Graduate Teaching Assistant
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Location: Newham, East London
Contract Type: Full-Time, Term Time Only
Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience
Start Date: September 2026 (or sooner)
We are seeking an enthusiastic, motivated, and dedicated Graduate Teaching Assistant to join our vibrant and inclusive secondary school in Newham. This is an excellent opportunity for a recent graduate considering a career in education and looking to gain valuable classroom experience before pursuing teacher training.
As a Graduate Teaching Assistant, you will work closely with teachers and students across a range of subjects, providing academic support, promoting student engagement, and helping pupils achieve their full potential.
Key Responsibilities:- Support teachers in delivering high-quality lessons across the curriculum.
- Work with individual students and small groups to enhance learning and progress.
- Provide targeted intervention and academic support where required.
- Assist with classroom management and student engagement.
- Support students with varying learning needs, including those with SEND.
- Contribute to the wider life of the school and enrichment activities.
- Hold a degree (2:2 or above) in any subject.
- Have a genuine passion for education and supporting young people.
- Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Be proactive, adaptable, and committed to student success.
- Have the ability to build positive relationships with students and staff.
- Be considering a future career in teaching, educational psychology, or a related field (desirable but not essential).
- A supportive and welcoming school community.
- Outstanding professional development opportunities.
- Experience working alongside experienced teachers and school leaders.
- A diverse and ambitious student body.
- Potential pathways into teacher training and long-term career progression.
If you are a graduate with a passion for education and want to make a real difference in the lives of young people, we would love to hear from you.
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Open your Personal Statement with your degree subject and classification (2:2 or above), as the advert lists this as the primary entry requirement.
📊 Quantify any tutoring, mentoring or volunteering experience: "Supported 8 KS3 pupils in weekly literacy sessions over 2 terms, contributing to a 15% improvement in reading assessments."
🎯 Explicitly mention SEND awareness or any experience supporting students with additional learning needs, as this is called out as a key responsibility in the advert.
🌐 Reference your interest in teacher training, educational psychology, or a related career path — the advert actively seeks candidates with this aspiration and it will differentiate your application.
🤝 Highlight any experience working with young people in diverse or multicultural settings, as the school serves a diverse student body in Newham and values inclusive practice.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Delivered weekly small-group literacy intervention sessions for 6 KS3 students, contributing to an average 12% improvement in reading comprehension scores over one academic term.
- •Supported a class teacher across 4 mixed-ability Year 9 Science lessons per week, assisting 3 students with SEND through differentiated resources and one-to-one guidance.
- •Mentored 10 undergraduate peers as a student ambassador over 2 academic years, improving first-year retention engagement scores by 18% according to departmental feedback surveys.
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
Your cover letter is ready
We've drafted a cover letter for Tradewind Recruitment. Preview the opening, then unlock the full personalised version.
Letter preview — tailored to Tradewind Recruitment
Dear Hiring Manager,
Tradewind Recruitment's Graduate Teaching Assistant vacancy at your Newham secondary school stands out as exactly the environment in which I want to begin my career in education. With a degree achieved at 2:2 or above and hands-on experience supporting young people in academic settings, I am well placed to deliver targeted intervention, assist with SEND provision, and contribute to a diverse and ambitious student body from day one.
My background in working with young people across varied learning needs has equipped me with practical classroom management skills and the ability to build trust with students who require additional encouragement. I have supported small-group tuition sessions focused on core curriculum subjects, adapting my approach to suit different learning styles and ensuring measurable progress for each pupil.
Free signup, no card needed. Export to PDF/Word requires a £1.99 trial (14 days).
Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you adapt your support approach for a student with dyslexia in a mainstream secondary classroom?
- ›What strategies would you use to help a disengaged student re-focus during a lesson?
- ›How would you differentiate support when working with a mixed-ability small group across a core subject?
- ›What do you understand by 'targeted intervention' and how would you implement it alongside a class teacher?
- ›How would you use formative assessment data to identify which students need additional academic support?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you supported someone who was struggling to understand a concept — what did you do and what was the outcome?
- ›Describe a situation where you had to adapt quickly to an unexpected change. How did you handle it?
- ›Give an example of when you built a positive relationship with someone who was initially reluctant to engage with you.
- ›Tell me about a time you worked as part of a team to achieve a shared goal in an educational or community setting.
- ›Describe a moment when you had to manage a challenging interpersonal situation with a young person or peer. What approach did you take?
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you supported someone who was struggling to understand a concept — what did you do and what was the outcome?
Describe a situation where you had to adapt quickly to an unexpected change. How did you handle it?