5 CV examples · UK · Updated October 2026
Teaching Assistant CV Examples and Templates (UK)
A strong teaching assistant CV shows a UK school three things quickly: you support learning through phonics, reading and small-group work, you keep children safe, and you work well with teachers, the SENCo and families. Named schemes and real results beat adjectives.
Teaching Assistant CV at a glance
- Best format
- Reverse-chronological, one column, personal profile first
- Length
- One page for new TAs; one or two for experienced
- Top skills
- Phonics and reading support, SEND and EHCP support, Positive behaviour management, Safeguarding awareness
- Key qualifications
- Enhanced DBS, PVG (Scotland) or AccessNI, Level 3 Supporting Teaching and Learning, GCSE English and maths (grade 4+)
- Average salary
- £19,000 to £26,000 a yearstarter to experienced, National Careers Service
- Typical hours
- 16 to 37 a week, term timeevenings occasionally
5 teaching assistant CV examples for 2026
Below are 5 teaching assistant CV examples, from no experience to HLTA, each with a free Word template. You will also find personal statement examples, skills, copy-ready bullet points, the best format, keywords and answers on application forms, DBS checks and qualifications. Each one is shown at true A4 size and comes with a free single-column Word template. Open any example to read it in full.
Swipe to see all 5 examples →
Aisha Rahman
Teaching Assistant
Bradford · aisha.rahman@email.com · 07700 900214
Personal Profile
Career changer moving into school support after 9 years in retail, with a twice-weekly volunteer role in a Year 1 class and the NCFE CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning. Hears individual readers, practises phonics with small groups and stays calm with upset children. Speaks Urdu and Punjabi. Enhanced DBS on the Update Service.
Core Competencies
Hearing readers and reading records · Read Write Inc. phonics practice · EAL support (Urdu and Punjabi) · Calm behaviour support · Safeguarding awareness and reporting · Classroom resources and displays · Communicating with parents · Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Employment History
Volunteer Classroom Helper (Year 1), Saltmoor Primary School, Bradford Sep 2025 – Present
- Volunteer two mornings a week in a Year 1 class of 30, continuing after the Level 2 course placement here ended.
- Hear up to 10 children read each session, noting progress in reading records and flagging pupils who keep stalling.
- Practised Read Write Inc. speed sounds with 4 catch-up pupils under the class teacher’s direction; 3 went on to meet the phonics screening check standard.
Retail Supervisor (part-time since Sep 2025), Hollins & Wray Homestore, Bradford Mar 2020 – Present
- Supervise a team of 6 on each shift, setting priorities, covering breaks and training new starters on tills and stock.
- Handle complaints and refunds calmly, keeping customer satisfaction above 90% for 4 quarters running.
- Plan the weekly rota around staff childcare and college hours, cutting last-minute shift gaps by a third.
Sales Assistant, Hollins & Wray Homestore, Bradford Jun 2017 – Feb 2020
- Served up to 200 customers a day on tills and the shop floor, staying patient through busy, noisy periods.
- Designed seasonal window displays for 3 years running, now applied to classroom displays and working walls.
- Organised a children’s book collection for a local primary school library, gathering over 400 donated books in a month.
Education & Qualifications
NCFE CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning (completed Jul 2026)
A-levels: Sociology (B), English Literature (C), Business Studies (C), 2017
9 GCSEs grades A* to C including English (B) and Maths (C), 2015
Training & Certificates
Paediatric First Aid (12-hour), 2025 · Safeguarding and Prevent training, 2025 · Enhanced DBS (Update Service)
Why this example works
- Puts the Level 2 course and a real school placement first, so the lack of a paid TA role never reads as a lack of classroom practice.
- Retail bullets are rewritten around calm, rotas, training and children’s books, the transferable skills a busy primary class needs.
- Shows Urdu and Punjabi as practical EAL and family-liaison skills, with a pupil outcome to prove it.
