Help Teaching Assistant Interview and haven't got a clue what is expected!

missymoo81 · 4 October 2010 at 5:22PM

Help.... i have applied for 30 teaching assistant jobs and have finally, finally been given the chance of an interview:T, it is for a position within special needs in a high school.

I have never worked as a teaching assistant before but love working with children, my nephew has learning difficulties and I have volunteered for youth club and rainbows etc for years which have all had challenging children, so I do have some experience.

Now what I need to know is what will the interview be like? As I have a feeling it will be different to a normal interview, what sort of questions will they ask, what can I do to give myself the best possible chance, what sort of answers are they looking for?

Please please help, I want this job so so much.

Missy.

p.s. I'm so sorry if this is in the wrong place but I didn't know where to put it and am so desperate for help

[threadbanner] box [/threadbanner]

Pink. · 4 October 2010 at 5:35PM

Hi missymoo,

You should get more help and advice on this on the Employment, Jobseeking & Training board, so I'll move your thread over there.

Good luck with your interview.

Pink

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

GavB79 · 4 October 2010 at 5:59PM

They may ask why you want to work there in the first place (and don't say because you like the long holidays), how would you react if a child hit/swore at you, what would you do if you suspected a child was being neglected/abused, if a parent saw you in town and started asking questions how would you deal with it, how would you help a certain child achieve their goals, are you prepared to do after-school clubs etc.
Plus the usual where do you want to be in x years, what can you bring to the school, what are your strengths and weaknesses, how would others describe you blah blah blah.

hollyh · 4 October 2010 at 6:06PM

In all the TA interviews i've been to there's always a panel, usually the Head, a Teacher and then some Governers. There's usually about 6 questions. Some questions i've been asked are

What can you bring to the role?
How would you deal with challenging behaviour?
What's your greatest achievement?
What experience do you have?

I can't remember any more sorry. Good luck for your interview.

socks_uk · 4 October 2010 at 6:16PM

They may ask you if you know about ADHD and Autism. Make sure you tell them you are keen on training if you are not familiar with the conditions. Mention that you are aware of the importance of confidentiality.
It seems like you already have a great deal of experience. Good luck for tomorrow!

missymoo81 · 4 October 2010 at 7:11PM

Thanks so much guys I am so grateful that you have taken the time to post, GavB79 your questions are great, it's difficult as I know there are right and wrong answers.

if a child hit/swore at you, what would you do? What would you do? react calmly, tell them that it is not acceptable behaviour..... then?

if you suspected a child was being neglected/abused, I have no idea on this one it is such a tricky subject..... you'd obviously have to reassure them that it is going to be ok, and you would obviously have to tell someone, but what would you do if they told you not to.... obviously you would still have to... but how would you go about not losing the childs trust.....

if a parent saw you in town and started asking questions how would you deal with it? Tell them that you understand they have a lot of questions but unfortunately you are unable to answer questions about pupils out of school and if he/she feels they need to speak to you, to come and see you inschool time where you would be more than happy to listen and answer any questions....... ok?

Im worried also as it is high school children who obviously have a lot bigger problems than younger children?

Any tips or ideas would be so gratefully received, thank you.

Missy

weanie · 4 October 2010 at 7:46PM

First of all - Good Luck and try not to panic over the interview. All candidates will be asked the same questions and so it is important to show that you are keen but calm and able to work as part of a team and also that you will accept and use the advice and direction given to you by the teaching staff.
You would be obliged to report any knowledge or suspicions over abuse of children to the names person in the school. You do not have the right to promise to keep a 'secret' regarding abuse with a child and you would have to tell the young person that you will have to report this to the appropriate person to get help/advice. There will be one person named as Child Protection Officer and so it would be important to know the name of this person when you start. There will be lots of names to learn and policies to make sense of too. When you start your role, you will be given some Induction training which give you access to all this information as well as necessary information about Fire Drills, Confidentiality, Punctuality etc.
I think the ideal TA will listen to/act on advice from her line manager, adhere to the school dress code, be better than punctual, support the pupils needs but not their bad behaviours, support the school with positive comments and discretion, support the teaching by reinforcing and directing pupils to the main points etc etc. I also think it is vital for a TA in a secondary school to show almost superhuman adaptability. Some teachers will want the TA to be almost invisible and to support in a very low key manner and others will want a very lively interchange between TA and teacher right throught the lesson. Each teacher may have different expectations of your role.
You obviously have enough relevent experiences to assist if you need to describe how you have dealt with challenging young people but do remember that there will be a system of behaviour management in place in the school and it is important to you to follow these processes.
Relax and show you are approachable, adaptable and amenable.
good luck

vixtay_2 · 4 October 2010 at 7:47PM

socks_uk wrote: »

They may ask you if you know about ADHD and Autism. Make sure you tell them you are keen on training if you are not familiar with the conditions. Mention that you are aware of the importance of confidentiality.
It seems like you already have a great deal of experience. Good luck for tomorrow!

I would make myself familiar with the autistic spectrum....iv been a TA for 7 years in 3 different secondary schools working in SEN...finally said goodbye as i am a level 3 and always got paid a level 1 and could no longer live on the wages anymore.... anyway enough of me..... the other money savers on here have already written what may be asked,they are ''spot on''
Look confident and take a breath before you answer questions...im sure you will be fine....goodluck and let us know how you get on
x:)

missymoo81 · 4 October 2010 at 8:03PM

Thanks Vixtay hun, am just reading up on ADHD and am then going to move onto Asbergers and Autism.

Thanks again my lovely.

x

mrbrightside842 · 4 October 2010 at 8:10PM

I've been asked:
Why this school?
What can you bring to the job?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What would you do if a parent approached you with a problem with their child/bullying etc?
What relevant experience do you have?

mrbrightside842 · 4 October 2010 at 8:10PM

ps good luck!

Help Teaching Assistant Interview and haven't got a clue what is expected!

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free