How to Become A Teaching Assistant in NY

Become a certified TA!

Follow these steps on how to become a Teaching Assistant in New York State.

Instructions

1. In order to become certified as a Level 1-Teaching Assistant in NY you must posses a high school diploma or GED. If you don't, you need to complete that first before continuing the next steps.

2. You will need to register for the ATAS - Assessment of Teaching Assistant Skills. Currently the fee for this test - if registering in advance - is $35. See the resources section for the link to register for the test.

3. The next step (once you've taken and passed the test) is to sign up for two workshops: Child Abuse and Violence Prevention. Most BOCES centers offer these workshops. They are about 2 hours long each.

4. The last thing you will need to do before applying for certification is to get fingerprinted. Again you can look into a BOCES center. The fee is currently about $100 and they will send your fingerprints to Albany for you.

5. To apply for certification, you will need to gather your proof of passing the test, workshops, diploma and fingerprinting receipt and send it all up to Albany with a money order for $35 application fee. See resources section for address.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep copies of everything you send!

• There are higher fees if you don't register for the test early

• It may take a few months to get a response from Albany

Resources

• ATAS test
• Apply for Teaching Assistant certification
• How to Find a Mom Job