Aspiring Addiction Recovery Worker – Learning Support Assistant

Aspiring Addiction Recovery Worker – Learning Support Assistant Ealing

Education and Training – Aspiring Addiction Recovery Worker – Learning Support Assistant Ealing

Aspiring Addiction Recovery Worker – SEMH / Mainstream School Experience

Are you passionate about supporting young people affected by addiction, whether personally or through challenges within their family environment?

Are you looking to build frontline experience that will prepare you for a career in addiction recovery, youth work, mental health, or community support services?

We are recruiting Learning Support Assistants for specialist SEMH and mainstream schools in Ealing. This role offers powerful, hands‑on experience supporting children and young people who may be impacted by addiction within their home, family, or community — and the emotional and behavioural fallout that can follow.

Many pupils in these settings experience instability, trauma, anxiety, poor emotional regulation, or disrupted routines linked to substance misuse in their surroundings. Your role will be to provide consistency, structure and positive role modelling, helping them remain focused on their education and long‑term goals.

This role starts in April 2026, working Monday to Friday, term time only.

Pay: £101.40 per day

The schools are well connected by public transport, with parking available nearby.

Working as a Learning Support Assistant is excellent practical experience and strong preparation for future roles within SEMH and SEN settings. It allows you to develop the emotional resilience, behavioural understanding and professional boundaries required in specialist environments.

Working in a specialist SEMH or mainstream setting gives you direct exposure to:

• The emotional and behavioural impact of addiction on young people
• Trauma‑informed approaches to supporting vulnerable students
• De‑escalation techniques and conflict management
• Building trust with children who may struggle with authority or stability
• Understanding how adverse childhood experiences affect learning and behaviour
• The structure and expectations of SEMH and SEN educational settings

You will see first‑hand how instability at home can impact attendance, concentration, confidence and peer relationships — and how consistent adult support can begin to break that cycle.

This role is particularly valuable if you are aiming to move into specialist SEMH schools, SEN provisions, alternative provision, youth justice, or addiction recovery services in the future.

Most importantly, you will help demonstrate the value of education as a pathway to stability, opportunity and independence.

Your goal is to:

• Keep students focused, engaged and emotionally regulated during the school day
• Raise Attainment!
• Provide a safe, predictable presence in an otherwise unpredictable world
• Encourage resilience, aspiration and belief in their future
• Reinforce the importance of education as a foundation for long‑term change

By building positive relationships, you help students understand that their circumstances do not define their potential.

• Supporting pupils on a 1:1 or small‑group basis
• Helping students manage emotional triggers and remain engaged in learning
• Using calm, consistent approaches to manage challenging behaviour
• Working alongside teachers, SENCOs and pastoral teams
• Encouraging routine, responsibility and goal setting
• Acting as a positive role model for healthy coping strategies

• Experience in youth work, care, mentoring, support work or community services
• A strong interest in addiction recovery, mental health, criminology or social work
• Emotional resilience and a calm, grounded approach
• The ability to build rapport with vulnerable young people
• A genuine belief in second chances and long‑term change

You do not need direct school experience. Your empathy, consistency and motivation to support young people affected by addiction are what matter most.

Full training is provided as part of your onboarding.