with the idea of retraining if cash flow allows, but that will be somthing we will have to work out if we can afford it once we get there! If not I am not quite sure what I will do, I am more interested in the 'Education' side than the 'care' side but beggars can't be choosers I suppose?! Fingers crossed we can survive on hubby's salary and then I can be a bit more choosy. It makes more difficult as it seems qualification recognition differs from state to state:confused:

 

Try http://www.det.edu.nsw.au That might give you a starting point.

[twinkle]

Thanks for the link, will check it out now:)

[twinkle]

just tried to check the website but the link didn't work:err:

[Ellie 2]

Thanks for the link, will check it out now:)

 

http://www.det.nsw.edu.au Sorry I got the nsw and edu round the wrong way!!

[Georgie]

Hi Jayne

 

Just wondered if you could advise me. Aparantly the course i am doing here in Melbourne (Childrens services cert III) might be the equivilent to CACHE. I think if i go on and do the Diploma in Childrens services then thats the same as NNEB. I just wanted to know if i only did the Cert III do you think i could get a teaching assistant job in the UK? You mentioned you were CACHE trained. Apparantly its called an Intergration Aide here. I could do that course but would that be recognised in UK? Dont know if you would have to do the Intergration Aide course and if so why? Surely you qualifications should be able to be directly swapped for another countries equivilent?

Very confusing

:confused: Georgie

[Guest Rachel&Stu]

Hi Georgie,:jiggy:

 

Just wondering....are you studying at Box Hill TAFE by any chance? As my daughter will be studying Children's Services there.

 

Cheers,

Rachel:wubclub:

[Georgie]

Hi Rachel

No i am studying at Swinburne in Croydon. Is there a particaular reason your daughter is studying at Box Hill and is there an option for her to change to Swinburn? Is she doing the Diploma or just Cert III to begin with?

Its just that there are a number of Cert III courses offered and some are apparantly better than others. I just said to someone the other day that i should have studied at Box Hill as they dont do as many practical hours in a placement but then was told that i should be better off at croydon because even though its the same cert outcome it is more highly regarded because it is more practical experience. Its strange really because you can do the course through Thompson Direct (at home) and still get the cert III. So how do employers know which you have done? It may say on your cert. I will have to find out more. Its just that i am a mum and working as well and have to do 1 day practical each week to complete my course and thought it would have been easier to do the course that you dont have to do the practical. If any one knows the reason that some dont offer practical and you still get the same outcome let me know. And also is it shown on the cert where you have studied?

Sorry for waffling. Ps i still would like to know what i can do workwise in UK once i have the CertIII or should i expand and do the Diploma as well? Not saying i am returning but its just to cover myself should we get too homesick

Thanks

Georgie

PS tell your daughter to get in touch if she wants to talk about ant of her work and i can try and help her out maybe. I am sure she will cope on her own though it is just in case!:wubclub:

[Guest Rachel&Stu]

Hi Georgie,

Thanks for replying! Jenna will be going to Box Hill TAFE along with my hubby, her step- dad so she won't want to go to a different one! She is doing the 2year Diploma.

 

Am reasonably sure that the Cert III and Diploma is equivalent to the UK CACHE Certificate in Childcare and CACHE Diploma, both of which I hold. The Cert was after 1 year of the course, but the full Diploma was 2 years. Now in UK, most establishments want the Diploma to offer you position of 'Nursery Nurse', although I know you can gain employment if you just hold the Certificate as a 'Nursery Assistant'. Am pretty sure pay scales lower for holders of Certificate only. As a Diploma holder I am 'Level 3' qualified, whereas with Certificate only I would be 'Level 2'. OFSTED (Dept of Education) require Nurseries and Childcare Centres to have a certain level of staff at Level 3, but accept that some may be Level 2 working towards Level 3. Blimey! Does that all make sense!

 

For further clarification on the equivalence of Oz and UK qualifications - maybe you could find a website for CACHE and ask them? CACHE is Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education based in St.Albans, Hertfordshire, UK.

 

Thanks for your kind offer to let Jenna know the ins and outs. I will certainly let her know!

 

Cheers,

Rachel:wubclub:

[Georgie]

Hi Rachel

I have emailed CACHE to ask them and waiting for a reply. Am i to take it that Level 3 CACHE is the same as the NNEB qualification? Have they done away with the old NNEB system then? Very confusing isnt it? Also if i wanted to be a teaching assistant then thats something different too? From what i can see you have to either do the CACHE nursery nurse path ot the CACHE teaching assistant path. Is this right?

Sorry i dont expect you to know everything.

And it is a genuine offer for Jenna to contact me. Whats your hubby doing at Box Hill? Are you already here or on your way?

Georgina

[Guest Rachel&Stu]

Hello again Georgie,

Glad you've emailed CACHE. Yes the CACHE Diploma in Nursery Nursing is the replacement for the old NNEB. Sometimes I still say 'I've got NNEB' to people as people know what that is!!

 

Re whether teaching assistants are CACHE trained? Mmm, don't think so. I applied for a couple of teaching assistant jobs few years ago (5yrs) and I didn't need any qualifications and in fact, lost out to a lady who had been a lunchtime supervisor (dinner lady) there! If I was to go for a teaching assistant job, a childcare qualification certainly wouldn't be a bad thing, but I don't think it's mandatory, not sure that you need any formal quals to be a TA? But someone please correct me if this is not right! Just do see jobs offered in the paper quite often, and recently, for TAs and never any quals asked for.....

 

We're not coming to Box Hill until July 2008 as Jenna is only part way through her A levels (HSC?) and Stu will be studying automotive engineering.

 

Bye,

Rachel:wubclub:

[Georgie]

Rachel

Hi i got a reply from Cache and they are in the dark too! Said to contact a qualifications authority in the UK. Had a look and have so far found one that charges 200 pounds! I think what i will do is just carry on with my study here and then hope for the best that the child care jobs in the UK can see just how much hard work i will have put into it all plus my practicl experience. Hopefully this will count as there are so many forien people working in the British nurseries that their quals must count for something. I am sure that my 3 years of study will get me a job when i eventually return to the UK. I am suprised you dont need qualifications to be a teachers assistant. It would be no good trying to get a job doing that here as the schools are full of mums working for nowt!!

Thanks for your reply anyway. You have a whole year to wait til you arrive and i bet you are itching to get here. All the best with your move over here.

Thank you

Georgie:wubclub:

[Guest Rachel&Stu]

Hello Georgie,

 

You're very welcome for any help I've been to you! If you do find out anymore about validating UK/Aus childcare qualifications, I would be interested to know, as I'm probably going to have to 'convert' my quals so I can get a job in Melbourne........

 

So keep in touch!

 

Rachel:cute: