PGCE Recognition

hurling

I have completed my PGCE and NQT (fully qualified) year in england. That is one year training and one year qualified teaching computers in secondary schools. I am now going to do my masters in education for the coming year. I intend to return to Ireland but I am sooo afraid of the form I have to fill in. My degree is on the list so that is recognised but I would also like to teach business studies. In my degree it was business information systems which was half of IT and business. Can anyone advise me if I will have problems getting my teaching degree approved and also teaching business?

pathway33

so your undergraduate degree entitles you to teach business according to the teaching council list?

or does it entitle you to teach business and computers?

if it entitles you to teach business then (and this is just a big guess by the way) i'd say u may need to do one of those flexible pgce's in business where u can get credits for a pgce you already have. it may only take 3 months to do. you may even be able to do it in your current school
while you are fully employed.

if the undergraduate degree entitles you to teach computers then as long as the pgce is in the 11-18 (not 11-16) age bracket then i'd say you are as good as qualified here.

if you need a second subject you could then do the h.dip 2 nights a week in maynooth to teach religion. its for fully qualified teachers. bigger demand for religion teachers than business i'd say.

either way i'd say get the forms in asap because they are notoriously slow (but very pleasant on the phone, just understaffed) with decisions. at least you will know where you stand then.

remember do the 14-19 business pgce if you have to, not 11-16.

don't take this as gospel because it's a fluid situation with the council


best of luck

hurling

Thank you for replying and your kind advice. However, I think I didnt explain myself clear at all. I have done a PGCE 14-19 in computers so am I right in saying that I should be able to teach computers in Ireland then?

Secondly, my undergraduate degree was business information systems where I covered alot of business theory. Would I be eligible to teach business studies as well?

When I am filling out the form should I apply for the two subjects (ICT and business) or should I just apply for my main subject first which is ICT?

Sorry about my confusing message. I am just really worried that after all my hardwork over here in england, I dont want it being wasted!

pathway33

i'd say its highly likely you are qualified to teach computers in ireland as long as the teaching councils proviso that you have one subject up to leaving cert standard also applies to the leaving cert applied programme because i don't think ICT is an established leaving cert subject, just leaving cert applied.

u say your undergraduate degree is on the list of recognised degrees. if its only recognised to teach computers then you will have to apply for business to be recognised. 30% i think of degree has to relate to leaving cert business. u seem to have done more than enough to qualify.

in terms of applying for ict alone or both it depends i'd say on whether your undergrad degree recognised just computers or both. u could apply for ict on its own if you need to wait for recognition on business. would speed things up anyway.

your work certainly has not been wasted. there may be a hurdle or two to get over but you are well on the way to being fully qualified here for both subjects. whatever the teaching council say its not like you will have to go back to the start. it's easy these days to add on 5 or 10 credits if needed and they are flexible in that regard.

check out the comments on www.educationposts.ie . a few of those guys have been through the process with the teaching council