I am looking at becoming a primary school teacher and just wondered if any of you lovely primary school teachers could give me some advice?

I have a BArts already and I'm currently on maternity leave. I'm just wondering a few things...do any of you know how long it takes to become a teachers aid? Do you think it would be a good idea to start off as a teachers aid before undertaking further study to become a teacher? Anything I should know about either position before I embark in my journey