Hannah Kowalski
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Bristol · hannah.kowalski@email.com · 07700 900762 · linkedin.com/in/hannahkowalski
Skills & Tools
Personal Profile
English graduate (2:1) working as a graduate teaching assistant in an 11 to 16 academy, supporting English and maths at Key Stages 3 and 4. Runs reading and GCSE interventions, works as a reader and scribe for exam access arrangements and covers lessons. Applying for secondary English teacher training for September 2027.
Employment History
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Kestrel Down Academy, Bristol Sep 2025 – Present
- Ran twice-weekly fluency sessions for 10 Year 7 pupils in 2025-26, raising their average reading age by 14 months.
- Write retrieval quizzes for Year 11 English and maths that the English department now uses across 4 classes.
- Acted as reader and scribe for 9 pupils in GCSE mocks and summer exams, following JCQ rules.
- Cover up to 4 lessons a week as a cover supervisor, applying the behaviour policy so set work gets done.
Private Tutor (English and Maths), Self-employed, Exeter Oct 2023 – Jul 2025
- Tutored 6 regular pupils from Year 6 to Year 11, planning sessions from past papers and school feedback.
- Helped a Year 11 pupil move from grade 3 to grade 5 in GCSE English Language by results day.
- Sent progress notes to parents after every session; every family stayed for the full academic year.
Student Ambassador, University of Exeter, Exeter Nov 2022 – Jun 2025
- Led campus tours and taster sessions for visiting school groups of up to 30 Year 12 students.
- Mentored 3 first-generation applicants through their personal statements; all three received offers.
- Spoke at 4 widening-participation events on student finance and university life.
Education & Qualifications
BA (Hons) English, University of Exeter, 2:1, 2025
A-levels: English Literature (A), History (A), Psychology (B), 2022
9 GCSEs grades 9-5 including English Language (8) and Maths (6), 2020
Training & Certificates
KCSIE safeguarding and Prevent training, 2026 · Youth Mental Health First Aid, 2026 · Enhanced DBS
Memberships
- Member of the National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE) since 2025
Why this example works
- States the next step, secondary English teacher training, so schools see a committed future teacher rather than a short stay.
- Exam access, cover and intervention results show secondary-specific skills that a generic primary TA CV would miss.
- Tutoring and ambassador roles fill the university years with relevant, measurable work with young people.
Why this example works
- Each bullet pairs a named programme with an outcome, such as phonics screening check results, the evidence Level 3 TA adverts ask for.
- Naming Little Wandle, NELI, Numicon and Tapestry mirrors the exact language schools use in their person specifications.
- The apprenticeship and coaching history show a steady route into the role, with no gaps to explain at interview.
Applying through an online portal? Use the Word download: it is the same CV in a single-column, ATS-safe layout. Keep this two-column design for emailing and networking.
Why this example works
- Names the needs (autism, SLCN), the tools (Makaton, PECS, Attention Autism) and the EHCP work that SEN job descriptions list as essential.
- Measurable 1:1 progress, such as time in class and times-table recall, proves impact without breaching pupil confidentiality.
- The nursery years show a clear path from early years into specialist SEN practice, with a qualification at each step.
Harpreet Kaur
Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA)
Wolverhampton · harpreet.kaur@email.com · 07700 900905 · linkedin.com/in/harpreetkaur
Profile
Higher Level Teaching Assistant with HLTA status and 15 years in primary schools, covering PPA time across Key Stage 2 and leading the school’s reading and maths intervention programme. Line-manages 6 teaching assistants, works as a trained ELSA and serves as a deputy designated safeguarding lead. Plans and teaches whole-class lessons from teachers’ medium-term plans. Seeking an HLTA or senior TA post with responsibility for interventions and support staff.
Employment History
Higher Level Teaching Assistant, Wrenhurst Primary School, Wolverhampton Sep 2021 – Present
- Teach PPA cover for 3 Key Stage 2 classes each week, delivering whole-class science, RE, computing and PE from teachers’ plans.
- Lead the intervention timetable for 6 TAs across Years 3 to 6, matching pupils to programmes from termly assessment data and reviewing impact.
- Ran Year 6 reading booster groups; 11 of 14 pupils reached the expected standard in the 2026 KS2 reading test.
- Deliver 6-week ELSA programmes to around 10 pupils a year on anxiety, friendships and loss, with half-termly educational psychologist supervision.
