For those too busy to read this entire article – here's a snapshot of what you need to know:

Enrol in a course that uses an integrated structure because this saves a huge amount of time by reducing the repetition found across units.

1. To become a teacher aide in NSW you will need to complete a qualification with a reputable provider.
2. Teacher aides mainly work one-on-one or with small groups with the aim of helping students to achieve their learning goals.
3. Most students enrol in an online teacher aide course because it provides flexibility.
4. Be sure to enrol in a course that includes regular live webinars, trainers who are former schoolteachers and a provider that teaches research-based skills (as schools require this).
5. Enrol in a course that uses an integrated structure because this saves a huge amount of time by reducing the repetition found across units.
6. To find work in a school in NSW, go to 8-10 schools and ask to be put on their list of casual staff. This gets your foot in the door and leads to longer-term positions.
7. You can enrol in an online teacher aide course in NSW at any time.
8. The Teacher Aide Combo is our most popular course, saving time and money. ITAC offer the only true combo program in Australia.
9. The CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support focuses on working with students with special needs.
10. The two most important topics in your teacher aide course is instructional strategies and behaviour management techniques.
11. The placement is for 100 hours and has been developed to help students perfect their professional practice.
12. Teacher aides are called LSOs or Learning Support Offices in NSW and can expect to earn around $30-34 per hour.

Only at ITAC will you develop international best practice skills and strategies such as ‘guided learning’ pictured above. These are the skills that schools require.

As you can see from the tables above, the main difference between our two research-based teacher aide courses is the content of the course and the job outcomes/roles etc. While the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support is designed for students who intend on working in a mainstream school carrying out basic tasks to assist the teacher (e.g light cleaning, reading to students), the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support is more advanced and focuses on work with students with disabilities and disorders.

This is why we recommend the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support for our students (or the Teacher Aide Combo). The higher level courses give graduates more options in the future.

ITAC is the only provider in Australia delivering teacher aide courses such as the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support that is based on international research and current best practices.

We often use the term ‘research-based’ and ‘best practice’ to describe our courses. So, what exactly does this mean? In simple terms, when we develop our courses, our expert trainers (all former teachers) comb through the research from Australia and around the world to find what works. We look at what teachers are taught in universities, the skills that governments want their teachers to have and what the research says about teacher aides and their effectiveness. Here are just two examples that have informed our course content in some way:

1. Australian professional standards for teaching,
2. High impact teaching strategies for Victorian teachers

The teacher aide pictured is implementing a series of teaching and learning strategies such as those that you will only learn at ITAC.

Practically speaking, this means that we base our teacher aide courses around a range of practical strategies, skills and techniques that are used by high performing teachers, teacher aides, schools and governments around the world - including Australia. In fact, ITAC students learn many of the same strategies that teachers learn during their university studies. Depending on your course, you will learn some of the following with ITAC:

• Traditional, tried, and tested strategies such as scaffolding, modelling, rapport building, goal setting and activating prior knowledge.
• More modern approaches such as cooperative learning and metacognition.
• Advanced and lesser known strategies such as Cognitive Load theory, serial-position effects, the self-fulfilling prophecy, the Zone of Proximal Development and flipped learning.
• Literacy strategies such as phonics, active reading, pre and post reading tasks, graphic organisers, using cues and prediction, spelling and grammar supports, modelling, guided and shared learning and critical literacies, to name a few.
• More generic skills that all high performing teachers and teacher aides use such as motivational skills, questioning skills, feedback skills, reflective practice, and games.
• Generic learning skills and life-long strategies such as study skills, transferrable skills, metacognitive skills, coping skills, mental scripting, and others.
• Physical and hands-on skills’ development strategies such as deliberate practice, over-learning, spaced learning, and massed practice.
• Strategies to support students with special needs such as assistive technology, intervention and targeting approaches, remedial instruction, social stories, teaching aids and props, and differentiated instruction.
• A range of student-centred strategies such as self-directed learning, pair and group work, debating, discussions and role plays.
• A range of teacher-centred strategies such as team teaching, explicit instruction, and the principles of scaffolding.
• Strategies and approaches to support the operational needs of the classroom such as methods for planning learning sequences, behaviour systems and using data for continual improvement.

