We recommend enrolling in an integrated course - this means a course where all units are mashed together thereby removing the duplication of content across units. ITAC is the only provider in Australia offering an integrated teacher aide course.

For those on the go, here is what you need to know in 60 seconds or less:

1. Teacher aide courses in Queensland are available by supported and structured online mode in all areas of QLD.
2. An important part of learning to become a teacher aide is studying best practice instructional strategies such questioning techniques.
3. Online study (with ITAC) includes regular webinars, a library of videos, e-books, interactive e-modules and a structured, supported pathway.
4. Teacher aides support student learning and development. They also assist the teacher with behaviour management and provide logistical support.
5. Teacher aide courses in QLD take about 600 hours for someone with no previous work, study, or school experience.
6. A person with experience with children including parents and those from other sectors such as childcare, may complete their course in a shorter period of time.
7. Some teacher aides can take on higher-level responsibilities such as managing a literacy or numeracy program.
8. Choosing a teacher aide course in Queensland is not easy: select your provider wisely as your career depends on it - ensure they employed qualified school teachers, visit you on placement and develop their own resources.
9. We recommend enrolling in an integrated course - this means a course where all units are mashed together thereby removing the duplication of content across units. ITAC is the only provider in Australia offering an integrated teacher aide course.
10. Teacher aide courses are not that difficult (compared to many technical courses such as IT) and there are no essays or reports (at least with ITAC).

Learn best practice strategies such as implementing small-group activities as pictured above – only in ITAC’s research-based teacher aide courses.

Online mode is popular with adult learners. No longer does family, work or income need to be sacrificed in order to gain an education - study when it's convenient to you.

You can study the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support and the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support online in Queensland and in all areas. Online can mean various things however, depending on the provider, so it is important to ask questions to find out about the types of resources you will be provided with and how much support the provider is actually going to offer you.

As far as support is concerned (what your fees pay for), choose a provider who visits you while you are undertaking your work placement and who employs qualified schoolteachers - they know the industry better than anyone.

For example, our students listen to pre-recorded webinars and classroom lectures – often while taking the dog for a walk, catching the train or sitting on a plane.

Studying an online course no longer mean staring at a computer screen for months on end. While studying online does mean using the internet, there are a range of other activities that you will do offline. For example, our students listen to pre-recorded webinars and classroom lectures – often while taking the dog for a walk, catching the train or sitting on a plane. Students can also attend our regularly scheduled catch-up webinars.

All courses are planned to take 26 weeks to complete, however as our courses are self-paced students usually manage to finish much sooner. It really depends on:

• how quickly you want to get the course completed
• your general abilities and English language skills
• previous experience with studying
• work related experience
• experience with children
• other personal factors such as dedication.

Think of it like this - how long does it take to bake a cake? How long does it take to walk a dog? All of these things can really depend on the person and their circumstances. It can also depend on the topic as well. If you have worked in mining, construction or another industry with an emphasis on ‘work health and safety’ then you’ll find that particular topic in your course to be quite easy.

In general, if you have worked with (or raised) children in the past, or have been employed in similar industries such as aged care or childcare, you should move through any of ITAC's courses at a very reasonable pace without too much trouble.

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, and 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.

Whether you enrol with ITAC or not, it's important to choose a provider that is high quality, who teaches best practice strategies and skills, who represents value for money and finally, who has experience and expertise. Here is how you could go about doing this:

1. Enrol with a provider who teaches a range of research-based strategies and skills such as best practice explicit instruction and one-on-one support. Do not be afraid to ask your provider for a list of research used to develop their courses.
2. Enrol with a provider that runs classes even if you don’t attend them. Why? Classes are a good indication that the provider has quality trainers and materials.
3. Choose a provider who writes, develops, and publishes their own resources, materials, e-books etc.
4. Support services are the key to successfully completing your teacher aide course (even though when you first enrol you may not think so). Ensure that the provider offers services such as live webinars and workplace visits while you are on placement (as this helps you to perfect your skills which is how to get offered work).
5. This may seem technical, but you should only enrol in a course that is designed using an integrated structure. This means all units are combined into modules. Combining all units means the duplication found across units is removed - and there is a lot of duplication. This saves you a heap of time (up to 6 months or more) so you can get out there to start working and earning sooner.

Enrol with a provider that runs classes even if you don’t attend them. Why? Classes are a good indication that the provider has quality trainers and materials.

We regularly get asked about the difference between the government funded CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support and the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support. Here is a side by side comparison to make it easier to see the difference. Note that to make this table simple, we have made some broad generalisations.

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

As you can see from the comparison above, there are more similarities than differences particularly in terms of structure, cost, and modes. Both the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support and the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support have a similar number of units and modules.

The CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support specifically targets the skills and knowledge required to work with students with disabilities and disorders such as autism and ADHD. The CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support on the other hand, is aimed at teaching students the basic and introductory skills to work with students in mainstream classrooms under the close guidance of the registered classroom teacher.

Taking the leap and enrolling in a teacher aide course such as the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support or the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support is not a decision to be taken lightly. We have published detailed articles answering many of your common questions regarding studying and working as a teacher aide in Queensland.