- Act as deputy designated safeguarding lead, recording and following up concerns on CPOMS and covering the DSL during absence.
Teaching Assistant (Level 3), Wrenhurst Primary School, Wolverhampton Sep 2017 – Aug 2021
- Supported a Year 4 class of 30, including 5 pupils on SEN support plans and 1 pupil with an EHCP for communication needs.
- Introduced daily 5-minute arithmetic warm-ups that lifted the class average termly arithmetic score from 21 to 29 out of 40.
- Ran daily phone check-ins for 12 vulnerable families during the 2020 and 2021 school closures, linking them to food and laptop support.
- Covered the class during short-term teacher absence, following the teacher’s plans so learning and routines stayed on track.
- Mentored 2 apprentice TAs through their Level 3 portfolios, observations and end-point assessment preparation; both passed first time.
Teaching Assistant (Level 2), Copperfield Vale Primary School, Wolverhampton Sep 2013 – Aug 2017
- Worked in Reception and Year 1, hearing readers daily and helping pupils apply their phonics in independent writing.
- Supported 2 newly arrived pupils with EAL, using Punjabi to welcome their families and explain school routines and homework.
- Prepared resources, displays and the classroom for lessons, and supervised playtimes and lunchtimes on a weekly rota.
- Trained as a Read Write Inc. Phonics group leader, teaching a daily group of 8 Year 1 pupils.
Midday Supervisor and Volunteer Reading Helper, Copperfield Vale Primary School, Wolverhampton Sep 2011 – Jul 2013
- Supervised lunch and play for 90 Key Stage 1 pupils, setting up playground games that cut lunchtime incidents.
- Volunteered 2 mornings a week as a reading helper, leading to a paid teaching assistant post at the school in 2013.
- Ran a weekly lunchtime gardening club with a class teacher for 15 pupils, growing vegetables for the school kitchen.
Customer Service Adviser, Wulfcroft Insurance Services, Wolverhampton Mar 2005 – Aug 2009
- Handled up to 60 customer calls a day, resolving policy queries and complaints within service targets.
- Trained 4 new advisers on systems and call handling, building early coaching and mentoring skills.
Education & Qualifications
Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) status, 2021
CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Specialist Support for Teaching and Learning in Schools, 2017
CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools, 2013
GCSEs including English Language (B) and Maths (C)
Training & Certificates
Designated safeguarding lead training (deputy DSL), renewed 2025 · ELSA training with the local educational psychology service, 2022 · Emergency First Aid at Work, 2025 · Enhanced DBS, DBS Update Service
Key Skills
PPA cover and whole-class teaching · Intervention planning from assessment data · Year 6 SATs booster groups · Line management and TA appraisal · ELSA emotional literacy support · Deputy DSL and CPOMS · KS2 reading and arithmetic · Restorative behaviour practice · EAL support (Punjabi speaker) · Parent meetings and family liaison · Arbor MIS and assessment trackers · Inducting and training support staff
Leadership and governance
- Elected staff governor at Wrenhurst Primary School since 2022
- Member of the school’s teaching and learning working group since 2023
Career break
- Career break to raise a family, 2009 – 2011, including weekly volunteering at a parent and toddler group
Languages
- Punjabi (fluent, spoken), used for EAL support and family liaison
Why this example works
- HLTA status sits in the title, profile and qualifications, then PPA cover and leadership bullets prove it is used every week.
- Shows a clear 15-year progression from midday supervisor to HLTA, which panels read as commitment and growing responsibility.
- Deputy DSL and ELSA roles show the wider responsibility that separates an HLTA from a Level 3 TA.
Teaching Assistant personal profile examples
Copy the personal profile that matches your level, then swap in your own experience, settings and results.
Patient and organised parent volunteer moving into a teaching assistant role, with 2 years helping weekly in a Reception class and a Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning under way. Confident hearing readers, leading phonics games and settling upset children. Enhanced DBS on the Update Service and available for term-time hours.
