Your guide to finding your future in education
Read our guide on finding your future in education at The Teach Portsmouth Jobs and Opportunities Fair on Monday 22 May at Portsmouth Guildhall. Exhibitors will showcase a range of non-teaching vacancies as well as provide information and advice on apprenticeships and short courses to boost your qualifications.
Support staff in schools and colleges encompass a wide variety of roles that support children and young people in different ways.
In some cases, people may associate support roles with learning support assistants who help children in the classroom. However, schools are made up of different support staff who work together to ensure everything runs smoothly.
To help you navigate what support and site vacancies will be available at the event, we've put together a guide to help find your future in education.
Schools, multi-academy trusts and colleges
Several schools and multi academy trusts will be represented at the fair. They will be showcasing their current vacancies. You can talk to exhibitors about their jobs, volunteering opportunities if you need experience in the classroom or enrol on taster sessions.
- Bohunt Trust
- City of Portsmouth College
- Mayfield School
- Salterns Academy Trust
- Solent Academies Trust
- The De Curci Trust
- Trafalgar School
- Thinking Schools Academy Trust
- University of Chichester Academy Trust
Portsmouth City Council
Internal teams at Portsmouth City Council will be showcasing different opportunities at the event that support children and young people. Talk to them about their vacancies to get an idea of what's on offer.
Trainee communicators (Vision and hearing team)
As a trainee communicator, you will work towards holding a qualification in British sign language. You will work with children and young people with hearing and visual impairment from 0 – 25 years of age, at home, in pre-school settings, schools and colleges.
Home to school passenger assistants
As a passenger assistant, you will help pupils get to school who may have special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND) and care-experienced children.
A driving license is a must for this role as you will need to drive a vehicle. Most pupils are based in Portsmouth, but you might have to travel to Fareham, Waterlooville or Southampton.
Bilingual learning assistants
A bilingual learning assistant works in nurseries and schools across Portsmouth. They support children who have English as an additional language.
You would work alongside children to ensure they can access the curriculum as well as celebrate their own culture and language in class.You might have to attend meetings to interpret conversations, helping maintain good home-school relationships with parents/carers.
School crossing patrol assistant
As a school crossing patrol assistant, you would ensure members of the public cross the road safely at the start and the end of the school day.
You would work term time only, two hours per day (one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon).
Early year's practitioners
As an early year's practitioner, you would work with children aged 0 - 5 years. You could work in a range of different settings from childminders to day nurseries.
You can do an apprenticeship as an early year's practitioner. This would allow you to learn on the job and earn money too.Careers services, information and advice
There will be four career services available at the event to help people navigate their options.
- The University of Portsmouth careers and employability service are attending to primarily offer advice and information to international students who are looking for vacancies in education while on their student visa.
- The National Careers Service can offer free and impartial information, advice and guidance to help you find the right career. They can also help you make decisions on learning, training and work.
- Jobcentre Plus can advise on work-related benefits, how to access training and qualifications. They can also help you source work experience, work trials and sector-based work academy programmes.
- Enable Ability is a charity who can support you if you work term-time only and would like employment during the school holidays.
Training, short courses and apprenticeships
Would you like to be a teaching assistant but not sure how to become one? Want to work in education but not sure how?
There will be training and apprenticeship providers such as Essential Teaching, The Learning Place and City of Portsmouth College available to discuss the most suitable training routes for you.
This could be through an apprenticeship or a day/night-time course.
Get your ticket to the Teach Portsmouth Jobs and Opportunities Fair
Discover a range of support and site vacancies at the Teach Portsmouth Jobs and Opportunities Fair on Monday 22 May from 10am – 2pm at Portsmouth Guildhall.
Speak directly with schools, multi-academy trusts and colleges to learn about their vacancies.
Victoria Boscaro