Trainee SEN Teacher (Paid Placement)

Cooper & Hall Limited; Waverley; Remote; GBP 24,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Fully funded training

Term-time only

Therapist team

Wellbeing support

Retail discounts

Job summary

Jigsaw School in the United Kingdom offers a 1-year paid placement for university students aiming to develop careers in psychology and special educational needs. Placements include hands-on teaching and supporting autistic children, with extensive funded training and supervision from leading Behaviour Analytic experts.

Salary is £23,000 pro-rata (36.75 hours/week, 39.2 weeks/year), with additional benefits and a structured development program that runs throughout the placement year.

Qualifications

• Experience working with children with disabilities is required.
• Interest in special educational needs, specifically autism.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development and training.
• Ability to stay calm in high pressure situations.
• Positive, patient and caring attitude.
• Driver’s license or access to a lift is required due to site location.
• Confidence when working with children exhibiting challenging behaviours and supporting with personal care.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and deliver lessons and activities focused on communication and life skills.
• Support pupils’ progression and social/emotional development in small classes.
• Contribute to research and undertake training for personal development.
• Assist pupils during trips and apply theory to practice.
• Provide behaviourally based support and monitor pupil progress.

Skills

Disability experience

SEN/autism interest

Professional development

Calm under pressure

Patient and caring

Driver's license

Challenging behavior care

Education

GCSE English & Maths C/4

Job description

• Are you studying Psychology or Education at University?

• Are you interested in Special Educational Needs and Behaviour Analysis?

• Are you looking to get one step ahead in your career before leaving university?

Jigsaw School, a day school for autistic children aged 4-19, is now recruiting for their sought after 1 year paid placements for university students, who are looking to develop a careers in psychology and special educational needs.

Placement students will have the opportunity to gain hands on experience of teaching and supporting autistic children whilst accessing a wide range of fully funded training and qualification opportunities in SEN education and Behaviour Analysis. You will also receive support and regular supervision from some of the UK’s leading and internationally recognised Behaviour Analytic experts.

Benefits of a paid placement at Jigsaw School

• A competitive salary and performance related bonus scheme

• Extensive training and development – all Fully funded!

• Term time only working – don’t give up the school holidays just yet

• Work alongside our in-house team of experienced therapists

• Excellent staff wellbeing and support facilities

• Discounts at over 900 retailers via our online ‘Smart Spending’ platform

Fully funded Training & Development during your placement

• Behaviour specific qualifications including CABAS Teaching Assistant ranks (fassteaching.org), the 40 hour Registered Behaviour Technician (RBT) course (bacb.com) and an Introduction to Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) course

• Regular industry training in Safeguarding, Emergency Medication, Behaviour Management, Personal Care, Autism, First Aid and more

• In situ teacher training and observations in the classroom

What our past interns have to say…..

‘Working at Jigsaw School was an incredible opportunity and I acquired some really valuable experience. I completed a lot of training and gained many professional skills throughout my year’

‘This placement has given me amazing training, experience and professional skills that I hope to implement into future roles. A huge thank you to the team at Jigsaw for supporting me throughout this year!’

I have felt myself grow both professionally and personally through this placement. I was placed at Jigsaw to benefit and educate the children, but in many ways, they have inspired me

What would I be doing during my placement year?

• Preparing and delivering lessons and activities, focusing largely on communication and life skills

• Within small classes encourage pupils learning and progression whilst seeking to improving their social and emotional development

• Contributing to research and undertaking training to support your personal development

• Supporting pupils’ participation in trips, applying theory-based learning to practice

• Providing behaviourally based support and monitoring pupil progress

What will I need to apply for this placement

• Professional, personal or voluntary experience of working with children with disabilities

• An interest in special educational needs, specifically autism

• Minimum Grade C/4 GCSE in English Language & Maths or equivalent

• Commitment to our regular and ongoing professional development programme and training

• Ability to keep calm in high pressure situations

• A positive, patient, caring and can-do attitude

• Driver’s licence or access to a lift (due to remote location of our site)

• Confidence when working with children who exhibit behaviour that challenges and supporting with personal/intimate care

Salary: £23,000 Pro-rata salary based on 36.75 hours per week, 39.2 weeks per year (£26811 FTE)

Contract terms: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 8:45am-4:45pm, Tuesday: 8:45am-5:30pm Friday: 8:45am-4:30pm

Annual leave:12.8 Weeks per year (Including Bank Holidays) – 5.6 weeks paid

Closing Date: Placement are offered on a first come first served basis, therefore, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. We anticipate that interviews for shortlisted applicants will commence in November/December 2026

ALL PLACEMENTS REQUIRE A MINIMUM COMMITMENT OF 1 ACADEMIC YEAR AND WILL COMMENCE BETWEEN JULY 2027 AND AUGUST 2027