Kind of Education Required For Educational Assistants

1. Kind of Education Required for Educational Assistants If you are thinking about or have decided to become an education assistant, that’s great! Although this is a field that is very involved, impactful, and rewarding, many who are just entering the field of educational assistants don’t know where to start. That's completely normal. Trying to find out all the necessary information about education assistants can be a little convoluted, especially if you are simply googling your questions. The internet can be a great resource but can also be a playground for misinformation as well as irrelevant information too. But in this article we’ll go over the most common questions and need to know information about educational assistants. How do I become a certified teaching assistant? What kind of education is required for educational assistants? The journey to becoming an educational assistant first begins with getting your post-secondary education. When it comes to the education requirements, it’s strongly recommended to have a minimum of one year of post-secondary education. Most employers generally prefer their educational assistants to have a high school diploma and some sort of related post-secondary education. One surefire way to help you stand out to potential employers is by having related experience in real- world settings. One way to do this is by selecting a post-secondary program that has a practicum built into the curriculum. What do education assistants do? There’s many tasks that an education assistant can take care of. Their responsibilities can range from teaching-related duties to play time activities to supervision. The undertakings can depend on the circumstances and needs of the school or the classroom in question. Key responsibilities of an education assistant are:

2. ●Making sure the class is prepared for activities ●Helping students and supervising them ●Monitoring the behaviour of students ●Taking care of paperwork ●Collecting student evaluation data ●Marking tests for teachers’ review ●Documenting pupils’ strengths and weaknesses ●Assisting in field trips and other events and activities There are certain traits and qualities that you should possess to become a successful education assistant. These include being flexible, having patience, creativity, high tolerance level, sensitive to those around you, and a positive attitude. As well, you should have good health and physical fitness. Where can you work with an educational assistant certificate? Working as an education assistant goes beyond the classroom. According to ALIS Alberta, There are many different types of areas where they can work, and these include: ●Private, public, and charter schools from kindergarten to grade 12 ●Early intervention programs ●Post-secondary schools ●High schools for adults ●Day programs and summer camps ●Homeschooling environments ●After school programs ●Other social services where education is offered You can work at the capacity you’re comfortable with since there are both full time and part time opportunities and jobs available. As an education assistant, you might be worried whether there’s room for you in the market. While there is a decent amount of competition in the field, you can get into the workforce easily with an education assistant course online in Canada.

3. How much do Educational Assistants make? According to ca.talent.com, the education assistant salary in Canada is $40,511 per year on average, or $20.78 per hour. Entry-level positions begin at $36,420 per year, while experienced workers can make up to $50,016 per year. How to prepare yourself for a Educational Assistant interview So now that you know what education requirements there are, where you can work, the next step is to start applying! But what happens when you start getting call backs and scheduling interviews? That means it’s time to prepare! We made a small list of common interview questions according Indeed.ca Question: Why do you want this job as an educational assistant? Although people may become educational assistants for many different reasons, people who work in elementary schools often do so because they want to work with children. If this reason applies to you, you can include this information in your response, but consider that most candidates may provide similar answers. Therefore, it may be beneficial to provide a more personal response. Think about your schooling and a time when an educational assistant helped you succeed. Share this inspiration with the interviewer. This question is used to gauge the applicant’s interest in education and is used to get more background context on why working as an education assistant is appealing and interesting to you. There are many reasons why an individual may want to pursue a career in education, when answering this question you may want to take a personal approach. Be honest about why you first became interested in becoming a education assistant, if you have any specific information that can further back you like previous experience with children or more relevant analogies. Example answer: “ I have loved working with for a number of years, previous to pursuing my educational assistant diploma I used to work in a daycare in a very entry level position. I really enjoyed interacting and working with the children. I particularly

4. enjoyed working with children in this age group because I could help the kids learn in a fun and creative environment. It brought me full circle since I remembered how much I loved my own teachers when I was young and how they made learning exciting and fun.” Question: Why do you want to work at this school? If you get this question at your interview, a prospective employer might be trying to see if you plan on staying at the school long-term. They also may be looking to see if you have conducted your own research on the school and can remember facts or other relevant information. Its always strongly recommended to research the school before going into your interview, it also is a good tip to brush up right before heading in too! Example answer: “I have lived in this area for 3 years now and I’ve heard wonderful things about this school from the neighbors and friends as well. I really admire how parents are involved with the school activities and heard excellent feedback about the teachers and administration. I know that this school really cares about being impactful with this community which just highlights the values this school teaches to its students.” Question: Can you share with me your experience working with children? Having experience working with children can help you immensely in getting this job. . Be ready to describe some of your experiences where you have been responsible for children. This is where it pays off to have taken an educational assistant program that has a built-in practicum just in case you don’t have any jobs where you worked with children. Example answer: “I have had some previous experience handling and working with children when I was a daycare assistant but I got the most experience in my practicum when I worked as an educational assistant who had the opportunity to work with children

5. ages six to nine. This gave me the opportunity to assist several teachers and it really taught me how to be flexible. Working alongside the educators was one of the most rewarding feelings and it motivates me to pursue this career even more. I also learned I really enjoyed working with kids this age because of how excited they are to learn.”