Teacher Aide Courses in Queensland

Government subsidised best practice teacher aide courses in QLD

Studying a teacher aide course has never been easier with government funding provided by the Queensland government. Queensland has 1250 schools including 920 primary schools, each one representing numerous opportunities for well-trained, qualified teacher aides with the right demeanour, attitude, and skills. FTTA’s teacher aide courses are based on research from around the world – only with FTTA will you learn best practice skills, strategies and techniques that will set you apart as a high performing teacher aide in any of Queensland’s 1250 schools.

Study the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support to learn the basics of working as a teacher aide in Queensland. The CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support will show you how to work with special needs including students with complex needs that require ongoing support. The Teacher Aide Combo, our most popular offering, comes highly recommended – combining the best of both nationally recognised courses and improving your skills, knowledge, confidence, self-esteem, and job prospects.

Learn best practice strategies such as implementing small-group activities as pictured above – only in FTTA’s research-based teacher aide courses.

Below we discuss many questions and topics about studying and working as a teacher aide in Queensland. For specific details about an individual course such as cost, duration and current government funding opportunities, please follow the relevant link below:

• CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support

• CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support

• Teacher Aide Combo

Teacher Aide Courses in Queensland: Takeaways

For those on the go, here is what you need to know in 60 seconds or less:

1. Government subsidised places are funded by the QLD government and start at $50 for concession holders.
2. Teacher aide courses in Queensland can be completed by either class (Brisbane) or online mode.
3. An important aspect of becoming a teacher aide is to learn best practice teaching and learning strategies such as modelling and scaffolding.
4. Online study includes tutorials, webinars, a library of videos, e-books, interactive activities and a structured, supported pathway.
5. We recommend the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support followed by CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support given that government funding is available for both.
6. Teacher aides support student learning and development. They assist the teacher with behaviour management and provide logistical support.
7. Teacher aide courses in QLD take about 600 hours for someone with no previous work, study, or school experience.
8. A person with experience with children including parents and those from other sectors such as childcare, may complete the course in a shorter period of time.
9. Some teacher aides can take on higher-level responsibilities such as managing a literacy or numeracy program.
10. Choosing a teacher aide course in Queensland is not easy: select your provider wisely as your career depends on it!
11. Enrol in a course that uses a clustered and holistic assessment approach as this can cut your duration down by 50% due to the removal of duplicate content.
12. Teacher aide courses are not that difficult (compared to many technical courses such as IT) and there are no essays or reports (at least with FTTA).

Teacher Aide Courses in Queensland: A Comparison

We regularly get asked about the difference between the government funded CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support and the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support.

CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support
vs
CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support

Here is a side by side comparison to make it easy for you to broadly see the differences. Note that to make this table simple, we have made some broad generalisations.

As you can see from the above comparison, there are more similarities than differences particularly in terms of structure, cost, and modes. Both the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support and the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support have 17 units, 5 clusters and cost $50 for concession and $100 for standard funded enrolments thanks to funding by the Queensland government.

The CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support specifically targets the skills and knowledge required to work with students with disabilities and disorders such as autism and ADHD. The CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support on the other hand is aimed at teaching you the basic and introductory skills to work with students in mainstream classrooms under the close guidance of the registered classroom teacher.

Studying a teacher aide course in Queensland: Additional information

Taking the leap and enrolling in a teacher aide course such as the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support or the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support is not a decision to be taken lightly. We dissect these courses in great detail and answer many of the most common questions regarding studying and working as a teacher aide in Queensland.

A pictorial guide to teacher aide courses in Queensland
-> for the visual learners!

Above: Study a research-based teacher aide course with FTTA and learn industry best practice teaching and learning strategies such as play-based learning, modelling, co-operative learning, pre and post reading strategies, feedback techniques, learning styles, guided learning, rapport building, using cues, active reading and many others – only when you study with the leader in teacher aide training in Australia.

Above: Best practice skills such as one-on-one instruction, worked examples and scaffolding are essential for all teacher aides. At FTTA, you will study a range of effective techniques and strategies including Cognitive Load theory, social stories, motivational strategies, and many more skills that will make you an invaluable and essential member of your school community! Ensure you learn best practice skills by enrolling in a reputable teacher aide course with FTTA.

Above: Teacher aides who have completed a teaching aide course with a reputable provider and studied best practice skills are often given additional responsibilities such as managing small group learning and even developing and facilitating ongoing programs. The teacher aide in the picture above is implementing a range of strategies including questioning skills, feedback skills, metacognitive skills, the levels of instruction and cooperative learning. You too could do this, by enrolling with the leader in teacher aide courses – FTTA.

