Teaching Assistant CV Example (UK)

Headteachers and SENCOs shortlist Teaching Assistants on three things: the year groups and needs you have supported, the interventions you can run without the teacher in the room, and whether you understand safeguarding well enough to be trusted with children all day. A primary school TA CV that names phonics groups, one-to-one support for a pupil with an EHCP and the progress children made gets read before one that lists general duties.

The Sample CV below is for a Level 3 Teaching Assistant with six years in two primary schools in Kent, working across Key Stage 1 and lower Key Stage 2. It shows one-to-one support for an autistic pupil, small-group phonics and maths interventions, playground and lunchtime duties, and the step towards Higher Level Teaching Assistant status.

Adjust it for each school. A special school wants personal care, sensory and communication approaches; a secondary school wants subject support and exam access arrangements; an academy trust may want cover supervision. The US counterpart of this page is the teacher resume example, written for American school districts, since the US has no single equivalent of the TA role; the Faculty template suits school application packs.

Updated . The person and employers in this Sample CV are fictional. Written for applicants in the UK; the page for applicants in the US is the teacher resume example.

Teaching Assistant sample CV

Drawn at A4 proportions, the paper a UK CV is printed on.

Philippa Rookwood

Level 3 Teaching Assistant, Key Stage 1 and 2, SEND and Phonics Interventions

Faversham, ME13philippa.rookwood@example.com07700 900287

Summary

Level 3 Teaching Assistant with six years in mainstream primary schools, supporting Reception to Year 4. Provide one-to-one support for pupils with EHCPs, deliver phonics and maths interventions to small groups, and lead the class for short periods when the teacher is out on PPA. Trained Designated Safeguarding Lead deputy for support staff, paediatric first aider and working towards HLTA status.

Experience

Teaching Assistant (Level 3), Years 1 to 4, Saltmarsh Hollow Primary School

– Present

Faversham, ME13

  • Support an autistic pupil in Year 3 with an EHCP for 25 hours a week, using a visual timetable, a sensory circuit and a quiet workstation agreed with the SENCO and his parents; he now spends most lessons in the classroom with his peers.
  • Run daily Read Write Inc. phonics groups for six Year 1 pupils working below the expected standard; all six met the Year 1 phonics screening threshold.
  • Deliver a twice-weekly maths intervention for Year 4 pupils preparing for the multiplication tables check, tracking their scores on a simple chart that the class teacher uses at pupil progress meetings.
  • Cover the class for registration, guided reading and story time during the teacher's PPA, following her plans and feeding back on each child.
  • Act as a support staff safeguarding champion, reminding colleagues of the CPOMS reporting route and logging concerns the same day.
Teaching Assistant (Level 2), Reception and Year 1, Copperfold Church of England Primary School

–

Whitstable, CT5

  • Supported a Reception class of 30 through the Early Years Foundation Stage, observing children against the early learning goals and adding observations to their online learning journals.
  • Led a weekly speech and language group using a structured programme set by the NHS speech and language therapist.
  • Ran the school's breakfast club two mornings a week and helped with personal care and toileting in Reception.

Education

Level 3 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning

Kingsferry College, Sittingbourne, ME10

Completed while working, with units in supporting pupils with SEND and in behaviour management.

GCSEs: nine at grades 9 to 5, including English Language and Maths

Lydden Reach Academy, Faversham, ME13

Skills

  • One-to-one SEND support
  • Phonics interventions (Read Write Inc.)
  • Maths interventions and times tables
  • EYFS observation and assessment
  • Visual timetables and sensory circuits
  • Behaviour support and de-escalation
  • Safeguarding and CPOMS
  • Class cover during PPA
  • Makaton signing
  • Paediatric first aid

Certifications

  • Paediatric First Aid, 12 hours, Harrowden First Aid Training,
  • Safeguarding children, Keeping Children Safe in Education update, Saltmarsh Hollow Primary School,
  • Enhanced DBS with children's barred list check, on the Update Service, Disclosure and Barring Service,

Start yours from this example

Opens this sample in the editor, in one of the templates below. Swap in your details, then tailor it to each vacancy in about two minutes.

Use this example

How a UK CV differs

A UK Teaching Assistant CV is shorter and more practical than a teacher's, but it sits in the same safer recruitment process. Most schools and academy trusts ask for an application form as well, many will not accept a CV alone under Keeping Children Safe in Education, and every shortlisted candidate is asked about gaps in employment. The US has no direct equivalent: a teacher's aide or paraprofessional is the nearest role, with different qualifications.

For a teaching assistant in the UK

  1. Level and qualification first

    Say Level 2, Level 3 or HLTA in the headline and list the qualification with the year. Schools advertise posts by level, and the level sets the pay grade on the local authority or trust scale.

  2. Key Stages and year groups

    Name EYFS, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2 or the secondary subjects you have supported. A Reception post and a Year 6 post need different strengths, and the head wants to see you match the vacancy.

  3. SEND experience in plain terms

    Describe the needs you have supported, such as autism, speech and language or physical disabilities, and whether the support was tied to an EHCP. Keep it general so no pupil can be identified.

  4. Interventions by name

    Write the phonics scheme, the maths or reading intervention and the group size, and what changed for the children. Named schemes are the words a SENCO searches for.

  5. Safer recruitment details

    Give your Enhanced DBS with the children's barred list and whether it is on the Update Service, and explain any gap in your dates. A school must check both, and saying so up front helps the shortlist.

  6. Referees from school leaders

    Schools contact referees before interview, and one should be your current headteacher or line manager. A CV can say references on request, but the application form will ask for names.

