How can I become an educational assistant in Dutch primary education?
Which assistant roles exist?
Besides qualified teachers, educational support staff play an important role in Dutch schools. Together, these roles are known as onderwijsondersteunend personeel (OOP).
Within this group, schools distinguish between several support roles. The most common are classroom assistant (klassenassistent), teaching assistant (onderwijsassistent) and teacher support professional (leraarondersteuner). The exact job titles and responsibilities may differ between schools.
What responsibilities do assistants have?
The responsibilities of classroom assistants, teaching assistants and teacher support professionals vary between schools. School boards decide how these roles are organised and which responsibilities belong to each position. In practice, the roles often overlap.
A classroom assistant mainly supports the teacher during lessons by helping individual students or small groups. This role is especially common in special needs education, where it may also include personal care and practical support.
An teaching assistant supports students during classroom activities, assists with administrative tasks and helps prepare teaching materials.
A teacher support professional generally has more responsibility. Depending on the school, they may prepare and supervise lessons, support classroom instruction, monitor students' progress and identify learning or behavioural challenges.
How do I become a teaching assistant?
In Dutch primary education, including special needs education, there are no statutory qualification requirements for classroom assistants, educational assistants or teacher support professionals. However, most schools prefer candidates with relevant education, experience working with children or both. If you are interested in one of these roles, it is advisable to check the requirements of individual schools or school boards. These are usually listed in vacancy descriptions on websites like Meesterbaan.nl.
There are several programs that prepare you for assistant roles. There is an mbo-4 program ‘opleiding tot onderwijsassistent’, but also several educational Ga naar artikel.
The duration of the mbo-4 program is three to four years. During the program you follow courses in pedagogy, didactics and developmental psychology, to gain more knowledge on how children learn and develop. You are trained to organize group activities and work alongside teachers. You can find a list of mbo-schools that offer this program on kiesmbo.nl.
The associate degrees ‘Pedagogisch Educatief Professional’ (Ad PEP) and ‘Didactisch Educatief Professional’ (Ad DEP) prepare you to become a teaching assistant. The duration of the program is two years and you combine the study with a job of a minimum of 16 hours per week. During the program you expand your knowledge on pedagogy, developmental psychology, management and organization, didactics and communicational skills aimed at working with kids and parents.
What are my career opportunities as an assistant?
Working in an assistant role can be a rewarding career in itself, but it can also be a stepping stone towards becoming a qualified teacher. You might choose to continue your education and enrol in a teacher training program.
There are several routes into teacher training, depending on your previous education and work experience. In addition, financial support may be available for teaching assistants who want to obtain a teaching qualification.There is a Ga naar artikel available for teaching assistants in both primary education and secondary education who want to follow a teacher training program.