You will only find these and many other teaching strategies in one of ITAC’s research-based, best practice teacher aide courses. While most providers teach a few strategies, at ITAC you will learn dozens, if not hundreds of practical and effective strategies and techniques making you an expert in your new profession.

In fact, ITAC students learn many of the same strategies that teachers learn during their university studies.

Where else will you study, learn and master these skills? Nowhere but ITAC! We use the principles of adult learning, combined with high quality expert support, and in-house developed materials, to bring you a world-class teacher aide course that is second to none.

A quick note – the list above only covers a small percentage of the total skills, strategies and techniques that you will study in your teacher aide course with ITAC – we didn’t mention other topics such as behaviour management, disabilities, disorders, additional needs, operational and logistical tasks and many other essential aspects. Whether you study the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support or the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support, learning and mastering a range of best practice skills is vital for your future career and your students’ success.

If you've skipped straight to this section, LSOs or teacher aides in NSW complete at least one of the following:

• CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support

• CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support

• Teacher Aide Combo

1. Choose a provider who visits you on placement. This essential service helps you to perfect your professional practice and schools expect it.
2. Choose a teacher aide course provider who offers a multitude of support services from qualified schoolteachers e.g. live webinars each week.
3. Choose a provider who offers their courses in an integrated structure. This means they mash all units together - saving you considerable time by removing the high amount of duplication found in each unit. ITAC is currently the only provider offering teacher aide courses using an integrated structure.
4. Choose a provider who teaches research-based skills similar to what teachers learn at university. Schools are now demanding these skills e.g. metacognition, systematic prompting.
5. Choose a teacher aide course provider who offers a range of online videos and lectures that their trainers have developed. Some online courses are no more than a few PDFs and you won't learn the skills that schools demand.
6. Choose a provider who writes their own materials including learner guides.
7. Choose a provider who offers classes even if you don't go to them. As a rule of thumb, better quality providers run classes.
8. Choose a teacher aide course provider with whom you feel comfortable working with – are they reputable, do they offer dozens of courses or specialise in only teacher aide courses? Like anything important in life, you generally want a specialist provider.

Choose a provider who offers their courses in an integrated structure. This means they mash all units together - saving you considerable time by removing the high amount of duplication found in each unit. ITAC is currently the only provider offering teacher aide courses using an integrated structure.

There are effectively three parts to your course. The learning part is probably the longest and most time-consuming part of your teacher aide course. Learner materials (at least with ITAC) include:

• webinars either live or pre-recorded
• classroom lectures (recorded)
• tutorials and regular contact with your trainer
• reading the learner guide and completing activities
• interactive e-learning modules
• research and other activities set by your trainer.

The second part of your course is the theory assessments. A lot of students worry about the assessments, however they are not as difficult as many first think. Theory assessments (at least at ITAC) are predominantly short answer questions and there are no essays or tests.

It is important to enrol in a teacher aide course that uses an integrated structure because this method removes the duplication found when assessing on a unit by unit basis (saving a great deal of time and stress).

Theory assessments (at least at ITAC) are predominantly short answer questions and there are no essays or tests.

The final part of your course is the work placement. This critical requirement is completed by all students who undertake either the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support or the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support. The work placement is for a minimum of 100 hours and is usually completed in a local school. 100 hours normally equates to 16 full days.

Many students are offered work in the school where they complete their placement – a reason why enrolling in a best practice teacher aide course is necessary. If you don’t learn best practice strategies – why would schools want to hire you?.

Studying online has never been easier with portable devices, fast internet speeds and the availability of technology such as webinar platforms. ITAC have a bespoke, in-house designed learner portal (LMS) just for ITAC students!

All of ITAC’s popular teacher aide courses are available online. This includes the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support, the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support and the Teacher Aide Combo. Note that some components are not online-based such as the work placement which must be completed in a school.

Read our article about studying teacher aide courses online by clicking here.

Even when enrolling in an online program, ensure that your provider can offer sufficient, timely and high-quality support services. This is important even for students who are confident in their abilities and who have lots of experience (with children, study, related industries etc.). The reason for why additional support is important is because it reduces the stress, frustration, and time that it takes to complete your course. Support services may include:

• access to trainers who are experienced schoolteachers
• weekly live webinars or catch-ups
• phone and email support as needed
• multiple trainers are available (in case one is sick or away)
• ample resources to support your learning such as pre-recorded lectures
• workplace visits for when you are on placement.