Recent school leaver with 7 GCSEs, including English and Maths at grade 5, and a 2-week work experience placement in a Year 2 class. Volunteers as a young leader at a Saturday drama club for children aged 6 to 10. Keen to start a Teaching Assistant Level 3 apprenticeship and learn phonics, behaviour support and SEND practice.
Level 2 teaching assistant with 3 years in Key Stage 2, supporting a Year 5 class and running daily reading and times tables interventions. Trained in precision teaching and Zones of Regulation, with a calm approach that helps pupils return to learning after incidents. Studying for the Level 3 Diploma in Supporting Teaching and Learning.
Learning support assistant with 5 years supporting pupils with EHCPs in a mainstream secondary school, specialising in autism, dyslexia and anxiety. Experienced reader and scribe for GCSE access arrangements, with Makaton Level 2 and Team Teach training. Works closely with the SENCo and families to keep pupils in lessons and on track.
HLTA with 10 years in primary education, covering PPA in Years 1 to 4 and leading phonics catch-up across Key Stage 1. Line-manages 4 TAs, delivers staff training on early reading and supports the SENCo with provision maps. Seeking an HLTA or cover supervisor role in a school with a strong reading culture.
Best skills for a teaching assistant CV
List the skills the job advert and person specification name, in the same wording, and prove the important ones in your employment history.
Hard skills
- Phonics delivery (systematic synthetic phonics)
- Hearing readers and keeping reading records
- Small-group and 1:1 interventions
- Supporting pupils with SEND and EHCPs
- Behaviour management to the school policy
- EYFS observations and assessment
- Exam access arrangements (reader, scribe, prompter)
- Precision teaching
- Classroom and resource preparation
- Cover supervision and PPA cover
- Safeguarding and child protection reporting
- Supporting pupils with EAL
- Intimate and personal care
- Tracking progress against targets
Soft skills
- Patience and calm under pressure
- Clear, encouraging communication
- Active listening
- Teamwork with teachers and the SENCo
- Flexibility when plans change
- Discretion and confidentiality
- Building trust with families
Systems and equipment
- Tapestry (EYFS learning journal)
- CPOMS or MyConcern safeguarding logs
- Arbor, SIMS or Bromcom MIS
- Interactive whiteboards and visualisers
- Numicon and Base 10 resources
- LanguageScreen (NELI)
- Microsoft Office and Google Workspace
Qualifications and training
- Enhanced DBS with children’s barred list check (England and Wales)
- PVG scheme membership (Scotland) or enhanced AccessNI check (Northern Ireland)
- Education Workforce Council registration (Wales)
- NCFE CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning
- NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Supporting Teaching and Learning
- Teaching Assistant Level 3 apprenticeship
- T Level in Education and Early Years
- Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) status
- Paediatric First Aid (12-hour)
- Team Teach positive behaviour training
- Makaton workshops (Levels 1 to 4)
Teaching Assistant CV bullet point examples
Strong bullets pair an action verb with a specific task and a measurable result. Adapt these to your own numbers.
Reading and phonics
- Delivered daily catch-up phonics to 5 Year 2 pupils who had not met the screening check, and 4 met it on the retake.
- Heard 15 pupils read every week and wrote clear reading record comments that parents could act on at home.
- Set up a lunchtime book club for reluctant Year 5 readers, growing attendance from 4 to 16 pupils in a term.
SEND and inclusion
- Adapted worksheets with symbols and larger print for a pupil with a visual impairment, following the sensory support team’s advice.
- Helped a pupil with Down syndrome join whole-class maths using Numicon, with targets reviewed with the SENCo each half term.
- Used a now-and-next board and timed breaks to reduce one pupil’s classroom exits from daily to twice a week.
Behaviour and wellbeing
- Ran a 6-week friendship group for 4 Year 3 pupils, using role play and social stories to rebuild playground relationships.
- Applied the school’s restorative approach after incidents, helping pupils repair relationships and return to learning quickly.
- Greeted a school-avoidant pupil at the gate each morning, helping his attendance rise from 78% to 94% over two terms.
Teamwork, safeguarding and organisation
- Recorded safeguarding concerns on CPOMS the same day and passed urgent disclosures straight to the designated safeguarding lead.
