Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) Assistant

You could do a college course to learn some of the skills you'll need to find a trainee position. 

Examples include:

• supporting teaching and learning in schools
• childcare and education - early years educator
• T Level in Education and Early Years

You may be able to get a placement working with children with special educational needs while doing your course.

Many people get qualifications or experience working with children in mainstream schools, then move on to work with children with special educational needs.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements
• guide to T Levels
• funding advice
• search for courses

You could apply to do an apprenticeship, such as:

• Early Years Practitioner Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
• Teaching Assistant Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
• Early Years Educator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
• Specialist Teaching Assistant Level 5 Higher Apprenticeship

Entry requirements

Employers will set their own entry requirements.

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements
• guide to apprenticeships

You could get experience by volunteering in a local school or with a community organisation.

Volunteering is an excellent way to get experience of working with children and young people. It can also help when applying for jobs or training courses.

You can apply for special needs teaching assistant jobs if you have experience of working with disabled children or children who have learning difficulties.

You can search for schools in your area then look for job vacancies on their websites.

Each school sets its own entry requirements, though you'll usually need GCSEs grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths.

Contracts are often term-time only and if you're employed through an agency, your pay may be based on a daily rate.

Career tips

The ability to communicate with children and young people using British Sign Language or Makaton can be helpful, though your employer may offer you training in this.

It's also helpful to understand what kind of support disabled students and those with particular conditions might need, such as assistive learning and communication technology.

Special needs teaching assistant are employed term-time only. A working week can vary from a few hours up to full time.

Advertised pay rates are often listed as full-time equivalent (FTE). Actual pay will depend on the number of hours worked.

You can also search for jobs using the Teaching Vacancies service.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN) for advice about working in special educational needs and for professional development opportunities.

Further information

You can get more details about a career in special educational needs through:

• Mencap
• NASEN
• the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)