Grannyactivist - yes, isn't it sad that the majority of applicants for TA posts are qualified teachers, who don't want to leave the classroom but have become exhausted by the paperwork/after school clubs etc. I just don't understand why anyone thinks that a brain good enough to lead to a 1st or 2.1 means the individual can become a teacher or social worker with no experience of the job. One of our daughters worked as a TA for a year, and then for a temp agency as a TA whilst completing her pgtc. During the period I managed a busy social work team, I was lucky to have bright young graduates who came straight in from qualifying, working alongside people who had the sw qualification but had been engineers, hair dressers, admin assistants, sailors, etc etc. Life experience, as well as work experience is what underpins so many good teachers or social workers. The idea of throwing a young maths grad into teaching sex education within weeks of starting the Teach First scheme - well, so unfair to him and to the pupils.