7 Skills Needed to be a Teacher’s Aide

Do you love education and working with children? Or do you want a job that will affect hundreds of lives in a creative and engaging learning environment If so, beginning a career as a teacher’s aide might be a great way to go. The role of a teacher’s aide is one that’s in high demand in Australia, with job openings in the field expected to grow to more than 109,300 by 2023. Being a teacher’s aide is a challenging but worthy job that involves promoting the growth and development of children in an educational setting.

What does a teacher’s aide do?

A teacher’s aide assists a headteacher with all non-teaching duties both inside and outside the classroom, providing supervision and care for students of all ages. In-class responsibilities include guiding individual students in their studies, demonstrating and participating in recreational exercises, preparing lesson materials, and assisting in organising lessons, including behavioural monitoring, paperwork management, and attendance.

What skills do you need to become a teacher’s aide?

A teacher’s aide helps teach social skills to children and assist them with any difficulties they may face in their studies. A teacher’s aide has significant involvement in a classroom environment and moulds a child’s educational experience in their early schooling years. Let’s take a look at what skills you need to have in order to become a teacher’s aide.

1. Have a formal qualification

While a qualification isn’t immediately required in this field, if you wish to advance your career as a teacher’s aide, you’ll eventually need a formal qualification in education. A qualification such as the Certificate III in Education Support is the most preferred qualification today, and teacher’s aides usually hold either a Certificate III or Certificate IV equivalent. Advanced courses can also build your resume and your skills as you work your way toward qualification. At the very least, to be employed as a teacher’s aide, you’ll need a Working With Children Check in your state/territory.

2. Enjoy working with children

You must love working with children to be a successful teacher’s aide. That desire to work with kids must be accompanied by the following personal characteristics:

  • Friendly
  • Patience
  • Sensitive
  • Empathetic
  • Creative
  • Understanding
  • Responsive
  • Encouraging
  • Positive
  • Calm 
  • Committed
  • Comforting
  • Funny.

Of all these traits, patience is perhaps the most important. Children are easily distracted and prone to misbehaviour. A good teacher’s aide will understand the nature of children, the uniqueness of every child, and endeavour to show patience and care when working with them.

3. Have appropriate organisational and planning skills

To most effectively assist the headteacher, a teacher’s aide needs to have planning skills to help with instructional delivery and other duties. Specifically, excellent organisational skills are required for taking attendance, processing grades, and collecting and preparing tests.

4. Be an effective communicator

A professional teacher’s aide is expected to effectively communicate with students, teachers, parents, and other learning specialists as regular communication about a student’s progress and other student matters is necessary. They have to be able to articulate information so students can easily understand the directions, both in written and verbal forms. Listening skills are also equally important, and, above all, a teacher’s aide must be able to offer full learning support to students.

5. Be a team player

As a teacher’s aide, you’re part of a teaching team. Therefore, a teacher’s aide needs to support the headteacher and participate in work sessions to advance student performance and educational delivery. Being a team player means being cooperative and willing to offer support to both teachers and students.

6. Be able to assist students with special needs

Many students have additional learning needs due to things like Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning and intellectual disabilities, communication and physical disabilities, or challenging social or psychological behaviors. A teacher’s aide must have both empathy and patience to work with each student, especially those who have learning and social challenges.

7. Possess technological skills

Many classrooms and learning platforms are digitally-oriented as students are using technology more in school, as are teachers and teacher’s aides. Knowledge of technology such as word processing, presentation, database, web navigation, and security skills are abilities a teacher’s aide should have. Familiarity with laptops, DVD players, USB drives, digital cameras, and digital video cameras are also helpful to aid in classroom instruction.

Make a difference in students’ lives

If you think you have the necessary skills to become a teacher’s aid, you should consider starting your educational career off the right way with a Teacher’s Aide diploma from the International Career Institute. In a matter of months, you can be in the classroom and changing the lives of students for the better. Enquire today.

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Gladys Mae

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Gladys Mae serves as the General Manager and Head of Student Services at the International Career Institute. Gladys holds a degree in Mass Communication - Broadcast Media from the University of San Jose-Recoletos. She joined ICI in 2010 and has over the past 12 years been instrumental in providing leadership and guidance to staff and students alike. Prior to joining ICI Gladys led a multifaceted career with key roles in the banking and business process outsourcing industries.