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Education and training · Entry level · UK conventions

Teaching assistant (primary): resume example, explained

This fictional example shows a volunteer classroom helper with a Level 3 supporting teaching and learning qualification and a retail background applying for a first paid teaching assistant post in Key Stage 1 at a fictional primary school: the volunteering is written as real classroom work with pupil numbers and outcomes, the retail years are kept only for the skills that transfer, and the qualification and checks sit where a school office looks for them. Each decision is explained, three weak bullets are rewritten from their evidence, and the editable download lets you replace every detail with your own. Nothing here describes a real person or school.

Illustrative example. An illustrative, invented applicant who volunteered two mornings a week in a Year 2 class for a school year while completing a Level 3 Diploma in Supporting Teaching and Learning at a fictional college, after five years as a retail supervisor. Every school, employer, date and figure is fictional.

Editable version of this example (.docx)

The example document

Jordan Whitfield

Teaching Assistant (KS1) · Level 3 Supporting Teaching and Learning · a school year of classroom volunteering

Derby, Derbyshire · 07700 900 234 · jordan.whitfield@example.com

Profile

Teaching assistant applicant with a Level 3 Diploma in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools and a school year volunteering two mornings a week in a Year 2 class of 29, running a daily phonics keep-up group and supporting a pupil with an EHCP under the class teacher's direction. Five years as a retail supervisor built the patience, record-keeping and calm the role needs. Seeking a first paid teaching assistant post in Key Stage 1.

Experience

Volunteer Classroom Assistant (Year 2) — Fictional Ashgrove Primary School, a fictional one-form-entry primary school

September 2025 – July 2026 · Two mornings a week in a Year 2 class of 29, under the direction of the class teacher and the SENDCo.

  • Ran a daily 15-minute phonics keep-up session for five Year 2 pupils working at phase 3 and phase 4, following the school's systematic synthetic phonics programme; four of the five passed the phonics screening check re-sit in June 2026.
  • Supported one pupil with an EHCP in literacy and maths, using the visual timetable and now-and-next board agreed with the SENDCo, and recorded each session on the class intervention log for the termly review.
  • Heard readers one to one for around 12 pupils a week, recording progress in the reading records and flagging two pupils for the teacher's reading intervention group.
  • Prepared resources and supervised groups of up to eight pupils on three school trips alongside the class teacher.

Supervisor — Fictional Highstreet Homewares, a fictional retail chain

March 2020 – August 2025 · A 12-staff store; responsible for the shop floor on weekend shifts.

  • Trained and coached nine new starters over five years using the chain's induction checklist, signing off their till and safety training within the first month in every case.
  • Handled around five customer complaints a week on the shop floor, de-escalating calmly and logging each one for the manager.

Education

  • Level 3 Diploma in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools — Fictional College, 2026
  • GCSEs including English (grade B) and maths (grade C) — Fictional High School, 2015

Checks

  • Enhanced DBS check with children's barred list held for the volunteer role, registered with the DBS Update Service
  • Prevent awareness training, 2025

Skills

Phonics keep-up sessions (systematic synthetic phonics, phases 3 to 5) · Supporting pupils with an EHCP (visual timetables, now-and-next boards) · Reading records and intervention logs · Behaviour support following the school's behaviour policy · Safeguarding: KCSIE Part one training, 2025; paediatric first aid, 2026

Bullet rewrites, and the evidence behind them

Each rewrite was produced by asking an evidence question and using only the (fictional) answer. No number appears in a rewrite that is not in its evidence.

  1. Before

    Helped in a Year 2 class as a volunteer.

    Evidence question

    How often were you there, what did you run yourself, and what happened to the pupils?

    Evidence (fictional)

    Two mornings a week in Year 2 for a school year; a daily 15-minute phonics keep-up session for five pupils at phase 3 and phase 4; four of the five passed the phonics screening check re-sit in June 2026.

    After

    Ran a daily 15-minute phonics keep-up session for five Year 2 pupils working at phase 3 and phase 4, following the school's systematic synthetic phonics programme; four of the five passed the phonics screening check re-sit in June 2026.

  2. Before

    Supported a child with special needs.

    Evidence question

    Under whose direction, with what strategies, and how was it recorded?

    Evidence (fictional)

    One pupil with an EHCP; visual timetable and now-and-next board agreed with the SENDCo; each session recorded on the class intervention log and reviewed termly.