- Prepared adapted resources for 3 classes each week, so teachers could use their PPA time for planning and assessment.
- Fed back to the class teacher after every intervention session, so next steps were built into the following week’s plans.
Action verbs for a teaching assistant CV
Start each bullet with a precise verb instead of “responsible for”.
- Supported
- Delivered
- Led
- Prepared
- Organised
- Prioritised
- Adapted
- Encouraged
- Modelled
- Monitored
- Recorded
- Assessed
- Tracked
- Facilitated
- Mentored
- Coached
- Liaised
- Reassured
- De-escalated
- Differentiated
- Scaffolded
- Supervised
- Collaborated
- Personalised
- Analysed
- Introduced
- Resourced
- Championed
Find more by category with the free action verb finder.
Best CV format for a teaching assistant
Use a reverse-chronological teaching assistant CV in one column: personal profile, key skills, employment history, then education and training. New TAs fit on one page, experienced TAs on one or two, SEN and HLTA candidates usually two. Send it with the school’s application form, not instead of it.
| Your situation | Format | Length | Lead with |
|---|---|---|---|
| No experience or career changer | Skills-led reverse-chronological, school volunteering first | 1 page | Placement, Level 2 course, DBS, transferable skills |
| School leaver or apprentice | Reverse-chronological with education near the top | 1 page | GCSE English and maths, work experience, youth roles |
| Primary TA (Level 2 or 3) | Reverse-chronological | 1 to 2 pages | Key stages, phonics scheme, intervention results |
| SEN TA or learning support assistant | Reverse-chronological with a specialist training section | 2 pages | Needs supported, EHCP work, Makaton, Team Teach |
| Graduate TA before teacher training | Reverse-chronological | 1 page | Degree subject, key stages, cover and exam support |
| HLTA or senior TA | Reverse-chronological | 2 pages | HLTA status, PPA cover, leadership, outcomes |
Every example above follows these rules, on A4 and without a photo, date of birth or full address.
How to write a teaching assistant CV that gets shortlisted
A teaching assistant CV gets shortlisted when it proves three things: you support learning, you keep children safe and you work well with teachers. Open with a personal profile, then show named interventions, key stages and results rather than a list of duties.
Mirror the advert and person specification. If the school asks for phonics, name the scheme you know, such as Read Write Inc. Phonics or Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised. If it asks for SEND experience, name the needs you have supported and the strategies that worked.
Use this teaching assistant CV template structure: personal profile, key skills, employment history, education and qualifications, then training and checks. Keep it to one or two sides of A4 in a clean, single-column layout.
Teaching assistant CV with no experience
You can write a strong teaching assistant CV with no paid school experience. Schools value volunteering, parenting, youth work, sports coaching, tutoring and childcare, as long as you show what you did with children and what changed as a result.
Volunteer regularly in a local school, which will carry out its own checks first. Adults can start a Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning or a Level 3 apprenticeship; school leavers aged 16 to 19 can also take the T Level in Education and Early Years.
Then translate your current job into school language: de-escalating complaints in retail, planning rotas in hospitality, keeping accurate records in admin. Career changers should lead with the profile and skills, then the school-based experience, however small.
Keywords to include on a teaching assistant CV
Use the advert’s exact terms in your profile, skills and bullets, because panels score each application against the person specification. In England, schools and trusts advertise on their own portals and on Teaching Vacancies, the free GOV.UK service.
This guide follows England’s system. In Wales, use ALN and IDP terms. Scottish schools advertise classroom or pupil support assistant roles and use ASN terms, and Northern Ireland uses statements of SEN. For English schools, include these:
- EYFS, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, Key Stages 3 and 4
- Phonics, early reading, guided reading, phonics screening check
- SEND, SEN support, EHCP, SENCo, autism, SEMH, SLCN
- Safeguarding, KCSIE, enhanced DBS, designated safeguarding lead
- Interventions, precision teaching, Numicon, NELI
- Behaviour policy, de-escalation, restorative practice
- EAL, pastoral support, ELSA, attendance
- PPA cover, cover supervision and HLTA for senior roles
Application forms, DBS checks and safer recruitment
Expect an application form, a criminal records check and references. In England, the statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education says schools should only accept a CV alongside an application form, so use your CV to complete a full employment history and a focused supporting statement.
