Where can I learn Irish to resit leaving cert

sean9han

Hello All,

I'm currently doing a masters in I.T. I've decided I want to become a primary teacher, I have an honors degree in I.T but dont have honors Irish from lc, have you any advice on how to prepare and learn irish, the masters finishes in May 2007 and I would like to begin learning irish straight away for the exam in 2008.

gaeilgegrinds

I'd say go to Oral classes weekly in your local Conradh na Gaeilge centre and then get grinds every week but from someone who will set and correct lots of work for you. Then go to a revision course at Easter and maybe the Gaeltacht too. It's not as hard as it sounds when you get into the habit of learning it, best of luck!

Rebel_City

I just rang a private school on Leeson St. about starting the leaving cert in Sept, but they quoted me a price of €1295!! I work in the city centre and don't have a car, so I am limited when it comes to travel. I would love to go back and do Primary School teaching but I can't even save enough by Sept to pay this fee!! Is there anywhere else, that's cheaper!!

BoozyBabe

Hi Rebel,

I'm in the same boat as yourself.
Have hons degree in IT, but no Hons LC Irish.

& if you want to do a teaching course anywhere in Ireland, you need this.
Alternatviely, if it suited you, you can do a post grad in the UK, which will qualify you as a primary teacher here & then you have 5 years to complete your Irish exams (the SCG) when you get back.

In my case, I've decided to resit the leaving cert next year (which will be 11 years after I 1st sat it), then apply for the Hibernia course.

I'm sort of learning the course myself.
I take it from your post, it was the Institute you rang. Same here & it's too expensive for me too.
I'm currently doing a correspondence course with Kilroys college. Only really started, so can't say what I think of it. Don't think it'll be of any benefit to the oral test, but they give you questions, essays etc & correct & grade them & give you some notes.
Think it cost €300 & something.
I've bought the course book (Díograis Nua) & will be buying a few more.

I've bought the Teach It Yourself audio book set & Turas Teanga series, grammar books, old school books, listen to radio, watch TG4, read Irish newspapers, basically anything I can do to improve.

I'm sure I can do it, but it's daunting.

I'm trying to find conversational groups in my area, or some private grinds to get the oul speech up to scratch, haven't found any yet though.

Went for a weekend to the gaeltacht. It was great craic. Check out www.oideas-gael.com

Any more questions, give me a shout.
BB

EDIT:- I meant to say, that as a mature student, you have to apply to the department yourself to sit the exam.

jofrolo

Hi,

You don't need to go to a private college to do the leaving cert course. You can sit the exam at any secondary school as long as you've organised to do so in advance.

Conradh na Gaeilge on Harcourt St. and Gael Linn on Dame St. will be able to give you info on doing Irish courses and you can look for private tuition where ever you like. This would be a much cheaper way of studying for the leaving cert but would involve you doing more work off your own bat as there are so many components to the exam.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

gaeilgegrinds

Ah don't bother with expensive courses!Waste of time unless you need to be spoon-fed! Go to Conradh na Gaeilge, they won't rip you off & you'll get a high standard of Oral Irish!I had 3 pupils this year for grinds who were all well into middle-age wanting to pass the LC Honours, 2 for the purpose of Primary Teaching, one so she could help her children. Best of luck!

inverted_world

You should also buy Foinse between September and the exams. It has a Foinse sa rang section and there are usually pretty good essays on course material (poems and stories), as well as some pointers for the oral exam. I found it very helpful when I was doing my leaving cert, as the essays are more in-depth than the notes in the textbooks. There's also a journal style thing called Dréimire that we subscribed to in school, which was weekly or fortnightly (I can't remember) essays and comprehensions etc for the leaving cert. I don't know if you can still get that, but maybe contact a school to find out where you could get it.

Edit: you can get Dréimire through the gael linn on http://www.gael-linn.ie/glinn/learn/resources.aspx

If you can't afford to but Foinse every week, the library should have a copy.

