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Why do you want to work with children? This is a very common teaching assistant interview question simply because a teaching assistant role will require you to work with children on a daily basis.
In this article, we will be explaining 8 ways you can go about answering this TA interview question.
8 “Why do you want to work with Children?” Answers
1. Education Matters
You can begin by explaining how a thorough education for children has always been one of your core beliefs. Education matters for every pupil regardless of their ability or background.
As a teaching assistant, you would be able to coax the best out of each child through your own enthusiasm for learning.
You are positive that by adding your own excitement to the subject the teacher has introduced, you can help stimulate children to be curious and encourage them to listen. You can assist the teacher by effectively engaging with the children.
Ensuring every pupil views lessons as interesting and worth listening to, is the first step in improving a child’s education.
2. Taking Opportunities
Why do you want to work with children is all about taking opportunities. Every stage of school life opens up new avenues of learning. As a teaching assistant, you’d encourage pupils to explore new topics in more detail and help them expand their curiosity.
With the right guidance, even young children can discover a fondness for subjects such as mathematics, history or art. Explain how you have always enjoyed exploring new ideas yourself and you’re still enthusiastic.
You firmly believe that as a teaching assistant, you can help the teacher introduce the children to all types of lessons including, new sports, science or learning about the world around us.
3. Role Model
Say that you believe good manners are a fundamental part of society. You were brought up to be well-mannered and have a strong sense of right and wrong. Your positive, balanced outlook makes you an excellent role model.
Through working with children, you believe you can influence them from an early age to become caring, considerate people.
There would be many opportunities as a teaching assistant where you could help them understand why they should think of others.
You’d find it incredibly rewarding to have encouraged children to become well-adjusted and respectful towards everyone.
Related: Why do you think you would be a good teaching assistant?
4. Security and Trust
You are committed to helping the teacher create an atmosphere of reassurance and trust. You believe that children of all ages perform educational tasks more proficiently if they are in a secure environment.
You’d use your skills as a teaching assistant to help the children view school as a place they can rely on. You believe that children won’t ask for help with lessons or other difficulties if they are afraid of the teaching staff or the classroom system.
You believe that by demonstrating your reliability and understanding, you would encourage children to communicate effectively.
5. Confident Personalities
In your own experience, a lack of confidence is harmful to a child’s personal development and their desire to learn. As a teaching assistant, you’d consider building confidence a fundamental part of your duties.
Explain how astute you are at identifying different personalities. For example, if you were supervising a child who was shy and rarely spoke, you’d regularly pay them extra attention and gently encourage them to take part in activities.
By providing support, you’d coax them to be unafraid of new challenges.
6. Local Difficulties
Before your interview, find out the particular difficulties of the school or neighbourhood and tailor your answer to suit. If there’s a high proportion of children who use another first language, use this to your advantage.
Say that you believe integration is vitally important for now and the future. You would assist the teacher in encouraging children to work on joint projects to promote friendship and understanding.
7. Special Educational Needs
An interview as a Special Needs teaching assistant will prompt the question, ‘why do you want to work with children who have learning difficulties?’ It’s a role that usually requires prior knowledge of the challenges you may face.
Describe the experience you have gained through voluntary work, perhaps at a community centre. You found it very rewarding to be involved with children who really do need help.
You believe that every child deserves the chance to improve their skills and you have the patience and understanding to encourage them.
As the teacher’s assistant, you would like to be part of a team that’s dedicated to providing emotional and educational support.
8. Your Personality
At some point, teaching assistant interview questions inevitably turn to why you think you should be suitable for the role. Say that you have always loved variety and being adaptable.
Becoming a teaching assistant would be the ideal job for your character. Explain that from your own experience, children are so unpredictable. You love the spontaneity and the unexpected events they can instigate.
You have the most suitable personality to respond instinctively to whatever situations unfold. Tell them how you stay calm under pressure and you are very clear-headed in a crisis.
As a highly resourceful, adaptable person, you believe you’d help the teacher find the solution to any problem.
Conclusion
Why do you want to work with children is a crucial interview question. Think about the reasons why you want to be a teaching assistant. You need to reply with an answer that’s sincere.
It should enlighten the interviewers about the type of person you are and the special qualities you can bring to this supportive role. You can take inspiration from our guide and adapt the answers to suit the school where you are applying.
You may even need to use more than one answer to provide enough information about yourself and the exciting challenge ahead.