England and Wales use an enhanced DBS check with a children’s barred list check. Scotland requires PVG scheme membership through Disclosure Scotland, and Northern Ireland an enhanced AccessNI check. In Wales, school learning support workers must also register with the Education Workforce Council.
English schools take up references where possible before interview and may search online for shortlisted candidates. Panels look closely at employment gaps, so explain any break briefly and honestly.
Teaching assistant qualifications and progression
There is no single required qualification, but most schools in England ask for GCSE English and maths at grade 4 (C) or above. Common routes are the NCFE CACHE Level 2 Certificate or Level 3 Diploma in Supporting Teaching and Learning and the Teaching Assistant Level 3 apprenticeship.
In England, experienced TAs can gain Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) status, assessed against the national HLTA standards by regional assessment providers. Graduates can train for qualified teacher status (QTS) through postgraduate training. Non-graduates can take an undergraduate degree with QTS or, in England, a teacher degree apprenticeship.
What to include and leave off a UK teaching assistant CV
| ✓ Include | ✗ Avoid |
|---|---|
| A 3 to 5 line personal profile naming your key stages and strengths | A photo, date of birth, marital status or full home address |
| Your phonics scheme and named interventions, such as NELI, Numicon or precision teaching | Pupils’ names, initials or any identifying details |
| The SEND needs you have supported and the strategies that worked | Duty lists copied straight from your job description |
| Your DBS, PVG or AccessNI check, plus DBS Update Service status | Unexplained gaps in your employment history |
| Safeguarding, first aid and behaviour training with dates | Named referees (References available on request is enough) |
| GCSE English and maths grades, plus your TA qualification | Vague claims such as great with kids, with no evidence |
| Results: reading ages, screening check passes, attendance, fewer incidents | Text boxes, tables or graphics that online systems can misread |
| Volunteering and work with children outside school |
How to write a teaching assistant CV
- Read the advert and person specification. Highlight every essential and desirable criterion, such as phonics, SEND, a key stage or first aid. Each one should appear somewhere in your CV with evidence, because shortlisting panels score applications against the person specification.
- Write a personal profile. In 3 to 5 lines, say who you are, the age group or key stages you support, your strongest skills and your qualification level. End with the role you want, such as a Level 3 TA post in Key Stage 1.
- List key skills that match the role. Choose 8 to 12 specific skills: named phonics schemes, interventions, SEND strategies, behaviour approaches and systems such as Tapestry or CPOMS. Leave out generic traits and show those through your bullet points instead.
- Show your experience with results. List roles newest first with dates. For each, write 3 to 5 bullets that start with an action verb and show a result: reading progress, screening check passes, better attendance, fewer incidents or smoother transitions.
- Add qualifications, training and checks. Include GCSE English and maths grades, your TA qualification or apprenticeship, and safeguarding, first aid and specialist training with dates. State your enhanced DBS (or PVG or AccessNI check) and whether it is on the DBS Update Service.
- Tailor it and pair it with the application form. Proofread for UK spelling, keep it to one or two A4 pages and save it as Word or PDF. Then use it to complete the school’s application form and supporting statement, which most schools require.
Teaching Assistant salary in the UK
National averages for England. Use them to benchmark offers, not as a promise for any single job.
The National Careers Service puts average pay for a teaching assistant at £19,000 a year for new starters, rising to around £26,000 with experience. Typical hours are 16 to 37 a week, term time, with evenings occasionally.
Source: National Careers Service, Teaching assistant job profile (Department for Education), contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are averages; pay varies by region, employer and experience.
Covering letter tip for a teaching assistant
Most schools want a supporting statement on their application form rather than a separate covering letter. Work through the person specification in order with one short example per criterion: a child you helped to read, a behaviour plan you followed, a concern you reported correctly. Close with why this school, citing its ethos.
Start from our cover letter templates or draft one in seconds with the cover letter generator.
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