Life as a Teacher’s Aide

Teacher’s aides are responsible for helping shape the education of children, They provide support and supervision for children (especially those with special needs), help organise and run activities and programs, assist teachers in the classroom, and provide individual assistance to kids that a teacher might not be able to assist in a large class.

The vast majority of Aides work in primary education, where you’ll be working with specific children to help them develop essential skills like reading comprehension and handwriting, or with early mathematics. There are opportunities (and a need for workers) in secondary education for educational support staff, but the largest industry segment currently remains in early education.

The basics

Teacher’s Aides have a very flexible range of options for their work schedule and type (more on that later), but how how here’s a few slices out of the day of an Aide might look.

In the morning, you might find yourself coaching a girl with a developmental disorder through her first full read-through of her A B C’s, or seeing her finally crack the mystery of the seven times table.

Alternately, you might find yourself accompanying a young boy with a broken leg on his way to class, or helping him through a particularly rough comprehension piece, or a thousand other children with a thousand other individual needs.

In the afternoon, you could be helping a teacher prepare a lesson plan, or formulating a plan with them to coach children with special needs through the outline for the afternoon. Alternatively, you might set up an activity, or accompany the kids on a field trip – again, you’re be able to facilitate the enjoyment of any physically or developmentally handicapped children by giving them a safety net and a confidante.

After school, you’ll be working with clubs and activities, helping provide much-needed hands and eyes for supervising little pro athletes or budding chess champions.

You could be doing all this at one school, or jetting around between schools to help individuals in the area.

There’s a rewarding realm of opportunities available as an Aide that let you really get into the nitty-gritty of education, helping out kids on a one-by-one basis, making sure that nobody is without help when they need it, and supporting everyone – from the administration to teachers and students alike.

As long as you have a desire to help, and the initiative to be the helping hand that children deserve, then a career as an Aide is your opportunity to make a difference in the world.

A flexible career

Being a Teacher’s Aide is a wonderful career choice for anyone looking to balance their home and family life. If you have school-aged kids, you’ll usually be finishing your workday at the same time as them, and going in on mornings as they do.

While many work in-house full time, a lot of Teacher’s Aides work part time, providing assistance to children when they need it most. Some also go between schools to help out individuals across a community, for example specialising in helping children with special needs in maths.

This allows a lot of freedom within the sector. Aides are able to structure their working week to suit themselves, tailor their family and working lives to suit their situation, and – depending on their employment – they can work specifically with a small range of children or provide wider support for many children on a one-on-one basis through the week.

You’ll also get a major advantage that most people in the education sector receive – substantial amounts of yearly leave during holiday periods! Again, this is perfect for anyone thinking of starting a family, or who already has one to take care of.

Specialisation and you

As a final note, Teacher’s Aides have a few specialisation options available for them. With a Certificate in Education (Teacher’s Aide) you’ll be qualified to work in specific fields of education support, such as:

  • Literacy Worker, teaching children the building blocks of language.
  • Language Worker, helping deal with ESL students (or helping other children learn that language).
  • Support Worker, working primarily with children with physical or mental disabilities.

Teacher’s Aides are always in demand, and this is particularly true in rural communities and secondary education. Providing educational support for a rural town or series of towns can be a richly rewarding experience for anyone looking to make a real difference, as there are thousands of children who need that support and who don’t live near enough to a major city to routinely receive it.

If you’re interested in exploring a new career as a Teacher’s Aide, contact the team at ICI today and enrol now.

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Gladys Mae

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Gladys Mae serves as the General Manager and Head of Student Services at the International Career Institute. Gladys holds a degree in Mass Communication - Broadcast Media from the University of San Jose-Recoletos. She joined ICI in 2010 and has over the past 12 years been instrumental in providing leadership and guidance to staff and students alike. Prior to joining ICI Gladys led a multifaceted career with key roles in the banking and business process outsourcing industries.