Trainee Teaching Assistant

East Lancashire - Blackburn, Hyndburn, Burnley, Pendle

Pay: £14.24 - £15.00 per hour via PAYE (salary dependent on experience and/or qualifications)

Start Date: Flexible/Immediate

The Role

Looking to move into education? Your experience in support work could be a great starting point.

Vision for Education are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity for people looking to begin a career in education. No previous experience working in a school or formal teaching qualifications are required.

We are working alongside our client schools in East Lancashire and the surrounding Blackburn, Burnley, Pendle and Hyddburn areas to provide successful Trainee Teaching Assistants with high-quality training and paid, on-the-job experience.

We are particularly interested in speaking to people who have experience in support work, care, residential settings, youth work, mentoring or working with young adults. Your existing skills in building relationships, providing support, managing challenging situations and helping others develop can be highly transferable to a school environment.

Following a successful interview and pending suitability, safeguarding and identity checks, we will work to secure you a paid placement in a school where you can develop your skills and experience.

You will receive comprehensive training before starting your placement, delivered by Vision for Education and experienced school leaders. This will provide you with the essential skills and knowledge required to work effectively as a Teaching Assistant.

Teaching Assistants play an important role in supporting pupils and helping them to achieve their potential. Depending on the school and your placement, you could be supporting the class teacher, working with small groups, or providing one-to-one support to pupils who require additional help.

You will also have the opportunity to develop your experience across different areas of education, including primary, secondary and SEND settings.

We would love to hear from you if:

• You have experience working in support work, care, residential settings or similar roles
• You have experience supporting young adults or individuals with additional needs
• You have worked in youth work, mentoring, healthcare or another people-focused role
• You are considering a career change into education
• You are passionate about helping young people develop and succeed
• You are kind, caring, patient and compassionate
• You have excellent communication and relationship-building skills
• You are proactive and able to work as part of a team
• You are confident supporting individuals who may display challenging behaviour
• You are committed to completing the required training and ongoing CPD
• You are willing to pay for an enhanced DBS check and register with the Update Service

Previous experience working in a school is not essential. We are interested in the skills, experience and qualities you can bring from your previous roles.

Vision for Education is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults. We take our responsibilities extremely seriously. All staff we register will undertake thorough interviewing and referencing checks and hold, or be prepared to undergo, an Enhanced DBS check that must be registered on the Update Service.

About Vision for Education

Vision for Education is a market-leading education recruitment and supply agency committed to the learning and development of young people. With branches across the country, we are an employer of choice for high-quality primary, secondary and SEND teaching and support staff.

We’re part of The Edwin Group, an education alliance here to do good and are proud to be named in The Sunday Times Top 100 Best Places to Work in the UK 2026.

Vision for Education do not discriminate on the grounds of age, gender, race, colour, religion, disability or sexual orientation, and we welcome applications from all sections of the community.

What Vision for Education can offer:

As a valued employee of Vision for Education, you will receive:

• Excellent daily rates paid weekly by our in-house Payroll team using the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system
• Guaranteed pay scheme (subject to availability and qualifying criteria)
• Pension contributions (subject to a qualifying period)
• Full compliance with AWR (Agency Workers’ Regulations)
• FREE training to support your professional development, including Team Teach training, online webinars and safeguarding and child protection updates
• Generous refer a friend or colleague bonus scheme
• Access to a dedicated consultant who will provide ongoing support

How to Apply

We are keen to speak to people who are considering a move into education and have experience supporting young adults, vulnerable individuals or people with additional needs.

If you have worked in support work, care, residential care, youth work or a similar role and would like to explore becoming a Teaching Assistant, we would love to hear from you.

Shortlisting will be taking place ASAP, so if you’re interested in this opportunity, please contact the Preston branch on 01772 669322, send your CV to preston@visionforeducation.co.uk, or apply directly to this vacancy.

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