Poor support can lengthen the time it takes for you to complete your course. For example, if you send an email asking for assistance and then wait a week for a reply – your course effectively takes a week longer to complete. This costs you money because it's one less week you could have been working and earning money.

We highly recommend a provider who visits you in the workplace. Having a trainer who visits you while on placement is important for your professional development. Trainers provide invaluable advice that can drastically improve your skills, which in turn leads to more job opportunities. This can mean the difference between being offered a contract at the end of your placement and spending months afterwards searching for work.

In summary, ensure that you invest your time and money with a reputable provider because your education is not worth skimping on.

Overall, these are not particularly difficult courses at least for the majority of students (in our experience with 6000+ graduates over the last decade or more). However, defining ‘difficulty’ depends on a range of factors such as:

• your experience with study and learning
• your experience with children
• whether you have worked or volunteered in a school before
• whether you have worked in industries that care for people such as aged care or childcare
• your experience in the workforce (there are many transferrable skills such as WHS)
• your abilities in general (some people can read faster, learn quicker, have higher intelligence)
• your dedication, motivation and study skills
• the number of hours you can work on your course each week
• whether you enrol with a provider that gives prompt, high-quality support, and has high quality resources.

We find that most students who consistently work through the course material do not consider any of ITAC's courses to be difficult per se (although there may be more challenging sections). A big issue that some students struggle with is staying on track. This is because adult learners commonly face interruptions due to travel, medical issues, family circumstances and work demands.

Most of the course content is logical, relevant and practical, with additional content for those who want to extend their abilities.

Our teacher aide courses are certainly not difficult in the sense that you need to memorise copious amounts of information, write detailed reports/essays or attend stressful exams. Unlike some sectors, such as in accounting or IT, you do not need to learn complex technical information either. Most of the course content is logical, relevant and practical, with additional content for those who want to extend their abilities.

Similar to the answer above, it all depends on a number of factors. If for example, you are only spending a few hours per week on the course, you will take a lot longer than someone who dedicates 20 hours per week to their studies. We plan the course to take 600 hours including the placement, however the overwhelming majority take much less time than this due to their general life experiences and experience with children and study.

If you have raised your own children or have experience with any of the 'caring' industries (childcare, aged care, youth work, community services, AOD etc.), you are likely to complete the course significantly faster because of your transferable skills and knowledge. For students in this boat, 300-350 hours is common.

The tables below has been designed to help you compare the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support and the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support.

CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support vs CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support

Above: The CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support in the introductory teacher aide course where students learn foundational skills and knowledge for work in a mainstream classroom.

Below: For adult learners, we recommend the more advanced teacher aide course: CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support or the Teacher Aide Combo, so you are qualified for every position.

If you are serious about becoming a teacher aide or just exploring your options, these guides are an excellent source of information.

To become a teacher aide in NSW, you will first need to complete a reputable teacher aide course such as the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support. Pictured: ITAC student finishes the 100-hour work placement – the final part of her course. Could this be you soon?

The simplest and easiest way to become a teacher aide in NSW is to follow the advice above: working casually first as this often leads to contract and permanent positions. This is one of the main ways that many teacher aides or learning support officers begin their careers in New South Wales.

It is important that you hold a nationally recognised qualification such as the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support or the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support. Obtaining a nationally recognised qualification should be your first step in the process to becoming an LSO. If you don’t hold a nationally recognised qualification with a reputable provider, you might find it more difficult to obtain work in a school.

If you don’t hold a nationally recognised qualification with a reputable provider, you might find it more difficult to obtain work in a school.

You can search for vacancies on the government’s recruitment website which can be accessed here. You could also start by searching for schools in your local area on the government’s Find a School application.

You could also narrow your search to 1 or 2 categories from the following list:

• preschools such as Tiny Scholars Childcare & Preschool and Valley Heights Preschool & Long Day Care Centre,
• primary schools such as Drummond Memorial Public School and Cawdor Public School,
• high Schools such as Barrenjoey High School and Hawkesbury High School,
• schools for specific purposes such as hospital schools, tutor centres and suspension centres, and
• special schools (SSPs) such as Lomandra School and George Bass School.