Every CV in the UK

A4 paper
Set the page to A4, 210 by 297 millimetres. A Letter-sized PDF prints with odd margins on A4 and reads as imported from the US.
Two pages is normal
Most UK CVs run to two pages. One page suits a first job; three is rare and only for senior roles with a lot to show.
No photo, no date of birth
UK employers do not expect a photo, a date of birth, marital status or nationality on a CV, and most prefer not to see them.
Dates as DD/MM/YYYY
Day first where a full date appears, and month and year for each role: "Mar 2022 – Present". Never the US month-first order.
British English
Organise, programme, centre, licence, specialise. A CV in American spelling reads as written for somewhere else.
Town and postcode area, not a street address
A line such as "Manchester, M4" is enough. A full postal address, and the US-style "City, ST 12345" line, are not expected.

More on applying in the UK, with every CV example for it, on the UK page.

Templates for the teaching assistant CV

All templates

Every template exports on A4. The previews are drawn on Letter; the editor sets the page size when you export.

How the CV changes with experience

The same teaching assistant CV, written at three levels: a profile and three bullets for each.

Entry level

Zero to two years, or a first post in the title

Patient and organised newcomer to school support with volunteer reading experience in a primary school and two years leading a Beavers colony. Ready to complete a Level 2 or Level 3 qualification on the job.

  • Volunteered as a reading helper in a Year 2 class one morning a week, listening to readers and recording their progress in reading records.
  • Lead weekly sessions for a group of 20 children aged six to eight, planning games and activities with other leaders.
  • Hold a paediatric first aid certificate and an Enhanced DBS for my volunteering.

Mid level

Three to seven years, owns a process or a workload

SEN Teaching Assistant with four years in a special school for pupils with severe learning difficulties and autism, experienced in personal care and communication approaches.

  • Support a class of eight pupils with severe learning difficulties using PECS, intensive interaction and a total communication approach.
  • Deliver personal care, feeding support and manual handling following individual care plans.
  • Record progress against EHCP outcomes for annual review meetings.

Senior

Eight years or more, leads people, budgets or programmes

Higher Level Teaching Assistant with twelve years in primary schools, covering classes, leading interventions across Key Stage 2 and line-managing a team of six TAs.

  • Teach classes across Key Stage 2 for planned cover, delivering lessons to the class teacher's plans.
  • Coordinate the school's intervention timetable and report on its impact to the SENCO each term.
  • Line-manage and train six Teaching Assistants, including induction and performance reviews.

Skills to put on the teaching assistant CV

Hard skills

Phonics and early reading
Primary schools teach a validated systematic phonics scheme, and a TA who already knows it can run catch-up groups from the first week.
SEND support and EHCPs
Many TA posts are funded by a pupil's EHCP, so experience meeting a plan's outcomes is often the reason the post exists.
Intervention delivery and tracking
Headteachers have to show interventions work, and a TA who keeps simple progress records makes that easier.
Behaviour support
Calm, consistent behaviour support keeps learning going for the whole class, and schools ask about it at every interview.
Safeguarding
Every adult in a school must know the signs of abuse and the reporting route, and the panel will test it with a scenario.
First aid
Paediatric first aid is required in early years and valued everywhere, and a current certificate saves the school a course.

Soft skills

Patience
Children learn at different speeds, and the TA is often the adult who repeats, rephrases and waits.
Teamwork with the teacher
A TA who reads the plan, adapts quietly and feeds back clearly frees the teacher to teach.
Discretion
You learn sensitive things about children and families, and they must stay inside the school's procedures.

Mistakes that cost teaching assistant interviews

  1. Supported the teacher, with nothing else

    Every TA supports the teacher. Say which children, which groups, which interventions and what progress they made so the head can picture you in their school.

  2. Naming a pupil

    A first name and a diagnosis on a CV is a confidentiality breach, and safeguarding leads notice. Describe the support without any details that could identify a child.

  3. Unexplained gaps

    Safer recruitment requires the school to ask about gaps. Add a line for each gap, such as caring for family or travelling, so it is not the first question at interview.

  4. Sending a CV where a form is required

    Many schools reject CV-only applications. Use the CV to draft the form and the supporting statement, then send both if the advert allows.

  5. Leaving out first aid and the DBS

    These save the school time and money. Put them in a short certifications section with the year so the business manager can tick them off.

Write bullets with the XYZ formula: what changed, the number that shows it, and how you did it, in one line.

Questions about the teaching assistant CV

What should a Teaching Assistant CV include?

Your TA level and qualification, the Key Stages and needs you have supported, named interventions, safeguarding and first aid training with dates, your DBS status, and two referees from schools.

Can I become a Teaching Assistant with no experience?

Yes. Show time with children, such as volunteering, Scouts or Guides, coaching or childcare, and say you will study for a Level 2 or Level 3 qualification on the job. A volunteer reading role in a school is the strongest first step.

What is the difference between a Level 2, Level 3 and HLTA?

A Level 2 TA works under close direction from the teacher; a Level 3 TA plans and runs interventions and supports pupils with more complex needs; an HLTA has met the higher level standards and can teach whole classes for cover.

Do schools in England accept CVs for TA jobs?

Many ask for their own application form because of safer recruitment rules. Keep a CV up to date anyway; it makes the form quicker and some trusts and agencies ask for one.

How long should a Teaching Assistant CV be?

One or two pages of A4. A newcomer fits one page; an experienced TA with SEND, interventions and training uses two.

How do I tailor a TA CV to a special school?

Lead with personal care, communication approaches such as PECS or Makaton, and experience with complex needs, then move mainstream interventions lower down. Paste the advert into Resume Master and it rewrites the CV against it in about two minutes.

Related CV examples

All CV examples

Every application goes out fitting the vacancy.

Paste a vacancy, get a CV rewritten for it in about two minutes.

Tailor your CV — free

Free to start. No card. Same price on web, iOS and Android.