Becoming an education assistant is an excellent choice for anyone who
likes working with children, wants to make a difference in their lives and also
wishes to build a career in education. Taking an education assistant diploma
program might be a good starting point for a successful career in this field
and a foundation for further potential growth.
Scope of Work
The first step on the road to career
success is receiving proper training. Taking an education assistant course will
equip you with the necessary knowledge on how to support students with diverse
learning challenges and special needs. You will understand how to identify the types
of problems that hinder children’s development and study progress and will
learn how to solve them.
The support that education assistants
provide to students can include behaviour management, curriculum
implementation, development of social skills, and assistance with mobility and
personal care. They work together with teachers, parents and medical personnel
to help meet a student’s physical, emotional and learning needs.
While studying an education assistant program, you will learn how to design individual education plans for the
students who require support. You will also find out how to communicate with
them to make sure they understand what is needed and can to follow the
instructions. Education in today’s world is evolving rapidly, and there are a
lot of new tools and techniques available to facilitate the process of working
with children with special needs. Taking an education assistant course will allow
you to learn how to use them properly.
Job Overview
The education industry nowadays is
experiencing a shortage of qualified professionals to work in schools. The inclusive
education model stimulates the demand for more and more education assistants
who can provide the necessary support to children and teens with disabilities
and special needs. For roles working with children with particular challenges,
additional training may be required. For example, knowledge of sign language or
applied behaviour analysis therapy.
The average
salary for an education assistant is $24.47 per hour in British Columbia,
which is 6% above the national average. If an assistant can offer unique
skills, such as caring for younger kids, working with aboriginal children or
knowledge of other languages, the starting threshold of their salary can be
even higher than the average one.
Education assistants can work on a full-time
or part-time basis. Sometimes they can be offered on-call positions. Most often,
they can find employment opportunities with elementary and secondary schools. However,
other organizations can hire education assistants as well, such as special
schools, educational and treatment centres. Additionally, education assistants
can work with children in private educational institutions, homeschooling
environments, medical facilities, summer camps and other places.
Opportunities to Grow
Since education assistants work at the
entry level, they have plenty of opportunities for career growth. They will
require training in addition to their education assistant diploma to occupy more
demanding positions that ask for higher qualifications. Education assistants,
for instance, can become early childhood educators, childcare attendants,
preschool and school teachers, tutors, social workers and other professionals.
It ultimately depends on the aspect of the work with children that you are most
interested in.
The only way to find out what you are
good at and what career opportunities you can strive for in the future is to
take the education assistant course first and start working with children.
Supporting students with special needs is a rewarding yet challenging career.
Starting from this point is a smart move as you will learn whether you’d like
to work in a school environment and how you’d prefer to grow before enrolling
in expensive degree programs to further develop your career.
