Is a TA Job Stressful? Uncover the Truth About the TA Role Today

Ever wondered what a Teaching Assistant (TA) in a UK school does all day? These important people are key to keeping classrooms running smoothly and giving vital support to students and teachers. This report takes a close look at their many different roles, the pressures they deal with, and the big impact they have on teaching, especially looking towards 2025 and beyond. So, let’s find out: is being a TA stressful?

The Big Role of Teaching Assistants in Our Schools

Teaching Assistants are a really important part of UK schools. They help teachers and students in primary, secondary, and special schools. Their job has changed a lot since it was first thought of in the late 1960s. Back then, they were extra helpers, but now they’re a core part of the school team. TAs, who are sometimes called Classroom Assistants or Learning Support Assistants, do many different things:

• Getting lessons and materials ready
• Setting up classrooms
• Giving direct help to students (one-on-one or in small groups)
• Checking on how students are doing with their schoolwork
• Looking after the general well-being of students

More TAs are needed now, especially because more children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are in regular schools. The people in charge of education see how important TAs are and have done a lot of research into how they are used and the difference they make.

Even though they’re so important, TAs often don’t get the recognition or rewards they deserve. They are often called “essential,” but they usually get low pay and don’t have many chances to move up in their careers. Schools rely on them but do without giving them proper status, which creates a shaky situation and makes it hard to find and keep TAs. Counting on their “unsung heroism” might work for a bit, but it’s a long-term weakness for schools.

Is a TA Job Stressful? Looking at Workload and Well-being

Being a TA in the UK often means dealing with a lot of stress. This comes from a mix of things:

• Having many different kinds of responsibilities
• “Job creep” (their job slowly getting bigger)
• Not enough staff in schools
• Dealing with a lot of emotional and people-related demands

TAs have to switch between many tasks, like explaining tricky ideas, getting lessons ready, marking work, and doing office tasks, which can be mentally tiring. On top of helping in class, they manage student behaviour, handle too much paperwork, and sort out tech problems. Recent reports confirm that the range of TA duties has “greatly increased,” including helping the whole class, individual students, or small groups (often students with SEND), as well as looking after their well-being and doing jobs outside the classroom like admin or playground duty.

What is “Job Creep”?

A big cause of stress is “job creep,” where TAs slowly get more responsibilities than their job description says, without more pay or time. This can lead to too much work and burnout. Not having enough staff in schools makes this worse, often forcing TAs to take on more than they should, like covering classes regularly. A big survey a few years ago showed that over half (52%) of school support staff felt stressed, anxious, or down because of their workload. A large number (41.5%) found it hard to finish their work, and more than one in eight (13.4%) said it was impossible. Nearly half (47%) thought about quitting, mainly because of low pay, stress, and too much work. It’s also accepted that giving TAs tasks that teachers used to do “does increase work-related stress for some TAs.“

The Ups and Downs of Being a Teaching Assistant

Emotional, physical, and people-related pressures also add a lot to stress. Classrooms can be unpredictable, so TAs need to be ready for anything which can affect their well-being. Noisy or crowded classrooms make things harder. TAs who help students with SEND or difficult behaviour face especially high demands. Dealing with teachers, students, and parents can be tough, and misunderstandings or unclear job roles can make stress worse. Studies show that job demands and lack of control lead to TAs feeling more stressed, and some even face aggression from students or parents.

Even with these pressures, TAs generally say they get a lot of satisfaction from their jobs. Recent surveys found three-quarters (75%) of TAs were happy, mostly because they feel they make a real difference in students’ lives. Many TAs feel they build closer bonds with students than teachers do. But this happiness is offset by being very unhappy about:

• Their pay
• Chances of getting promoted

For TAs thinking about leaving, low pay (60%) and few chances for promotion (40%) were the main reasons. Only half (50%) of TAs were happy with their chances to move up, and for TAs in secondary schools, it was even lower (40%). Most TAs and many school leaders think their pay and working conditions don’t match how important their job is, but school budgets make it hard to offer better pay. There’s a worry that schools take TAs’ dedication for granted, which could lead to problems keeping them, as many stay on the job because they want to help, even with low pay.

What skills do you get from being a teaching assistant?

Being a TA helps you learn lots of great skills. You learn to:

• Manage a busy classroom well.
• Communicate really well with children of all ages.
• Get good at explaining difficult things simply and understanding different ways children learn (this is key for students with SEND).
• Give support that’s just right for each student, which makes you more patient and better at solving problems.
• Work well with teachers and parents, making your people skills stronger.
• Get good at spotting where students are struggling, keeping track of their progress, and even fixing tech problems in the classroom. These are all skills that are useful in many other jobs, not just in schools.

