SEMH Teaching Assistant

Five Education; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

An education service provider is seeking SEMH Teaching Assistants to support pupils with emotional and behavioral challenges. Candidates will work in a dedicated environment focused on helping youth thrive academically and emotionally. Key qualifications include emotional resilience and the ability to build caring relationships. The position offers free training and a daily pay rate starting at £90, with additional opportunities to transition into permanent roles.

Benefits

Free, high-quality training

Opportunities for permanent roles

Full support from a consultant

Qualifications

• Emotional resilience and a calm, patient manner are essential.
• Genuine passion for helping vulnerable youth.
• Confidence in using de-escalation techniques for challenging behavior.

Responsibilities

• Support pupils with SEMH needs on a 1:1 basis or in small groups.
• Help students manage their emotions, behavior, and social interactions.
• Build positive, trusting relationships with young people.

Skills

Emotional resilience

Calm and patient demeanor

Passion for supporting vulnerable youth

Confidence in managing challenging behavior

Ability to build relationships

Job description

Responsibilities

• Supporting pupils with SEMH needs, either on a 1:1 basis or in small groups
• Helping students manage their emotions, behaviour, and social interactions
• Building positive, trusting relationships with young people who may have experienced trauma or disrupted education
• Assisting with class-based learning activities and reinforcing targets from Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
• Working collaboratively with teachers, SENCOs, and other support staff to provide consistent, structured support

Do you have the resilience, empathy, and patience to support pupils with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs?

About the Role

Five Education is seeking compassionate and committed individuals to join our team as SEMH Teaching Assistants. This role is ideal for those who want to make a real impact on the lives of young people who face emotional and behavioural challenges. You’ll be working in a supportive school environment with various sites across Somerset that are focused on helping pupils thrive, both academically and emotionally. This is a highly rewarding position, ideal for those looking to develop their skills in behaviour support, mental health awareness, and trauma‑informed practice.

Qualifications & Experience

• Emotional resilience and a calm, patient manner
• A genuine passion for supporting vulnerable young people
• Confidence in dealing with challenging behaviour and de‑escalation techniques
• A high level of initiative and commitment to safeguarding
• Ability to build positive relationships and maintain professional boundaries

Previous experience is not required. However, backgrounds in the following are beneficial:

• Youth work or mentoring
• Mental health or social care
• Behavioural support roles
• Security, armed forces, or public service roles
• Working with vulnerable or at‑risk individuals

Benefits

• Free, high-quality training delivered by Five Education
• Opportunities to move into permanent roles
• Full support from an experienced and dedicated consultant

Pay & Conditions

Your daily rate of pay would be £90, with a potential to earn more based on your level of experience. This figure includes holiday pay. Five Education operates a PAYE payroll; this is the most transparent way to be paid with no hidden fees such as admin fee or employer’s NI. Please note pay rate is for illustration and does include holiday pay.

DBS: If you do not have a non‑voluntary enhanced DBS on the update service, we will need to process a new one at a cost of £62.70. This will be refunded after 20 days of work, providing you have put the new DBS on the update service.

Vetting: Five Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all of the staff we employ to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be required to undergo checks including reference checks, TRA checks and will need to have a DBS; there will also be a face‑to‑face interview.

EEO Statement

We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as they are currently under‑represented at this level.