Considering a Career in Teaching?

pjtb

Primary or Secondary? Is one mad to persue a career in teaching. I'm stuck between putting down primary teaching and secondary on the aul form, and was wondering what ye're thoughts are... are career opps as bad as they say in secondary? And could we really keep control of people like ourselves in five years time? thanks for your views!

1huge1

Ya a lot of people in my year have put down primary teaching in Mary I, personally id hate it as it does not appeal to me in the slightest, the thought of being a teacher in school for the rest of my life well thats me anyway.

Everyones different and if you like it and can see yourself as a teacher well seriously consider it, it always seen as a safe job anyway and the 3 reasons for becoming a teacher are
June
July
August

devinejay

For some of my less career orientated cao choices like maths I was thinking I wouldn't mind putting my degree towards teaching, I mean they say everyone wants to employ mathematicians but that doesn't really help when you're trying to think ahead. Certain teachers of mine especially made me think I'd like to be a teacher, cause it's painful having a class full of students doing an interesting subject suffer due to a useless teacher. It makes me want to go do a good job, if ya know what I mean?

GretchenWieners

I'm studying secondary teaching in UL. If you're interested in it go for it, I was like you and half unsure but I love every minute of it. It's stressful I won't lie, but it's really rewarding and good fun in comparison to just sitting down and learning stuff over and over. You get to put your study into practice. Any qs feel free to pm me!

BoozyBabe

I like you didn't know if I wanted to do it or not. If I'd be fit for it, if I'd like it, if people thought I'd be a swot for going for it etc.
In the end I decided not to follow it & I did a degree in IT instead.

11 years later I've just repeated my LC Honours Irish exam & will be applying to do a PostGrad in Primary when I get my results.

So, if you're mad, I must be bonkers!!!!!


It defo does seem to be very difficult to get a full time permanent job in Secondary teaching, & an awful lot of secondary teachers seem to move to primary.
If you go the Secondary route, choose your subjects very carefully so that you'll be in high demand from schools.

Holly Golightly

What sort of subjects are in demand from secondary schools? I was thinking of doing Irish and English, how would I get on with those do you think? I was also considering History or French but I'm not so sure now.

titan18

OP,if you're male,do primary teaching as there isnt enough male teachers in the country.You will be guaranteed a job

spurious

Woodwork and Home Economics teachers are always in demand.
They can more or less pick their school.

BoozyBabe

Holly Golightly wrote: »

What sort of subjects are in demand from secondary schools? I was thinking of doing Irish and English.

I don't really know about your other choices, but I'd imagine it'd be near impossible to get a job with the above subjects as just about everyone coming out of college to do secondary has these subjects!!!!

as Spurious said, you'd stand a far better chance with less mainstream subjects as there'd be a lot less chance that many others would be qualified to offer the same subjects as you.

GretchenWieners

Irish teachers are in the highest demand. They make more money too.

PrivateEye

I want to study History and Gaeilge.

Am I right in saying the way to teaching here is

*Do that ^ for three years
*Do a Hdip, or whatever they call it.
*Be a teacher.

?

Not sure about the road into teaching to be perfectly honest

Fad

titan18 wrote: »

OP,if you're male,do primary teaching as there isnt enough male teachers in the country.You will be guaranteed a job

Oh yes no consideration will be given to your ability to teach, also in my experience women make better teacher but however......

Science teachers are appartently in demand, maybe Religion in its new exam form, and as stated above Irish, id say some schools are struggling to fill teaching spots cos so few train for it.

rainbowtrout

GretchenWieners wrote: »

Irish teachers are in the highest demand. They make more money too.

all teachers are paid on the same scale. There is allowance for teaching your subject through Irish/Gaeltacht grant, its not actually for teaching the subject.

turgon

The thing with career prospects is that once you become a teacher, the only way tro get a promotion is to become a principal, inspector or something. So technically teaching is really promotion less.

TBH I was considering it cause I would really like to teach, but feel I would get bored after a few years.