The most common path to becoming a teacher aide in Queensland is to complete a nationally recognised qualification with a reputable provider. The two main courses to become a teacher aide in Queensland is the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support and the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support. Both are government funded for those who are eligible. See our website for further details.

In the past it was not necessary to complete a qualification and many teacher aides did not hold a certificate of any kind (there were no accredited courses anyway). These days, almost all schools require that their support staff hold an education support qualification. Schools need to know that all of their staff provide maximum value for money and are well trained in key areas such as:

• behaviour management
• student safety and supervision
• classroom management
• logistics and administration tasks
• strategies for academic and physical development
• other essential tasks and responsibilities.

Once you have enrolled and completed (or nearly completed) your nationally recognised qualification, you can begin looking for work as a teacher aide in your local community. We recommend putting your name down at 20 or more schools where you are willing to work. The more schools you are willing to work at, the higher your chances of finding work and the sooner you are likely to be hired. Most graduates eventually manage to find work within a reasonable and comfortable travel distance from their home. However, if you are narrowing down your search to less than 5 schools, you may be limiting your chances of success.

It is important to organise your clearances and to prepare a professional resume. We have a resume builder and introductory letter template on our website - it's free, easy to use and no sign-up required.

A quick hint: Most hiring managers only scan resumes - they rarely read them thoroughly. Ensure that your qualification and the name of the provider is in bold so they easily see it.

The most common path to becoming a teacher aide in Queensland is to complete a nationally recognised qualification with a reputable provider.

For obvious reasons, we can’t promise that every person who wants to become a teacher aide will find a job as a teacher aide. Most graduates tend to find work in their local area following the completion of their course (assuming of course they enrolled in a reputable course and learnt all the necessary best practice strategies that schools require).

A good place to start your job-hunting journey is at the Brisbane’s Catholic Education Office or the Department of Education’s Smart Jobs and Careers website. Both sites regularly advertise vacancies.

Many students who enter our training programs have an idea of where they would like to work, although, by the time they finish their course, they are more open to different types of schools. The more you are open to trying schools outside of your comfort zone, the easier it will be to find work as a teacher aide.

In general, we find that most students do not struggle to find work provided that they have a suitable demeanour to work in schools and enjoy working with people and children. As we have discussed earlier, it really depends on your search parameters as well. If you are only willing to work at one school, then your chances of finding work in the near future is somewhat limited (you are basically waiting for someone to retire or quit). If you try a whole bunch of schools, you then might end up knocking back multiple offers.

We have found that it's common for our students to find work by applying for casual work in a number of schools. Many prefer relief (also known as supply work) because of the flexibility that it provides, not to mention the 25% loading.

Finding work may also depends on whether you have completed a qualification from a reputable provider and the quality of the training provided. Schools like to know that you have completed your course with a reputable provider so they can be confident in your abilities. Our advice: Do not skimp on investing in your own education.

You should also think about where you would prefer to ultimately work. Part of this decision will be led by your experiences so far but also your personal preferences and personality – some people work well with younger students, others older students.

You could also narrow your search by first selecting one or more categories from the list below. If that doesn't work out, you may want to widen your criteria.

The majority of teacher aides in Queensland earn approximately $32 or more per hour. The exact pay will range from $23 to $34 depending on the position, location and other factors. Some teacher aides work in mainstream classes with students who have special needs and are therefore paid a higher salary than those who do not work with special needs. This is due to the fact that working with special needs requires a higher level of training, expertise, responsibility and knowledge of a range of complex disabilities, strategies, processes and policies. It also requires the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support.

The highest paid teacher aides are those who work in special needs centres or special need’s schools – often also called education support centres or special schools.

There are a range of positions and specialist roles filled by teacher aides in Australian schools. The pay for these roles varies depending on factors such as:

• location – regional and rural areas can attract a regional loading
• tasks – some activities such as assisting with toileting and/or specialist roles may put you on a higher level
• school – working in specialist schools e.g. for behaviour centres
• qualifications – holding a higher qualification may mean a higher starting salary
• quality of your teacher aide course – if you studied and learnt best practice strategies you may be employed in more specialist roles such as literacy programs.

Broadly speaking, many new teacher aides earn $30 per hour and work approximately 32.5 hours per week (over five days). The average teacher aide in Queensland is therefore earning around $1000 per week, give or take.

We have already discussed various aspects of the work placement and the fact that the 100-hours is completed in a local registered school. During your work placement you will complete a range of activities such as assisting the teacher and supporting students in the lead up to your workplace assessment. In this assessment, your trainer will visit you in the school. He or she will observe you completing a range of tasks such as helping students with reading and writing (and implementing best practice teaching and learning strategies).

Another aspect of your course is the theory assessments. The theory assessments are comprised of short answer questions, mini projects, case studies and other activities of that nature. There are no essays or long reports to stress about. You certainly don’t need to be a professional writer to enrol and complete the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support or the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support. Many people are apprehensive before they enrol and imagine writing dozens of essays and reports – this simply is not the case (at least with ITAC).