    After

    Supported one pupil with an EHCP in literacy and maths, using the visual timetable and now-and-next board agreed with the SENDCo, and recorded each session on the class intervention log for the termly review.

  3. Before

    Good with people from working in retail.

    Evidence question

    What did you actually do with people, how many, and what was the result?

    Evidence (fictional)

    Trained nine new starters over five years using the induction checklist, all signed off within their first month; about five complaints a week handled and logged.

    After

    Trained and coached nine new starters over five years, signing off till and safety training within the first month in every case, and handled around five customer complaints a week calmly, logging each one.

Try it on your own bullets with the bullet workbench, which asks the same questions and never adds a figure you did not supply.

Transferable skills in this example

  • Running a short, structured session to a plan

    Evidence: Daily 15-minute phonics sessions for a group of five, following the school's programme and recording progress.

    Where it helps: Early years, playwork, further education learning support, induction roles in any sector.

  • Supporting a person who is anxious or distressed

    Evidence: One-to-one support for a pupil with an EHCP; five years of de-escalating customer complaints.

    Where it helps: Care, youth work, customer service and healthcare support roles.

  • Accurate, timely records

    Evidence: Reading records for around 12 pupils a week, intervention logs for termly review, store logs.

    Where it helps: Any regulated setting: schools, nurseries, care, pharmacy, administration.

  • Coaching new starters

    Evidence: Trained nine new starters to a checklist and signed off their competencies.

    Where it helps: Team leader and trainer roles, and later mentoring as a higher level teaching assistant.

Occupation notes

Hard requirements

  • No professional registration is needed to work as a teaching assistant in England; schools set their own requirements, and most ask for GCSEs at grade 4 or above (or equivalent) in English and maths and value a Level 2 or Level 3 supporting teaching and learning qualification or the Level 3 teaching assistant apprenticeship.
  • An enhanced DBS check with children's barred list information is a condition of the offer, with references and a safeguarding self-declaration; the school applies for the check, so the resume says only that you hold one or are willing to undergo it, never a certificate number.

Vocabulary that belongs on the page

  • Teaching assistant (TA), learning support assistant (LSA), one-to-one support, higher level teaching assistant (HLTA)
  • Under the direction of the class teacher; the SENDCo
  • EHCP (education, health and care plan), SEND support, visual timetable, now-and-next board
  • Systematic synthetic phonics, phases 2 to 5, keep-up and catch-up sessions, the phonics screening check
  • Intervention log, reading record, age-related expectations
  • Safeguarding: KCSIE Part one, designated safeguarding lead (DSL), enhanced DBS check
  • Behaviour policy, de-escalation; Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 (KS1, KS2), EYFS

Pitfalls specific to this occupation

  • Burying a year of classroom volunteering under 'Other experience' because it was unpaid: for a teaching assistant post it is the main evidence and belongs first.
  • Claiming to have 'taught' lessons: a teaching assistant supports and leads activities under the teacher's direction, and a resume that blurs that line worries a headteacher.
  • Listing personal qualities ('patient, caring, enthusiastic') without a session, a pupil group or a record that shows them.
  • Including pupil names or diagnoses, a DBS certificate number or referees' phone numbers on a resume uploaded to job boards.

UK and US differences

  • UK: Most support staff posts in England come with a person specification and require the school's or local authority's application form; use the resume's bullets as the evidence for each line. Posts are usually term-time only, which the advert states.
  • UK: In Scotland the equivalent of the DBS check is membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme run by Disclosure Scotland; arrangements also differ in Wales and Northern Ireland, so read the advert for the nation you are applying in. This example is written for England.
  • US: US paraprofessional and instructional aide resumes state the district's requirement met and the grade band; 'KS1', 'EHCP' and 'phonics screening check' have no meaning there, so write 'kindergarten to grade 2' and 'IEP' and describe the reading assessment used.

Common questions

Do I need a qualification to be a teaching assistant?

There is no registration or licence. Schools set their own requirements and most ask for GCSE English and maths at grade 4 or above or equivalent; a Level 2 or Level 3 qualification helps, but classroom experience, including volunteering, is what panels weigh most.

Should I mention my DBS check on a teaching assistant resume?

Say that you hold or are willing to apply for an enhanced check, and whether you are registered with the DBS Update Service, but never include the certificate number. The school runs its own check as a condition of the offer.

Sources

Keep going

Published 6 November 2026 · Every person, employer and figure in this example is fictional. Drafted with AI assistance and checked against Luceria’s editorial standards.