In other words, there are plenty of opportunities out there for the right person who has the right training, skills and knowledge.

As there are more than 6 million people living in New South Wales, there are quite a few schools – about 4500 in fact. Each of these schools typically employs anywhere between 10 and 50 LSOs or teacher aides. Additionally, many teacher aides are part-time and new positions open up each year. In other words, there are plenty of opportunities out there for the right person who has the right training, skills and knowledge.

To maximise your chances of finding work in NSW, completing a nationally recognised qualification such as the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support through a reputable provider is a must - schools want to be sure that their staff have been adequately trained and not all courses are the same. This gives them confidence that you have the necessary skills and background knowledge to support the teacher and the academic, cognitive, social, emotional and physical development of students.

Typically speaking, it’s easy to find work on a casual basis. In our experience, most schools are constantly looking for qualified and well-trained casual staff. We recommend putting your name down at several schools near you. Casual work (also known as 'relief' or 'supply' work) is a steppingstone towards more permanent positions.

You may also consider applying for teacher aide jobs that are advertised online and on government job boards. In our experience however, competition is high for these positions and schools usually hire those who have already worked in the school on a causal basis.

Teacher aides in New South Wales earn approximately $34 per hour. However, how much each individual will earn depends on various factors such as whether they are working with special needs students and how much experience they have. Completing a nationally recognised course may also increase your starting salary.

If working with children with high needs, LSOs can expect a salary of approximately $34 per hour (again depending on other factors such as experience). On the other hand, if you are working with a special need’s student in a mainstream classroom, you may be paid around the $32 mark. If you are working in a mainstream class without being assigned to a student with high needs, expect to earn around the $27 per hour mark.

Bear in mind that about 80% of teacher aides work with students with special needs and most have at least 3+ years of experience putting then at the top of the pay scale. This means the average is quite high. If you are just starting your career, expect to begin at a lower rate.

LSOs generally start on a higher pay level if they hold a nationally recognised qualification such as the:

• CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support

• CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support

• Teacher Aide Combo

Note that full-time LSOs in NSW work 32 hours over a 5-day week. They can also be eligible for various allowances.

Learning support officers and teacher aides are the same thing. Learning Support Officer (LSO) is the formal term given to teacher aides in NSW, particularly those working with students with disabilities or disorders.

The term ‘teacher aide’ is used across Australia by people who don't work in schools and hence we use this term on our website and throughout this article. Each state uses different terms for their teacher aides as a sign of respect for the work that they do - integration aide (Victoria), school support officer (SA), education assistant (WA) etc. Note that internationally, researchers and academics almost always use the term ‘teacher aide’ for uniformity and as a kind of lingua franca (shared language).

So, is there a difference between a teacher aide, learning support officer or other terms? In a nutshell - no. The former is a slightly older term whereas learning support officer is more modern sounding (FYI, those who work in schools prefer to be called LSOs not teacher aides).

In the past teacher aides were sometimes employed to do menial tasks such as making coffee, storing records and photocopying - those days are long and truly gone. Nowadays, updated terms have been implemented to try and reflect the changing responsibilities of teacher aides in the Australian school system - particularly their role in supporting students with disabilities and their instructional roles and responsibilities.

You can enrol in either the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support or the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support quite quickly and easily by completing our online enrolment form. The enrolment form takes around 10 minutes to complete and it'll be processed within a day or so - often the same day.

Adult learners tend to prefer ITAC while high schoolers often go to TAFE. Pictured: ITAC student on her last day of placement.

Younger students tend to enrol in TAFE e.g. high school students. This is because TAFE and high schools often have affiliations, and TAFES are geared towards such students (effectively TAFE is Year 13 - in fact, many TAFE campuses are situated along side senior colleges).

TAFEs are also popular for people who are still learning to speak English e.g. migrants, and other disadvantaged groups. TAFE can be the preferred option for those who need the daily support of a trainer and hence TAFE courses usually have a heavy face to face component e.g. 3-5 days per week for 12 months or more.

ITAC on the other hand specialise in delivering teacher aide courses to busy adult learners – the average age of our students is 37 and they need a structured, supported yet flexible program to help them integrate their studies with other demands such as family and work commitments.

