Why Volunteering is the First Step to Your Dream Career in Education
If you are thinking about becoming a Teaching Assistant, you have probably already asked yourself the question: how do I get experience if no one will give me a chance without experience?
It is one of the most common challenges facing people who want to work in schools — and it is exactly why volunteering is so powerful.
What volunteering actually does for you
When you volunteer in a school, something happens that no online course or textbook can replicate. You learn what it actually feels like to be in a classroom. You discover which age groups energise you, which challenges excite you, and which moments remind you exactly why you wanted to do this in the first place.
For learners on the TiEGr Teaching Assistant and SEND Skills Bootcamp, volunteering is where everything comes together. The safeguarding training, the SEND awareness, the Makaton signing, the behaviour management strategies — suddenly they are not just things you have learned. They are things you are doing, in real time, with real children.
Why it benefits you as a learner
- Real classroom experience that employers want to see on your CV
- Confidence to walk into an interview and talk about your experience with genuine authority
- A professional reference from a school setting
- The opportunity to put your SEND awareness, Makaton and safeguarding training into practice
- Professional relationships with teachers and school staff who may become future colleagues
- A genuine pathway to employment — many of our learners have gone from volunteer to employed TA at the same school
Schools love volunteers who come prepared
One of the things that sets TiEGr learners apart is that they do not arrive as a blank canvas. By the time they step into a classroom as a volunteer, they have already completed training that many paid TAs learn on the job. Schools notice that — and it opens doors.
Community volunteering counts too
Volunteering does not have to happen in a school to be valuable. Previous TiEGr learners have volunteered in family hubs, with Mencap and in other community settings working with children, young people and adults with additional needs. Every experience of supporting people builds the skills that make a great Teaching Assistant.
Ready to start?
If you are currently on a TiEGr Skills Bootcamp and would like support finding a volunteering placement, speak to your coordinator today. We have relationships with schools across Essex, Devon, Kent and Wiltshire and we are here to help you find the right opportunity.
If you are a school or educational setting interested in welcoming a TiEGr volunteer, visit our volunteering page or contact Nakita Stapleton directly at nakita.stapleton@tiegr.org.
The first step is always the hardest. But for many of our learners, it has also been the most life-changing.
