OT- Anyone been a teachers assistant?

[lighttech]

Are any of you, or has anyone been, a teacher's assistant at a daycare or preschool? We have DS3 and are expecting at the end of summer. I'm totally frustrated w/ my current job and with daycare costs around here. I've been toying w/ going back to school to get my education degree (I have one 4 year degree already but its in theatre, and will only get me so many jobs...) and I think I need to get serious. But, I can't go back to school on my current schedule (rotating shifts and such).

So, I was thinking of applying for a teacher's asst. job. I know the pay is minimal, but w/ what I'd be taking home after daycare costs, so is my salary now. I've heard employees get discounts on daycare, and that some places do tuition re-imbursement.

Any personal accounts or advice would be really great. I'm just not sure where to begin. Thanks!

 

[Princess Nancy]

I have been an assistant before.
First I have to say, it ALL depends on the teacher you are assisting.
I hve strictly been the assistant, not introduced to parents, kept at arm's length from the children and given only tasks the teacher did not want to perform.

The next year there was an opening with someone I really wanted to work with. It was a fabulous year. She treated me like a coteacher. It was amazing. The only thing I had to be cautious of was remembering I was not a coteacher and she should always be the one to address parental concerns. But that was never a problem with us.

I say go for it. I loved working with the kids, even in the first situation, loved the hours and even loved working with mostly Mom's who understood thins like deaths in the family and kids getting sick. It was very supportive.

Good Luck.

 

[staci]

Another option is that you could substitute teach, depending on your state. In Iowa you can be a substitute teacher as long as you have a 4 year degree. Depending on your situation, it may give you an idea of whether or not you WANT to get your teaching degree.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I have been working as an instructional assistant for 7 years in my son's school district. We used to have assistants in regular ed classrooms but, due to budget cuts, the only assistants are now in special ed. I work in a preschool classroom that includes kids with autism, speech/language delays and other conditions. In public schools, the No Child Left Behind Act requires that instructional assistants have an AA degree or higher. It doesn't matter what subject it's in, as long as you have the degree (my BA degree is in marketing!).

I love working in the same district as my son because we get all the same days off (we don't have to work on teacher work days so I get those off too). Childcare is rarely a problem because I work during my son's school hours. The pay is actually pretty good (I live in CA where the cost of living is very high so we probably tend to make more). When I started 7 years ago, it was around $14.00/hour. Now I'm making well over $20/hour which makes it a really worthwhile part-time job.

The childcare centers and private preschools in our area require 12 college units in early childhood development so I don't even know if they would take me. Although, I have tons of experience so that may make up for it. I also know that they pay a lot less than the public school districts.

Substitute teaching is another good part time option. In CA, you have to have a BA degree and pass a state exam. I took the exam a few years ago so I can sub for my teacher when she's out. I would recommend being an instructional assistant if you really enjoy kids. It's not always fun, but I think the good outweighs the bad.

 

[dustya21]

HI!!

I am a teacher's assistant in the fifth grade. I have been for five years and I absolutely love it!! I started at the school as a sub and then got hired into a full time position. My son is a freshman in High School now, and he was in fourth grade when I started. My daughter was in pre-school and she is now one of my fifth graders!!

The pay is minimal, but to me it didn't matter. It cut down on my daycare costs because my schedule is the same as the kids'. If we have a snow day (we live in Michigan and we have lots of them!!) then I'm home when their home. I'm off on their holiday breaks, etc.

It is a very rewarding job and I love working with the kids. As a matter of fact, I just told my Mom over the Christmas Holiday how much fun it is to be at work, walking down the hall, passing the band room and hearing the new band students playing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas!!"

Good luck in whatever you decide to do. My advice would be to volunteer at the school, or sign up to be a substitute. It gets your foot in the door.

 

[GrumpyCAdad]

My wife is a teacher's assistant at our kid's school (here in CO, they call them para-educators) and she loves it! She does a variety of things during her day and gets to see the kids throughout the day as well.

 

[Disfan3]

Another option is that you could substitute teach, depending on your state. In Iowa you can be a substitute teacher as long as you have a 4 year degree. Depending on your situation, it may give you an idea of whether or not you WANT to get your teaching degree.

not true

you must be a certified teacher in order to substitute in the state of IOWA. I know. I work in a school district.

 

[lovinpoohbear]

I used to work in a childcare center and received free childcare for my kids. Is there a Tutor Time near you? I know the one near me in Ct gives free childcare for their employees, a friend of mine raves about the employee benefits...

 

[CampbellScot]

It can be a wonderful way to decide if you want to teach. Often full time TA's get full benefits, with a 10 month school year, school vacations and holidays off. It's a wonderful schedule to work! Especially if you have kids.

That being said...some schools treat their assistants like brain dead idiots...unfortunately. I've seen it happen. So you need to know how assistants are viewed and what is expected of them.

A lot of schools DO treat their "para-professionals" as co-teachers and often teach "small groups" by themselves etc. They really are the heartbeat of a lot of schools.

It can be a great way to start your teaching career. Especially if you are working with a teacher who is willing to act as a mentor and a guide!!

good luck!!!

 

[lighttech]

Thanks so much for the great ideas everyone. This has been a very stressful day looking at daycares and options, and its so nice to have some real, honest feedback from parents and teachers (assistants).

 

[emh1129]

I was a paraprofessional for a while. I really enjoyed it, but as a pp mentioned, it completely depends on the teacher you work with!

 

[mjantz]

It can be a great job but, as others have said, it depends on the lead teacher you're working with. Some organize the relationship more as a co-teacher but others really make sure you know that they are in charge & not you.
I personally find the perks (same days off as the kids, break on tuition,etc) to be worth the possibility that I might be treated as brain dead. Also, I've found daycare centers to have a very high turnover rate so the length of time you may spend as a lead teacher may be very short if they need to move someone into a lead position.

 

[barkley]

you may want to research how much tuition will be for a preschooler and a newborn-even with a tuition discount (and in my experience they are rarely significant unless you are at a higher administrative level) you may find that you are working just to pay for daycare (and may still have additional out of pocket expenses for tuition ).

another issue you may want to consider is the impact working with kids initialy has on a person (esp. in a daycare or preschool setting)-you may find that it takes awhile before your immunities build up and so you catch every little bug that comes around (we used to joke that they should give staff more sick leave at the begining and then start lowering it cuz the longer you've been there the less apt you are to get sick )-with a newborn that could result in your 'sharing' those bugs and more time off your little one (and most places don't prorate care for the days the little ones are out)-so you end up with lost wages and consistent tuition fees.

as others have said-in most private schools with daycare since they are state lic. there will be a minimum ece unit requirement for a t.a. at that age level (some will hire but you have to be taking the classes on your own time which usualy means nites or working part time to accomplish it). at the higher grade level in private schools it seems like there are'nt so many paid t.a. positions (probably because so many place require 30 or more hours per family in volunteer time per year)-and those that are available are often filled by actual teachers who are hoping to work their way into a paid teacher's postions.