Not many people can describe their typical working day as “six and a half hours of face time with cool little people!”. But that’s the reality for Lesley Brown.
The 33 year old, who has two young children of her own, works as a classroom assistant in her local village school and pre-five nursery.
“My initial motivation for taking on the job were practical ones – such as the school’s proximity and the holiday time – but I’ve truly grown to love my work and take a great deal of pride in it,” says Lesley.
Show all Education/Teaching jobs across Scotland
“I spend my mornings in pre-five and my afternoons with the upper school. The nursery currently only has one child and the school has 16 youngsters ranging from Primary 2 to 7, who are split into a junior and a senior classroom.”
Lesley admits, while her morning nursery routine is scheduled, daily activities can vary wildly.
“Some mornings we take our charge into the woods to be a ‘fairy postman’ and others we spend working in the ‘mud-kitchen café’. It’s certainly never dull!”
In the upper school a large portion of the afternoon is spent assisting those who might require extra support with a lesson. Lesley also works with some children away from the classroom on their individual reading programs.
It’s an education role that allows her to tap directly into her own passions.
She says: “I consider myself to be a creative person and my job gives me huge scope in this area. Whether it’s helping the children with junk modelling projects or short story ideas, dreaming up new sensory and messy play experiences for nursery or making wall displays, I get to be creative every single working day.”
She adds that the best part about the education sector is how it has evolved to better meet the needs of children as individuals.
“For the most part I had a positive schooling experience, but I know a lot of my generation cannot say the same,” she says. “Now, with a rounder understanding of child development, I think schools are better equipped to educate every child, no matter the challenges.”
The role of classroom assistant is ideal as an entry-level education job and is often seen as an excellent choice for people looking to get back into work or even winding down into retirement.
Applicants are required to have three Standard Grades and a PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) at entry but need to work towards a related qualification within a set timeframe. Lesley, whose career background was in customer service and admin, has an unrelated degree but is working towards her Childcare and Education qualification.
She also attends courses during the school year that cover areas such as child protection and first aid, as well as some chosen for her professional development.
It’s a role that does, however, comes with its own unique challenges.
“Some days can be frustrating,” Lesley admits. “Some days a child may simply refuse to focus or cooperate and that can be tough. Patience is an important quality in this role. You need to genuinely enjoy being around children.
“Kids are full of fun and I get to be around that energy every day,” she says. “Today, for example, I helped a four year old build a stick ‘door’ in the woods and a ten year old research animals of the USA for a tourist brochure!
“It’s an incredibly rewarding job. Everything with children is so ‘in the moment’ that you leave any little worries at the door in the morning and don’t pick them up again until the bell goes!”
If meeting Lesley has inspired you to explore the possibility becoming a classroom assistant, check out the latest vacancies in Education/Teaching on s1jobs.