Above: Following the completion of a teacher aide course in NSW, you could find work in a school as a teacher aide, teacher assistant or learning support officer. You could work in SSP/special school with students with disabilities and disorders, a high school, or a primary school as pictured. To ensure your career gets up and running, you will need to enrol in a best practice, research-based teacher aide course in order to ensure that you learn all of the techniques, skills and strategies that schools expect their LSOs to know.

Above: A high quality teacher aide course where you learn best practice skills and strategies opens doors. Learning techniques such as those pictured (feedback, questioning, rapport building, worked examples, behaviour management, motivation strategies and so forth) will give you confidence and a long, stable and rewarding career in a NSW school. Only at ITAC will you learn industry best practice skills and strategies.

Above: A high-quality teacher aide course such as ITAC’s Teacher Aide Combo, will help you to develop and perfect your pedagogical expertise. In the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support you will learn more advanced skills such as Cognitive Load theory and Bloom’s taxonomy. To get your career started in NSW, enrol in a world-class teacher aide course alongside thousands of happy graduates.

Above: Teacher aides can work in a range of environments including inclusive mainstream classrooms with students with disabilities and disorders. ITAC’s CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support is a popular teacher aide course in NSW which will teach you industry best practice skills for working with students with a range of disabilities and disorders such as autism, ADHD, FASD and many others. Become a vital part of your classroom and learn to effectively develop students’ skills and knowledge by studying with Australia’s leading provider of teacher aide courses.

Above: One of many graduates from ITAC’s popular CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support. As you can see in the background, the school uses a range of assistive technologies, teaching props, social stories and visuals – learn the proper way of using these resources only with ITAC.

Above: ‘Number sense’ is the numeracy equivalent to ‘phonemic awareness’ which basically means knowing the relationship between sounds and written symbols and how to use them. In the picture above, an ITAC student uses a range of best practice teaching and learning strategies to support the development of number sense. This includes differentiated instruction, scaffolding, modelling, explicit instruction and play-based learning. You too could learn these skills by enrolling in one of our popular teacher aide courses from NSW.

Above: ITAC students completes her teacher aide course in a Year 1 class. As you can see, her main focus is phonics and phonemic awareness (ability to use sounds and letters). Only at ITAC will you learn best practice strategies such as phonics, remedial instruction, and a range of reading and writing support strategies.

Above: Congratulations to this student who completed the Teacher Aide Combo (CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support and CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support). Pictured on placement above, the student studied and mastered a bunch of best practice teaching and learning strategies such as one-on-one instruction, questioning skills, feedback skills, phonics, repeated reading and using assistive technologies. You too could learn these skills in order to begin your new career as a teacher aide or LSO in any one of NSW’s 2500 schools.

Whichever teacher aide course provider you choose, ensure they teach industry best practices as schools look for these skills.

This article summarises the main questions that we get every day from people wanting to begin a new career as a teacher aide in New South Wales. We’ve put together this guide detailing everything that you need to know about teacher aide courses and jobs in NSW. Here is a quick summary:

• There are thousands of schools in NSW and almost all employ dozens of teacher aides. This means that there are many opportunities for those who have completed a high quality teacher aide course with a reputable provider.
• Ensure they teach industry best practices as schools look for these skills.
• Be sure to enrol in an integrated course. This means all units are mashed together, thereby removing duplication across units and saving a huge amount of time.
• To maximise your chances of finding work, we recommend the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support or the Teacher Aide Combo. Most students enrol in the Teacher Aide Combo.
• Typically speaking, it’s easy to find work on a casual basis.
• The work placement is for a minimum of 100 hours in a registered school.
• Many students find work where they complete their placement so the quality of your training is very important.
• Even when enrolling in an online program, ensure your provider offers support services such as live webinars and e-learning modules.
• Ensure your trainers are qualified schoolteachers and that all resources were made by your trainers e.g. online lectures, learner guides etc.
• Having a trainer visit you in the workplace while on placement is essential.
• Teacher aides in New South Wales are paid approximately $30 - 34 or more per hour.
• If you have raised your own children or have experience with any of the caring industries, you're likely to complete the course faster.