Rebel_City

Hi there - haven't been on this site for a while now. Thanks for the above advice. I rang Gael Linn and they directed me to the Institute. But I've moved jobs since - based in the Airport now so I've heard about Plunket College who run Irish LC classes. Will call them later today and see if there's availability. But I've another Q. I did pass maths back in 2000. Was way too laid back that year and only got a D2 or even a D3 I think! But since then I've an honours degree and masters. Was wondering if the maths would go against me when I eventually apply for a teaching course. The thoughts of re-sitting the Irish LC are bad enough - with work and other commitments. Ahh...what do you think? Cheers!

BoozyBabe

Hi Rebel,
It shouldn't be a problem.

Hibernia's Minimum Requirements:-

Minimum grade D3 (ordinary or higher level) in Leaving Cert Mathematics

spurious

Plunket College CDVEC do a night class in Hons Irish for the Leaving.
http://www.cdvec.ie/en/index.cfm/go/course-database-page/course_key/5535/
Mondays and Wednesday evenings - enrolment next week.

Rebel_City

Thanks for all the help! I am hoping to enrol in the Plunket College tomorrow evening! It's going be a tough year but hopefully it will work out fine! Got an A2 in Ordinary level in 2000. Started a new job recently, going to try and save a bit and then if I'm still not into the whole 'business world' I'll go for the primary teaching! Must call the college and see if it's not too late to enrol tomorrow evening!

Go raibh míle maith agat!

corkorian

I'm a 32 yr old male and I'm very keen to study primary school teaching, but fall short on some of the requirements. I don't have honours Irish and don't have an honours degree. I do have a higher diploma in IT or ordinary degree with 9 years work experience in the IT industry.
I've heard that their is a demand for male teachers. I love sport and love playing music which would work in my favour should I ever make it to the vocation.
I'm willing to sit my leaving cert to get my honours irish. I would love to be able to do the hiberian online course and still hold down my current job till I qualify, but not wondering how strict would they be on having honours degree.
If this honours degree is a must, then my only option is to give up my job and go back to college full time for a min of 3 years after waiting over a year to get leaving cert. Can anybody advise me on the best way to approach this goal of mine?

Dionysus

Try the Dioplóma Sa Ghaeilge Fheidhmeach in UCD. It is also in NUIG and NUIM and probably in UCC. It's two years, part-time, and is definitely acceptable in lieu of Leaving Cert Irish for Primary teaching.

It is particularly brilliant at improving your spoken Irish. The teaching methods (at least in UCD) should be imitated in every Irish language class in the world. Even the coursenbook, which they designed, has more clarity, knowledge and succinctness than all my previous grammar books added together. i wish I had it when I was 12. I also never heard a single word of English in my two years on the course. Complete immersion.

Oh, and you can also transfer to Year 2 of the BA in Irish in UCD.

Sir Humphrey

corkorian wrote: »

I'm a 32 yr old male and I'm very keen to study primary school teaching, but fall short on some of the requirements. I don't have honours Irish and don't have an honours degree. I do have a higher diploma in IT or ordinary degree with 9 years work experience in the IT industry.
I've heard that their is a demand for male teachers. I love sport and love playing music which would work in my favour should I ever make it to the vocation.
I'm willing to sit my leaving cert to get my honours irish. I would love to be able to do the hiberian online course and still hold down my current job till I qualify, but not wondering how strict would they be on having honours degree.
If this honours degree is a must, then my only option is to give up my job and go back to college full time for a min of 3 years after waiting over a year to get leaving cert. Can anybody advise me on the best way to approach this goal of mine?

To get around the Irish, the quickest, easiest and shortest route is obviously to repeat the subject in the Leaving Cert. You could have a stab at it for next June though it would be a huge ask at this stage assuming you haven't touched the language in years.

My understanding of Hibernia is that an honours degree is a non-negotiable, though others will confirm (or otherwise) that. I have also heard it said that while in theory you can work during the course as it's on-line that when teaching practice kicks in and you are required to be available to teach for 4/5 weeks at a time for a few seperate stints that holding down another job isn't really an option.

Mind you, the way things are going in the economy you might be in a far worse place over the next three years than in college.