If you skipped straight to this section, the three teacher aide courses we offer in Queensland are below. Note the Teacher Aide Combo is not currently funded but might still be a good option if you want two qualifications on your resume.

• CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support

• CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support

• Teacher Aide Combo

Note that while all of our teacher aide courses are nationally recognised, no two providers are the same and nor do they use the same materials. So, while you could enrol in the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support or the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support with any number of different providers, the title of the course is where the similarities end.

Teacher’s assistants and teacher aides are two terms that mean the same thing. Other terms are commonly used depending on your location such as:

• learning support officer or LSO in New South Wales
• school support officer or SSO in South Australia
• integration aide in Victoria
• education assistant or EAs in Western Australia.

Teacher aides are also known as teacher’s assistants. Regardless of the role or title, all teacher aides complete the same nationally recognised teacher aide courses such as the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support.

If you have travelled overseas such as in the US, you may have heard of terms such as paraprofessional and paraeducator. All these terms are effectively the same thing, sometimes with slight differences. 'Teacher aide' is the common phrase used by the general public and by most countries around the world.

You have two options. The first option is to enrol in a teacher aide course in Queensland with a private provider such as ITAC. As a private provider, we specialise in delivering nationally recognised teacher aide courses to adult learners. Here at ITAC, the average age of our students is 37. Our trainers case manage students who need flexible yet supportive study programs – students study when they can, around other commitments such as work, family and health.

ITAC students tend to be adult learners. TAFE tends to focus on high school students/leavers. ITAC class pictured.

The TAFE system on the other hand is generally geared towards students who are younger or who live in regional and rural areas. Many students who are currently in high school or have recently graduated enrol in TAFE so they can be in class several days per week (TAFE in this way is really an extension of high school). If you think being in class 3-4 days per week for up to a year is for you - TAFE might be your best option.

Above: Study a research-based teacher aide course in Queensland with ITAC and learn industry best practice teaching and learning strategies such as play-based learning, modelling, co-operative learning, pre and post reading strategies, feedback techniques, learning styles, guided learning, rapport building, using cues, active reading and many others.

Above: Best practice skills such as one-on-one instruction, worked examples and scaffolding are essential for all teacher aides. At ITAC, you will study a range of effective techniques and strategies including cognitive load theory, social stories, motivational strategies, and many more skills that will make you an invaluable and essential member of your school community! Ensure you learn best practice skills by enrolling in a reputable teacher aide course with ITAC.

Above: Teacher aides who have completed a teaching aide course with a reputable provider and studied best practice skills are often given additional responsibilities such as managing small group learning and even developing and facilitating ongoing programs. The teacher aide in the picture above is implementing a range of strategies including questioning skills, feedback skills, metacognitive skills, the levels of instruction and cooperative learning. You too could do this by enrolling with the leader in teacher aide courses – ITAC.

Above: A group of students sit on the floor to engage in a learning activity provided by their teacher aide. In our best practice teacher aide courses in Queensland, you will study skills such as those shown above: consolidation, review activities, pair and group work, scaffolding, developing resources, designing basic activities and resources, and many more.

Above: Could this be you? An ITAC student on placement for the CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support demonstrating a series of best practice strategies and techniques such as active reading, writing strategies, building on existing knowledge, anchor activities and mental scripting. Study best practice teaching and learning strategies by enrolling in one of ITAC’s research-based teacher aide courses.

Above: An ITAC student on her placement who is planning, organising and facilitating a numeracy activity to address the identified learning needs. You too could do this by completing a nationally recognised teacher aide course with ITAC.

Above: ITAC students learn a range of best practice strategies particularly for use in literacy and language lessons. This includes critical literacy, multi-modal strategies, multiple exposures, writing to learn, self-questioning, pre-reading activities, and many others. Learn best practice skills and strategies and boost your career as a teacher aide in Queensland with ITAC.

Above: An ITAC student who recently completed her 100-hour placement for the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support. As you can see from the board, she has been implementing best practice strategies such as worked examples, repeated reading, spelling, and writing techniques, and a range of other traditional and non-traditional strategies. Could you do this?

Always enrol with a provider who uses an integrated structure as this saves considerable time.

• Teacher aides in Queensland earn around $32+ per hour and work 32.5 hours per week (over five days).
• To become a teacher aide in Queensland, the first step is to complete a nationally recognised qualification with a reputable provider.
• The CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support is the more advanced teacher aide course for anyone wishing to work with special needs students in Queensland.
• The more open you are to working in schools outside of your comfort zone, the easier it will be to find work as a teacher aide.
• Schools like to know that you have completed a teacher aide course with a reputable provider. This is so they can be confident that you have learnt a range of best practice teaching strategies and techniques.
• Studying ‘online’ can mean many things depending on the provider. Before selecting a provider, ask about support services, resources, and assessments.
• Always enrol with a provider who uses an integrated structure as this saves considerable time.
• The theory assessments are comprised of short answer questions, mini projects, case studies and other activities – there are no essays or exams.
• ITAC's teacher aide courses in Queensland take approximately 26 weeks or 600 hours to complete. Students with experience with children often finish much sooner.