Teaching Assistant | Explore Careers - National Careers Service

Meet Louisa

Louisa started volunteering in her school, then became a teaching assistant and she is now a trainee teacher.

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Hi, I'm Louisa. I have been a teaching assistant and I'm now a trainee teacher.

I went to work at John Lewis and I, throughout this time, I was a dance teacher as well, so I absolutely loved that. And I used to do that on weekends and evenings. And I thought, what can I do to further the teaching?

So then that's when I decided to come to Lowdham and volunteer. And then, after a year, I got offered a job. So that's what led me to here, because I loved it so much dancing. So I thought, what can I do to make it an everyday thing? So I thought I’ll come and work in a school and I love it even more.

I've been a TA in nearly every single class and obviously it varies massively from early years to play-based provision to working up to year 6. It's very different, a different way of teaching and a different structure. I've done a lot of 1 to 1 work with special needs children, which obviously is a massive difference as well.

I've also worked at breakfast club and I've worked at afterschool clubs, so the wraparound care provision that the school provide, I've done that since I started here.

And I've attended many day trips, and I've attended now 4 residentials which are absolutely brilliant for the children. So the overnight stays, which involve lots of activities and lots of fun things for them to do.

So I feel like definitely time management skills because working in a school, you obviously stuck to a time schedule. You really have to follow that. And I think personally, confidence, my confidence has grown whilst working in a school and knowing how to talk to children and different strategies and methods of teaching.

I think it's the most rewarding job in the world and I never come to work unhappy. I absolutely love my job and I think there's so many opportunities once you are in a school.