Teaching is one of the most-common career changes for adults in the UK, and teaching assistant is the standard entry point. There is no legal minimum qualification, but schools now overwhelmingly hire Level 2 or Level 3 qualified applicants. This guide covers the five practical steps that get people hired without prior classroom experience.
Step 1: Take a Level 3 Teaching Assistant qualification
The industry-standard entry qualification is the Level 3 Award or Certificate for Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools, or the Level 3 Award in Education and Training. Online courses run for around six to nine months of self-paced study and typically cost £450 to £900. Schools list "Level 3 TA" or "NCFE CACHE Level 3" in the majority of vacancy listings, so this is the single highest-impact step for a career changer with no experience.
Step 2: Get short school-based experience
Even one or two full days observing or volunteering at a local primary school is enough to reference in a covering letter and interview. Approach the school office directly, explain that you are training for a TA role and would like a short unpaid placement. Most primary schools accommodate this readily. Faith schools, SEND schools and pupil referral units are often the fastest to say yes.
Step 3: Enhanced DBS check
You will need an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to work with children. Volunteers usually get one free through the school. Paid roles require a job-linked DBS, which the school will initiate on offer. There is no need to have your own DBS in advance, but it does not hurt to sign up for the DBS Update Service (£16 per year) once you have one, so future schools can rely on the same certificate.
Step 4: Rewrite your CV for school hiring
Schools hire on personal qualities as much as prior experience. Lead your CV with transferable skills that schools genuinely value: patience, clear communication, teamwork, being calm under pressure, and any experience with children through parenting, sports coaching, Scouts or Guides, faith groups or family caring. Reference your Level 3 study and any volunteering placement at the top of the page. Keep it to two sides of A4 in plain formatting.
Step 5: Apply first to primary and SEND schools
Primary schools and SEND (special educational needs and disability) settings hire the most entry-level TAs. Search vacancies on TES.com, eTeach, your local council's education-vacancies page and directly on individual school websites. Apply widely; TA hiring is heaviest in the June and July window for a September start, and again in the January and April term boundaries. Expect to fill in the standard school application form for each role rather than sending a CV.