Youth Mentors – Become a TA or Unqualified Supply Teacher (Free Training Provided)
Pay: £89 to £95 per day for TAs, £100 to £120 per day for Cover Supervisors
Location: Secondary Schools in Bristol, with placements close to where you live. Driving is not required, but always appreciated to expand your opportunities.
Type of employment: part or full time available; day-to-day and permanent placements available.
If you’re a youth mentor looking for a rewarding, flexible role where you can make a real impact, working in schools could be your perfect next step. You don’t need classroom experience or teaching qualifications, because we provide all the training you need for free. Your calm approach, empathy, behaviour awareness and ability to build trust are exactly the qualities schools look for in brilliant Teaching Assistants and Unqualified Supply Teachers.
You’ll gain hands-on experience in supportive secondary schools across Bristol, helping young people feel safe, understood and motivated. It’s a great way to explore a career in education, strengthen your skills and open the door to long-term opportunities. Protocol Education work closely with schools across Bristol and many specifically ask for people with mentoring or pastoral backgrounds because of the difference you make.
We support schools with both daily emergency cover and longer-term support, so whether you want stable routines or variety, we can find a match that works for you.
Why youth mentors love working with us
⭐ Work flexibly, choosing anywhere from 2 to 5 days a week
⭐ FREE training, including Thrive, Team Teach and Cover Supervisor training
⭐ Schools matched to your preferred locations
⭐ Build a strong CV with highly transferable pastoral and behaviour skills
⭐ A dedicated consultant who finds roles that suit your style and strengths
⭐ Network across Bristol schools to open doors to long-term roles
The Roles
As a Teaching Assistant, you’ll support pupils in lessons, help them stay engaged, and build positive relationships with those who need extra support. Youth mentors do incredibly well in this role thanks to your experience with behaviour, emotional needs and one-to-one relationship building. Some days you may support small groups, others you may work closely with a single pupil, especially in SEND or pastoral settings.
As an Unqualified Supply Teacher, you’ll lead classes using work already planned by the teacher. Your job is to guide pupils through the lesson, keep the atmosphere calm and positive, and support them where needed. Youth mentors often excel here because you already know how to set boundaries, communicate clearly and manage groups with confidence.
Our Free Training
Protocol Education are proud to offer:
• Thrive Approach: Understand behaviour, support emotional wellbeing and build strong relationships.
• Team Teach: Positive behaviour and de-escalation strategies to keep everyone calm and safe.
• Trauma-Informed Practices: Practical tools to support pupils who have experienced adversity.
• Cover Supervisor Training: A hands-on guide to leading classes confidently and delivering pre-set work.
• CPD Academy: Extra training covering safeguarding, SEND and behaviour support.
The Ideal Candidate
You’ll be someone who enjoys working with young people and brings calm, confidence and empathy into the room. We especially welcome those with:
• Youth mentoring experience
• Experience supporting young people with behavioural, emotional or social needs
• Experience in community work, youth clubs or pastoral roles
• Strong communication and boundary-setting skills
• Experience working in SEMH or SEND environments
• Patience, resilience and a positive, encouraging approach
If you’re reliable, warm, confident and keen to learn, you’ll fit right in. You’ll also need the right to work in the UK.
Why Protocol Education?
• Competitive rates of pay through PAYE
• Guaranteed work agreements for consistent income
• FREE CPD including Team Teach, behaviour training and SEND courses
• Social events like free bowling and pizza nights
• Termly awards to celebrate outstanding performance
• Ongoing, honest support from your dedicated consultant
• £50 refer a teacher or TA bonus scheme
WHAT DO WE NEED TO CLEAR YOU
To get you cleared we’ll need: Passport, 2 proofs of address (e.g. driving licence, utility bill, council tax, P45/60), CV covering 10 years of all work or education with gaps accounted for, 2 years of references (including childcare if applicable), OSPC if you lived overseas for 3 months or more in the last 5 years.
All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQs on the Protocol Education website for further details.
All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available at a later date.
Protocol Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with the DfE statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, this may also include an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted applicants.
We offer FREE online safeguarding and Prevent Duty training to all our workers. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and subscribe to the DBS Update Service.
Full assistance provided. For details of our privacy policy, please see visit the Protocol Education website.