Secondary school teaching

sharonp

Hi,

I'm just wondering if there is anyone who can give me advice about secondary school teaching. I'm a qualified accountant and thinking i'm not really cut out for it. I always wanted to do teaching but just kinda landed in accountancy and i dont really know why!

I want to know has anyone done a H Dip in Maynooth or Trinity recently? Is it a hard course? I've done and passed the professional accounting exams so i dont mind hard work but i dont like big long essays and the like. I can teach business and accounting.

Thanks in advance!

nesf

Moved from Work/Jobs. There should be plenty of experienced people here who will be able to help you.

pathway33

if you want to get a taste for the hdip in mayooth just wander into their lectures next month. there will be about 200 in the class so they won't know you are an intruder.

very hard to get a job teaching business but if teaching is what you really want then go for it. you can upgrade to other subjects once qualified like the 1 year 2 night a week h.dip in religion in maynooth which means you can teach religion after that.

i think theres diplomas to teach IT as well when you qualify in something else.

of course if you do the pgce in the uk there are no exams (but there are essays i think) and the teaching council will PROBABLY recognise it here. make sure you do the 14-19 age bracket and not 11-16. 11-18 would be ok too if they do it in business. i think theres a 6000 sterling maintenance grant for the uk as well.

the gttr have the list of courses.

i think dcu do a 2 year part-time h.dip and theres a rumour that hibernia who do the primary h.dip will be doing secondary from september 09 but nothing certain yet

best of luck

hugs&xxx

Hi, I have been working as a teacher the last year. I graduated last year and my subjects are business and french. This is my advice for getting into teaching.
The first thing you should do is check how many points you have at the moment with your qualifications in order to get into the nui colleges for next year. Go onto pac.ie, and get all the information there on secondary teaching courses. Do alot of google searches and you will find all the information you need.
As you did a business related course, you will need around 45/46 points to get into next years course, this would be the equivalent of a 2.1 ,and also either a masters/ or teaching hours done. The trinity course is very tough to get into, there is only around 130 places for the year, and around 1000 people applying every year, however dont let this put you off.
If you are really serious about teaching you need to try to get some teaching experience as it is a way of helping to get onto the courses and also for you to see if you actually like it. Do up a cv and cover letter and call around in person to schools in your county stating your interest in gaining experience.
The job market for business teachers is very difficult at the moment and even ppl who are qualified are finding it hard to secure work so be prepared for it to take a while. Best of luck with it all its a great job if you like what you are doing, if you have any other questions feel free to ask

hugs&xxx

Oh yea good advice pathway. I am starting a pgce course in business education this sept but hope to get french recognised too as there is more jobs out there in it, but otherwise I may check out the h.dip in religion too thanks.

pathway33

oh yeah when i said h.dip religion in maynooth i meant st. patricks college maynooth not nui maynooth. they are basically the same place but if you are googling them it st. patricks the dip is in. actually they might call religion theology there.

sitstill

pathway33 wrote: »

oh yeah when i said h.dip religion in maynooth i meant st. patricks college maynooth not nui maynooth. they are basically the same place but if you are googling them it st. patricks the dip is in. actually they might call religion theology there.

I'd be interested in doing that course as I teach religion but am not qualified to do so. It would be good to have it recognised with my other subjects.

Did you do the course?

How intensive is it? What kinds of modules are there?

pathway33

no i just heard about it. think it qualifies you to teach religion 15 hours a week.

pathway33

Higher Diploma in Theological Studies
Course Director: Reverend Professor Brendán Leahy, BCL, BL, DD
This one-year part-time programme aims to give a foundation in Theological Studies to students who hold a primary degree in another discipline. It is recognised by the Department of Education and Science as entitling teachers holding Department-recognised degrees and teacher training qualifications to teach up to 15 hours' Religious Education per week in a voluntary secondary school. Students who achieve a First Class Honours mark in the Diploma examinations, and whose primary degree is at least of Second Class Honours Grade I standard, may apply for admission to a qualifying course with a view to entering the Master in Theology programme.
Admission Requirements:
A primary degree or its equivalent is required. While the degree or qualification will normally be in a discipline other than Theology, consideration will be given to all applications.
Programme of Study:

