Classroom Assistant Essay

1040 Words5 Pages
Classroom Assistant Classroom assistants help teachers perform different tasks in the classroom. They aim to work in such a way that allows teachers to focus solely upon teaching the students and setting tasks for them to complete. Classroom assistants provide support for teachers whilst they perform their daily tasks in the classroom. They are responsible for making the teaching environment ready for teaching prior to the beginning of each lesson and helping the teacher whilst the lesson is in progress. Outside lesson times, classroom assistants perform administrative tasks and make sure that the teacher is satisfied with the teaching environment. Many classroom assistants specialise in a certain area of teaching, such as music or literacy. However, they will be expected to take part in all kinds of lessons throughout a typical working day. Most classroom assistants are employed by primary schools but there may also be opportunities available in secondary schools and other kinds of institution. After gaining some experience, many classroom assistants choose to become Higher Level Teacher Assistants. These individuals are provided with far more responsibility. They may help to plan lessons and may be able to influence the material taught to the students. Higher Level Teacher Assistants may also be trusted occasionally with adopting the role of teacher. The gender ratio in this job is fairly unbalanced, with many more women than men choosing to apply for the position. Salary Assuming that they work on a full-time basis, classroom assistants are unlikely to earn more than £16,000 per year and starting salaries are usually between £11,000 and £12,000. Higher Level Teaching Assistants may earn slightly more, with £18,000 not being an unrealistic figure. It is difficult to provide an accurate estimate for classroom assistant salaries since wages are decided by
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