Education support roles provide invaluable assistance in classrooms across the country, helping both teachers and students achieve greater classroom experiences. There are a range of support roles and terminology within the industry, with many people familiar with terms like teachers’ aide or teacher’s assistant. There may be slight variances between each title, depending on the state and school, but all education support workers will work mainly with students in primary or secondary schools.
In general, people in these positions provide help with both non-teaching and teaching duties, including preparing resources and learning materials, performing administrative tasks, and supporting students with tasks and activities.
If you have been working in education support and want to develop your role, or you want to formalise the experience you have gained in the field, the next step is to look at the qualifications valued in the industry.
Many schools value supporting teachers who are certified or are in the process of studying to be a teacher. This is why it’s incredibly important to ensure you have the appropriate qualifications and are fully prepared to pursue greater opportunities.
What do you need to succeed in learning support?
Get qualified – To succeed in learning support in Australia, it is desirable to complete an education support course. For most schools a certificate-level qualification, like one of our certificate courses in School Based Education Support, is widely accepted.
Develop varied experience – When looking to advance your skills, it is important to be open to a wide range of schools and locations. At the start of your career, it’s important to cast a wide net and be open to a variety of opportunities to build up your experience.
Be passionate – To be successful in educational support, you need to demonstrate an interest and passion in supporting students and a genuine desire to make a difference in their lives. It is an incredibly rewarding role, but one that requires dedication.
Best education support courses
If you’re looking to advance your career, these are the best teachers aide courses for gaining necessary qualifications and formalising valuable education support skills.
CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support
The Certificate III in Education Support is the best course for new support teachers. This qualification formalises skills gained in assisting teachers and supporting student learning in a range of classroom settings. You may have completed general administrative as well as operational tasks to support students with learning under the guidance of a teacher or other educational professional.
OPEC College offers this course through Recognition of Prior Learning. Learn more about our RPL process here.
CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support
The Certificate IV reflects the role of workers who assist teachers and support student learning in a range of classroom settings, under limited guidance from a teacher or other educational professional. Support teachers in these roles may have been involved in the facilitation of learning for a range of instructional groupings, including for those students in need of additional support.
This course will help to formalise the experience you have in analysing information from diverse sources, as well as your work in providing guidance to other workers with limited direct supervision.
OPEC College offers this course via Recognition of Prior Learning. Contact us for a free RPL eligibility check.
What do teaching assistants do?
Teaching assistants support classroom teachers to provide the best learning experience. Their tasks may vary, from providing administrative support to helping students one-on-one to complete activities.
The work requires a wide variety of skills and comes with many responsibilities. The exact requirements will depend on the school, classroom, and curriculum being taught, so it’s important for teaching assistants to adapt to different learning styles and environments.
Some of the things that teaching assistants may complete in their day to day include:
- Working with diverse people and backgrounds.
- Meeting the legal and ethical obligations in an education support environment and the requirements of the particular school.
- Contributing to the planning and implementation of educational programs.
- Supporting students to develop their literacy and oral language skills.
- Supporting students in the development of their numeracy skills.
- Supporting students with any additional needs in the classroom.
- Contributing to the health, safety and wellbeing of students.
- Working effectively with students and colleagues to provide general support.
- Supporting responsible student behaviour and following school protocols.
- They may also be required to attend things like staff meetings, parent-teacher interviews, and other school activities.
By providing a wide range of support to both teachers and students, teaching aides or assistants will gain invaluable insight into what it takes to be a teacher. This experience can help inform decisions to pursue further study into teaching and help to advance your career in educational support.
If you are interested in enrolling in one of our education support courses, contact our friendly team today by calling 1300 99 6732 or reaching out here.