• Systematic Theology, which studies the meaning and implications of the
  principal faith-affirmations of Christianity concerning God, Jesus, the
  Church, the human condition, etc.
• Moral Theology, which deals with the experience of morality and in
  particular with the bearing of Christian faith on the moral life. Topics
  include: conscience, making moral decisions, the Bible and morality,
  bioethics, ethics and communications, ethics of gender and sexuality,
  justice, morality and law, ethics in public life, ethics and
  communications, peace and war.
• Sacred Scripture, which studies the Bible – its nature and significance,
  origins, literary forms, interpretation today. It will include a study of
  particular Old Testament and New Testament books.
• Foundations of Worship will ask “Why Liturgy?”
• Elective subjects:
  • Foundations in Religious Education
  • Jerusalem through the Eyes of a Fourth Century Pilgrim
  • Church History: The Catholic Church in Ireland, 1795-1922
  • Introduction to Islam
  • From Pope to Parish Councils: Canon Law & the running of the Church
  • Spirituality, Theology and Daily Life.

Timetable:
Mondays: 6.30 p.m. – 9.30 p.m.
Wednesdays: 6.30 p.m. – 9.30 p.m.
One Saturday per month: 10.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.
The core courses (Systematic Theology, Moral Theology, Sacred Scripture, and Foundations of Worship) will be taught on Monday and Wednesday evenings. The electives will be taught on Saturdays from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Two Saturdays will be devoted to each elective, and each student will take three electives.
Students will have the option of staying overnight in the college. Please check with the Maynooth Campus Conference and Accommodation Office to check rates and availability. They can be contacted as follows:
Maynooth Campus Conference and Accommodation Office
Telephone: 01-708-6200 / 708-3533
Fax: 01-708-3534
E-mail: Info@MaynoothCampus.com
Web Page: www.maynoothcampus.com
Assessment:
All core courses will be assessed by means of coursework (50% of total mark) and end-of-year examination (50% of total mark). Elective Courses may be assessed by means of coursework only.
Application forms and further information:
The Admissions Office
Pontifical University
Saint Patrick’s College
Maynooth
County Kildare, Ireland
Telephone: (353) 01-708-4772 / 708-3600 / 708-3892
Fax: 353-1-628-9063
E-mail: Theology.Office@may.ie
Web Page: www.MaynoothCollege.ie

mathemagician

You must be very careful before launching into a career in teaching. I moved from Actuary to teaching 5 years ago. I spent the first year going around schools and handing in my cv looking for teaching practice. I eventually got a maternity leave cover to get me through most of the year. I got the h. dip. in UCD at the first attempt. It's a really laughable course. You don't have to go to lectures all year. They give you the questions in advance of the exams so all you have to do is swot up for about a week and you're there. Three years on and I've just been made permanent. At this stage though I'm totally sick of teenagers and their lack of respect and their lack of willingness to do anything to help themselves. I will therefore not be taking up my permanency in September. I'm heading back to the real world where at least you a can do an honest days work without having it thrown back in your face. Sorry if this seems overly pessimistic but I know I'm not alone in my views. Think very carefully and definitely get some good teaching experience before committing to the h. dip.

spurious

Another warning is that permanent after three years would be the exception rather than the norm.

FICOCO

mathemagician wrote: »

You must be very careful before launching into a career in teaching. I moved from Actuary to teaching 5 years ago. I spent the first year going around schools and handing in my cv looking for teaching practice. I eventually got a maternity leave cover to get me through most of the year. I got the h. dip. in UCD at the first attempt. It's a really laughable course. You don't have to go to lectures all year. They give you the questions in advance of the exams so all you have to do is swot up for about a week and you're there. Three years on and I've just been made permanent. At this stage though I'm totally sick of teenagers and their lack of respect and their lack of willingness to do anything to help themselves. I will therefore not be taking up my permanency in September. I'm heading back to the real world where at least you a can do an honest days work without having it thrown back in your face. Sorry if this seems overly pessimistic but I know I'm not alone in my views. Think very carefully and definitely get some good teaching experience before committing to the h. dip.

:Dwell done for having the decency to leave it when you realised it wasn't for you. you need a lot of enthusiasm to pursue a career in teaching and if you don't like teenagers and their diminishing work ethic...forget it. hats off to you for your honesty.

jamesjohn21

spurious wrote: »

Another warning is that permanent after three years would be the exception rather than the norm.

Totally agree. I qualified in German and French in 1996. Had to sub for a year and a half. Soul-destroying. Ended up moving to England for 2 years as I landed 2 separate permanent jobs there. There were definitely lots of opportunities in the UK around 1999/2000. Ireland was always a closed shop. It was who you knew, what nun or priest you had contact with etc. It's a real shame. So definitely think twice about the H.Dip, unless you intend to teach abroad.

Toto Wolfcastle

Please do not drag up old threads.