Pros
-Flexibility with your schedule if you are in graduate school, have kids, or want to plan a vacation. You can always take off time and make up the hours with the kids you work with before or after your absence. -Quarterly training workshops to brush up on skills (which you get paid for). -Many days are really fun playing with sweet children that really grow to adore you. Although we are working on goals and teaching skills, playing is a huge part of our sessions… playing with play doh, jumping on trampolines, and reading stories is a lot better than being trapped in a cubicle.
Cons
-Driving between clients homes can be time consuming. Although you are reimbursed for mileage, you are not paid for this driving time which can add up to a couple hours each day especially when there is traffic. - Some kids can have very difficult behaviors to manage like aggression, tantrums, and bolting. We work to try to reduce the behaviors (its part of the job) but it can be difficult and frustrating at times and make you get home at the end of the day feeling drained and grumpy. - Many things you need to know to do the job you learn as you go. This is fine in the long run but initially it can feel overwhelming at times (specifically in the BT role when it comes to the administrative parts of the job).
