Charlotte Baron, Teaching Assistant Tutor, Rochdale Training
Can you tell us about your career so far?
When I was at school, I always knew I wanted to work with children, however, life took me down the finance route for several years and so I was an account manager for Lloyds Bank. After several job changes over some time, I decided I was ready to start working with children and so for the last 8 years I have worked in both mainstream and SEN schools. I started as a volunteer and completed both my level 2 and level 3 Teaching Assistant qualifications. I took a level 1 job offer and then worked my way up in mainstream primary schools before working in an SEN school with primary and secondary children as a level 3 Teaching Assistant. I joined Rochdale Training in January this year and I am now a tutor for Teaching Assistant Level 3 apprentices.
What’s the first 6 months involved at Rochdale Training (what training have you had, what are your learners like, what do you teach, do you have a mentor/support etc)?
During my first 6 months at Rochdale Training, I have completed lots of courses and qualifications, to be able to become a qualified tutor and have had lots of support along the way, from the team I work in, as well as my mentor, who teaches the same standard as myself. I have completed my TAQA qualification and Level 3 Award in Teaching and Education qualification. I have also completed my Functional Skills Maths and English. I am teaching Level 3 Teaching Assistant apprentices and currently have 32 learners. They are all really enjoying the course and in the short time I have been working with them, we have built a really good relationship which is really good, as I know they will come to me if they need any additional help or support.
What are the best bits of teaching apprenticeships and what do you like the most?
Teaching is a really rewarding job. I think having done the training myself and then being able to train others, is really rewarding because it’s nice to be able to see people of all different ages becoming qualified in a job they love and knowing that I helped them achieve this. I also love that I can go into different schools and see my students in their roles, showing how they are progressing as they learn more on their apprenticeship course.
What are some of the challenges within your role?
Within any role, there are always challenges and I feel that in the teaching role the challenge is to make sure that everything we are teaching is relevant and up to date. Also, making sure that I keep up to date with my own CPD, to keep my own knowledge and skills up to the standard that they should be at, in able to support my students.
Why did you decide to move into teaching?
After working in schools for 8 years, I felt that I was ready to progress in my career, however, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to do this in schools. Over the years, I have built lots of knowledge and skills in the Teaching Assistant role and so I thought that being able to share these with future TA’s would be rewarding for me.
Would you recommend to others?
Being a tutor is really rewarding as when you see how you have helped someone progress and complete a qualification in a job they love, it’s really satisfying and makes you feel proud of both them and yourself for how far they have come and succeeded. I would recommend this to others.