Above: A group of students sit on the floor to engage in a learning activity provided by their teacher aide. In our best practice teacher aide courses in Queensland, you will study skills such as those shown above: consolidation, review activities, pair and group work, scaffolding, developing resources, designing programs and activities and many more.

Above: Could this be you? An FTTA student on placement for the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support soon after demonstrating her ability to implement a series of best practice strategies and techniques such as active reading, writing strategies, building on existing knowledge, anchor activities and mental scripting. Study best practice teaching and learning strategies by enrolling in one of FTTA’s research-based teacher aide courses.

Above: Teacher aides who have completed a high-quality course to learn best practice skills and strategies may be provided with additional responsibilities. The picture above is an FTTA student on her placement who is planning, organising, facilitating, and reporting on a numeracy activity that she has been asked to implement in order to address learning needs of several students. You too could do this by completing a nationally recognised teacher aide course with FTTA.

Above: FTTA students learn a range of best practice strategies particularly for use in the literacy and language classroom. This includes critical literacy, multi-modal strategies, multiple exposures, writing to learn, self-questioning, pre-reading activities, and many other. Learn best practice skills and strategies and boost your career as a teacher aide in Queensland.

Above: An FTTA student who recently completed her 100-hour placement for the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support. As you can see from the board, she has been implementing best practice strategies such as worked examples, repeated reading, spelling, and writing strategies, and a range of other traditional and non-traditional strategies. Could you do this?

How to choose the best teacher aide course in Queensland

Whether you enrol with FTTA or another provider, it is important to choose a provider that is high quality, who teaches best practice strategies and skills, who represents value for money and finally, who has experience and expertise. Here is how you can achieve this:

1. Enrol with a provider who teaches a range of strategies and skills such as best practice explicit instruction and one-on-one support. Do not be afraid to ask your provider for a list.
2. Enrol with a provider who is approved for government funding in Queensland. Only a small number of providers are approved for funding. The approval process weeds out many providers and the government impose a range of strict rules and requirements that approved providers have to follow (including audits).
3. Enrol with a provider that runs classes – even if you don’t attend them. Why? Classes are a good indication that the RTO has quality trainers and materials, as well as the confidence to run face to face classes with big groups.
4. Choose a provider who writes, develops, and publishes their own resources, materials, e-books etc. This is a sure-fire way of separating poor quality from high quality providers with internal expertise who know the industry like the back of their hand.
5. Support services are the key to successfully completing your teacher aide course (even though when you first enrol you may not think so). Ensure that the provider offer services such as tutorials, regular ‘as needed’ phone calls, live webinars and very importantly, workplace visits while you are on placement (as this helps you to perfect your skills which is how to get offered work).

Research-based, best practice teacher aide courses?

You may have noticed that we like to use the term ‘research-based’ and ‘best practice’ to describe our courses. So, what exactly does this mean? In simple terms, when we develop our courses, our experts comb through research from Australia and around the world to find what works. We look at what teachers are taught in universities, the skills that governments want their teachers to have and what the research says about teacher aides and their effectiveness. Here are just three examples:

1. Australian professional standards for teaching,
2. High impact teaching strategies for Victorian teachers, and
3. Graduate teacher induction program WA.

From there, we develop and provide you with the best information and resources so you can become the most effective teacher aide possible. This means the services that you provide your students will be second to none – in many instances you will know more teaching strategies than your teacher!

A teacher aide pictured implementing a series of teaching and learning strategies. Learn best practice teaching and learning strategies only with FTTA.

Practically speaking, this means that we base our teacher aide courses around a whole heap of best practice strategies, skills and techniques that are used by high performing teachers, teacher aides, schools and government around the world including Australia. Depending on which teacher aide course you enrol in, the following strategies are likely to be part of your course:

