Online qualifications - Teaching Assistant

[c_dug]

Hi guys,

The girlfriend has wanted to be a teacher for a while, she is looking at going in as a TA to start with. She's found an online course which offers one lesson a week for eight weeks for the price of £295 and offers to help find a position upon completing the course.

I am pretty dubious of any online course so I'm trying to find a bit more about it before she throws her money away. She's pretty excited about it and wants to go for it.

this is the course she is looking at.

Anybody have an experience of online courses?

Anybody in the teaching industy know if the qualification from that course is worth anything?
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Clanger]

I'd be inclined to check out courses with your local college, or with people like the O.U. who have a bit of weight out there in the big wide world. You hear of so many dodgy training providers, who are out to make a fast buck out of guillable people, or foreigners keen to get Certificates for immigration purposes.

Gaining the theory without the practice will not help getting work within the UK or within British Council Jobs around the world without the proper certificates and actual practice (observed).

If your girlfriend is already working as a teaching assistant, then get her to contact her local training provider and see if they offer QCF training, which can be gained alongside the job.
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

[Frost]

Internet qualifications are worth less than the paper they are(nt) written on. There was a thing around somewhere where a guy had managed to get LOADS of qualifications for his cat.

When it comes to working with kids a CRB check, or advanced CRB check is going to help a lot. Courses should really be accredited by a major body so doing something part time at the local college will help.

[swampy]

[waffles]

All TA's in my school are required to have GCSE's in English and Maths as a minimum and have a clear CRB check. I have never heard of a TA qualification but that doesn't mean that there isn't one. What is the content of the course? I would expect it to cover things like working with students with SEN/AEN (so autism, aspergers, dyslexia, dyscalcula, erlen's, behaviour problems etc etc), working with students who have English as an additional language and how students learn.

Your girlfriend's best bet is to save her cash, do some unpaid voluntary work in a school to get a reference and just apply for a TA job herself.

CRB checks only cover you to work in the school that you applied for. So if I wanted to work in another school I would have to get another check done, if I volunteer at a youth club I would need to get yet another for there. No point trying to get your own done. Schools always do the enhanced CRB check anyway and they would pay for it to be done.
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Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125

[hmmmnz]

my partner is a teacher, and her opinion on this topic was,
don't do a course to be a TA,
in fact don't be a ta, the money is really shit, you'd get paid more working at tescos with far less stress,
if she wants to be a teacher, then she should not fuck about being a ta, she should go to teachers college and become a teacher,
____________________
the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[waffles]

Having had a read of that course - SAVE YOUR MONEY

It's trying to package itself as an ideal platform into teaching but the entry requirements have changed recently and you must have a relevant degree for the subject you wish to teach. That course doesn't mention degrees. Schools want experience, that course is out of school hours and won't provide actual classroom time. The PGCE course only has a few weeks of lectures which covers basic teaching things like lesson plans, pedagogy etc. That course provides very little content that would apply for TA's.

Basically don't bother.
____________________
Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125

[c_dug]

[waffles]

[c_dug]

Fantastic, very helpful post
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[waffles]

Not a problem
____________________
Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125