Do Teaching Assistants Actually Teach?

It’s not a simple yes or no answer to whether TAs teach. Basically, TAs are support staff with some training, and their main job is to help teachers and help children with their learning. Their usual tasks include:

• Helping children who need extra support.
• Helping teachers get lessons ready and with office work.
• Watching over group activities.
• Dealing with challenging student behaviour.

TAs are also meant to help all children feel included, use good ways to manage behaviour and help check on students’ progress. Importantly, TAs usually work under a teacher’s guidance and have “limited independence” in their jobs. They aren’t expected to make their own decisions about what or how to teach. It’s understood that TAs give different kinds of support – to the whole class, one-on-one, or to small groups – mostly for students with specific needs, especially SEND.

There’s a key difference between regular TAs and Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs). Regular TAs mostly work directly for a teacher. HLTAs, on the other hand, are trained to give “more advanced support.” HLTAs can:

• Lead lessons on their own.
• Do jobs given to them, like helping plan lessons, teach, and mark work (though still with a teacher’s guidance)?
• Often, they lead lessons by themselves, especially if a teacher is away, which means they need a good understanding of the curriculum. Getting HLTA status is seen as similar to having a foundation degree. Teaching unions agree that HLTAs can be responsible for “planning, preparing and delivering learning activities” for individuals, groups, or even whole classes for short times.

What are the benefits of having TAs?

TAs bring huge benefits:

• They give vital one-on-one help, which is great for students, especially those with SEND.
• They free up teachers’ time so teachers can focus more on their main teaching jobs.
• They play a big part in managing student behaviour and helping make classrooms calm and productive.
• They often build strong, trusting relationships with students, helping them feel safe and supported.
• They help with checking student progress and giving useful feedback.
• They help make sure all learners are included. Their ability to adapt to different needs makes them incredibly useful in any school.

Head over to our blog for an in-depth look at the pros and cons of being a Teaching Assistant and see if it’s the right fit for you!

The UK Picture and What’s Next for Teaching Assistants (2025 and Beyond)

The TA role is closely tied to wider education policies, school funding, and what unions are pushing for. The increasing number of children with SEND in regular schools means that how TAs are used needs to be looked at again and again.

But this growing need for TAs comes at a time when schools have ongoing money problems, often forcing TAs to “do more with less.” Low pay and few chances for promotion are often mentioned as big reasons why it’s hard to keep TAs.

Unions play a key part in fighting for better conditions. For the 2025/26 school year, unions for support staff are asking for big pay rises, including:

• At least a £3,000 increase or 10% (whichever is more) on all pay scales.
• A clear plan for a minimum wage of £15 per hour.
• An extra day of holiday each year.
• A shorter working week. A very important promise is to bring back the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB). This group would be responsible for creating a national guide on working conditions, training, career paths, and fair pay for support staff.

Improvements in training and career paths are also set to change the TA role. A key new thing is the Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship, starting in July 2025. This 15-month course, similar to a foundation degree, offers a clear way for TAs to move forward in their careers. It covers:

• Rules and regulations
• Improving learning
• Planning and checking progress
• Professional skills and communication
• Options to focus on SEND, social/emotional well-being, or certain subject areas. This official training aims to give TAs more skills and also offers a route to HLTA status.

Conclusion

Even with these good developments, schools still struggle to find and keep TAs. Three out of four headteachers say they find it hard to hire TAs. Low pay and the feeling that there aren’t many career opportunities are still big issues. The new Level 5 apprenticeship offers a clear path for career growth, which could really help keep more TAs on the job.

Bringing back the SSSNB and starting the Level 5 Apprenticeship shows that the importance of the TA role is being officially recognized. These steps are a strong effort to make career paths official, improve pay, and offer better training. This points to a big move towards making TA work a more recognized profession.

But there’s a serious clash between the growing need for TA support and the money problems schools face. More students with SEND mean more need for TAs. At the same time, schools are dealing with tight budgets. This difficult situation makes workloads worse and directly adds to TAs’ stress. The success of new plans will depend heavily on whether schools can afford to use these newly trained, more skilled TAs properly and pay them fairly.

Ready to ace your TA journey? Enrol in our online Teaching Assistant Course at Wise Campus today!