• Traditional, tried and tested strategies such as scaffolding, modelling, rapport building, text-book learning, and goal setting.
• More modern approaches such as cooperative learning, play-based learning, online learning, technology learning, blended learning, and cross-curriculum learning.
• Advanced and lesser known strategies such as Cognitive Load theory, serial-position effects, the self-fulfilling prophecy, the Zone of Proximal Development and flipped learning.
• Literacy strategies such as phonics, active reading, pre and post reading tasks, graphic organisers, using cues and prediction, spelling and grammar supports, modelling, guided and shared learning and critical literacies to name a few.
• More generic skills that all high performing teachers and teacher aides have mastered such as motivational skills, questioning skills, feedback skills, reflective practice, and games.
• Transferrable and life-long strategies and skills such as study skills, specific transferrable skills, metacognitive skills, mental scripting, and many others.
• Physical and skill’s development strategies such as deliberate practice, over-learning, spaced learning, and massed practice.
• Strategies to support students with special needs such as assistive technology, intervention and targeting approaches, social stories, aids and props and differentiated instruction.
• A range of student-centred strategies such as learning by failure, self-directed learning, pair and group work, debating and role plays.
• A range of teacher-centred strategies such as team teaching, explicit instruction, and scaffolding.
• Strategies and approaches to support the operational needs of the classroom such as methods for planning learning sequences, behaviour systems and using data for continual improvement.

Where else will you study, learn and master these skills? Nowhere but FTTA! We use the principles of adult learning, combined with high quality expert support, and in-house developed materials, to bring you a world-class teacher aide course that is second to none.

A quick note – the list above only covers a small percentage of the total skills, strategies and techniques that you will study in your teacher aide course with FTTA – we didn’t mention behaviour management, disabilities, disorders, additional needs, operational and logistical tasks and many other topics essential to your professional development. Whether you study the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support or the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support, learning and mastering a range of best practice skills is vital for your future career and your students’ success.

Quick recap

If you are just joining us, we have been discussing and examining some of the key strategies that you will learn in a nationally recognised teacher course and explaining why these strategies are so important to your career. You will study these strategies in all three programs with FTTA.

The three options in Queensland are:

• CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support

• CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support

• Teacher Aide Combo

The Teacher Aide Combo is not funded however but is a good option for anyone not eligible for a subsidised fee.

Your questions about teacher aide courses from Queensland
and in-depth responses from our experts

1. How much do teacher aides earn in Queensland? 2. How do I become a teacher aide in Queensland? 3. How hard is it to find a teacher aide job in Queensland? 4. Can I study a teacher aide course online in Queensland? 5. Tell me about the teacher aide courses in Queensland. 6. Are teacher aides also known as teacher assistants in QLD? 7. Is the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support or the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support difficult and how long does it take to complete each of these? 8. Should I enrol with FTTA or a TAFE provider for the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support or the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support?

Teacher aides are now expected to undertake a range of tasks including explicit instruction, skills development, planning and resource development. These and many other roles and responsibilities of teacher aides in today’s modern classroom is easy when you complete a best practice teacher aide course.

Key takeaways from reading this article

• Teacher aides in Queensland earn around $30 per hour and work 32 hours per week (over five days).
• The average teacher aide in Queensland earns about $1000 per week although this varies depending on the position and other factors.
• To become a teacher aide in Queensland, the first step is to complete a nationally recognised qualification with a reputable provider.
• The CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support is the beginning teacher aide course in Queensland.
• The CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support is the more advanced teacher aide course in Queensland for anyone wishing to work with special needs students.
• The more open you are to working in schools outside of your comfort zone, the easier it will be to find work as a teacher aide.
• Schools like to know that you have completed a teacher aide course with a reputable provider. This is so they can be confident that you have learnt a range of best practice teaching strategies and techniques.
• Studying ‘online’ can mean many things depending on the provider. Before selecting a provider ask about support services, resources, and assessments.
• Always enrol with a provider who uses a clustered assessment approach and preferably a holist assessment structure as this saves time (up to 50%).
• During your work placement, expect to complete a range of activities that prepare you for your final workplace assessment. This includes implementing support strategies and helping with operational tasks.
• The theory assessments are comprised of short answer questions, mini projects, case studies and other activities – there are no essays or exams.
• Our teacher aide courses take approximately 26 weeks or 600 hours to complete. This is an average however and students with experience with children often finish much faster as the course is self-paced.
• Adult learners tend to enrol with private providers where TAFEs are more geared towards students who are in high school.

So far you have discovered some of the opportunities in Queensland for those looking for a new and exciting career as a teacher aide or teacher assistant. But first, a few challenges lay in your way – where to study? What to study? We have tried to allay fears and answer some of these questions, as well as many of the common enquiries we receive each and every day – pay, courses, modes, support, difficulty etc. If your questions remain unanswered, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our student advisers.

Happy training!

About the author

Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to check his article for accuracy, information may be outdated, inaccurate or not relevant to you and your location/employer/contract. It is not intended as legal or professional advice. Users should seek expert advice such as by contacting the relevant education department, should make their own enquiries, and should not rely on any of the information provided.