Have you always wanted to become a teaching assistant? If you’re ready to apply for your first post, one of the questions you’ll probably have to answer in your interview is “why do you want to be a teaching assistant?” There are lots of ways in which you can answer this question, so here we bring you some tried and tested answers that you can tailor to suit your own needs and circumstances.

“Why do you want to work at this school?” is a tricky question, but it’s one of the most common question you’re likely to face in your teaching assistant interview. You should use this question as an opportunity to show your commitment to the school in question and your answer should show that you’ve taken the time to find out a little more about the environment in which you’re planning to work.

Preparing for a job interview takes time. Thinking about possible questions, analyzing prospective responses, and coming up with original replies can be challenging. On top of all these, you must be original and innovative, funny and relaxed, confident and assertive. Take into consideration the possible tough questions you might have to answer, and prepare for them adequately. Keep a clear mind and natural behaviour, but analyze the possible obstacles you might encounter.

As a teacher assistant, you will be providing support not only to the teacher but to the students as well. It takes a lot of patience and a non-judgmental attitude to be successful at this job. Needless to say, you need passion, too. When recruiters are after new employees to fill their teaching assistant positions, they won’t hire random applicants. They want to see specific skills and competencies in the resume.

“Why did you leave your last job?” is the kind of question that is almost guaranteed to come up during a teaching assistant job interview. By asking this, employers are trying to find out if you will stay on the job and will become a reliable member of their teaching team. They will also want to determine if there is something in your past relationship with other employers that would negatively affect your performance in a new setting.

Teaching assistants provide invaluable support to the educational system. This profession is very competitive, since entry-level jobs are available to a wide range of job-seekers. The latest School Workforce Census reveals that there are more than 265,000 teaching assistants in the United Kingdom, and the numbers have been growing steadily for years. However, teaching assistant roles are not precisely known for being highly paid. According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a teaching assistant in the UK is approximately £17,000 / year, and overall, teaching assistant wages go from £11,500 to £23,000 / year for a full-time position.