Sna advice

mjo

Hi I am looking to change my career I have been a hairdresser for over 20 years and I need a different porpuse in my life, so I sign up to do a course in sna in September ..... so my question is how can I get experience in a school what do I need to do.... Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Merak

Do you know any SNA's? Why not meet up and have a chat.

byhookorbycrook

In what context?Personally, I wouldn't be meeting up with some random person who posts like you have.

Merak

Apologies if I came across as random. I'm a teacher and I regularly get asked about teaching as a job especially by people who are thinking of a career change. Also when I had a SNA in my classroom last year she would have said the same thing. You might feel differently but I personally think it's a great idea to chat with someone who has been through the process and is now working as a SNA.

hayser

It's a great job and you will get great job satisfaction if you love kids. Some things to note though - there are different types of contracts such as Junior Infant day, full time, a .5 (half post which is 16 hours per week). These can go up and down in different years depending on how many hours are granted to the school by the SENO each year. The job security only lasts from year to year. Unfortunately posts can be cut at the end of the year. You need to get Garda clearance for each school you work in. We get great holidays but if you need days off during the year for weddings, etc you're entitled to apply for 10 days unpaid leave per school year to the board of management. You get seven uncertified sick days every two years. If you're sick more than three days in a row you need a doctor's cert. There is a staff rep on the boards of managements but SNAs can't sit on their own schools board of management. The salary scales are here if you would like to take a look: https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0061_2020.pdf Another important thing to note is that while most teachers are lovely, some do find it difficult to work with other adults in the room. You may or may not be allowed to use your own iniative in working with children. Some teachers may welcome collaboration and new ideas. Some will not and this can lead to a difficult working environment for the year at times. A good Facebook page to join if you're interested in becoming a SNA is below as they give a great idea in terms of the ins and outs of being a SNA: https://www.facebook.com/groups/910186842363641

mjo

Thanks so much for all your information.... I started my course online there is not much information about about how to do your research but I hope with some patience I will be able to do the assessments.

J.R.

If you are looking for experience while you are doing the course you could contact schools and explain that you are studying an SNA course and seek experience. You could volunteer to assist in classes.

When the course is completed and you seek experience you could contact schools and ask them to put you on their list of substitute SNA's.

You will need to get Garda Vetting for each of the schools - the school can assist with this.