Teaching Assistant
What the work is
Works under the guidance of teachers and other education professionals to improve learning and wellbeing outcomes for students. Employed in primary and secondary schools, as well as in schools for specific purposes and other education settings, to facilitate student learning and engagement.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Facilitates student learning in the classroom under the direction of a teacher
- Provides targeted support to individuals and groups of students
- Cares for students' social, emotional and physical needs
- Promotes positive behaviour and wellbeing
- Assists students to access the curriculum and participate fully in learning
- Assists teachers and students with sporting activities and school excursions
- Supports students in participating in extra-curricular activities
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a busy primary school, moving between the classroom, the reading corner and the playground. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A small reading group that struggled in term one now argues over who reads next
- A child waves from across the playground, shouting your name
- A teacher says the class ran smoothly because you were there
Hard days
- Playground duty in the rain with a child who has lost a shoe and a lunch
- Being asked to keep a group going while the teacher is called away
- A student who tests every boundary you set, all week
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 432231, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.