How can we encourage non-qualified people into the SEN sector?
Choosing a career path can be daunting and it’s extremely common for those in education or even later in life to be stuck wondering exactly what it is they want to do. For people that don’t have a certain industry or path in mind, the default choice tends to be work in sectors such as retail or hospitality – great options for some, but others simply settle for these roles due to lack of knowledge about other opportunities out there.
A career has the power to transform someone’s life and rather than making a default choice or falsely believing that there are no other options, people should be encouraged to explore other avenues – one such example is a career in special educational needs (SEN).
Why work in SEN?
Working in SEN can be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling careers in education. With the amount of students with special education needs at an all-time high, encouraging new, quality talent into SEN is more important than ever.
Working in SEN, no two days are the same – every day presents a new challenge and new responsibilities. Unlike mainstream students, each SEN pupil is unique and requires specific teaching techniques and activities that are tailored to their abilities and needs.
Different routes to a career in SEN
There are a variety of different routes to a career in SEN. As well as college or apprenticeships, T Levels are a new alternative to A Levels and apprenticeships. Equivalent in size and importance to three
A levels, a T Level focuses on vocational skills and can help students into skilled employment or higher study. They offer practical and knowledge-based learning at a school or college and on-the-job experience through an industry placement of at least 315 hours – approximately 45 days. The Education and Childcare T Level is suitable for anyone wanting a career in early years education, childcare or assisting teaching and the ideal foundation for a career in SEND.
There are options for non-qualified individuals too, such as volunteering in a SEN setting or directly applying for a teaching assistant role. We caught up with two experts from within our network to get their advice:
Simon Dweck, Recruitment Business Partner at Orchard Hill College & Academy Trust said: “We offer TAs a career path into teaching and historically have examples of staff who have been supported on their journey from TA to school principal! Even if this isn’t the route that someone wishes to take, we provide varied opportunities for staff development and training, regardless of the role they have in our schools.”
A Training Manager from Helping Hands Training Specialists , recommends the Care Certificate which is suitable for all age ranges and gives a good overall grounding for a job in SEN. He said: “Prospective social care workers should consider undertaking Care Certificate training prior to applying for employment. The Care Certificate is the standard of quality and professionalism across the social care sector which completes the 15 standards set by Health Education England, Skills for Care and Skills for Health to ensure that social care workers meet the six Cs: care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment.
“The 15 standards include crucial topics such as duty of care, mental health, safeguarding, basic life support, health and safety etc. and equip participants with the skills and knowledge to be able to work in the social care industry at the highest professional standard.”
The value of lived experience
When it comes to a career in SEND, the good news is that qualifications aren’t essential – lived experience can hold just as much value. Analysis of applications to teaching assistant positions advertised on Senploy between April and October 2022 proved that there’s no lack of determination among unqualified candidates. Although there were less overall adverts listing ‘unqualified SEN teaching assistant’, there were an average of four times more applications per role.
These applicants aren’t just looking for a job, they have a passion for wanting to start their career in SEN, and have proactively sought out a specialist job board to find their dream role. Whilst technically unqualified, they are hugely qualified in terms of their passion for the sector. Laura Whitworth, who is in the process of trying to find her dream career in SEND through Senploy, is the perfect example of this.
Although she studied English at university, Laura has no prior teaching experience. She said: “I had my daughter quite young and she’s autistic, I also have three brothers who have complex needs and ADHD. I grew up listening to my parents fight to get support and I now do the same for my daughter.
“My entire family teach and I feel I have a good knowledge and understanding of the education system – this isn’t a job for a pay day, it’s a job to make a difference and I’m confident that I could.”
For more information on non-qualified opportunities within the SEN industry, check out our latest listings.