Help Needed! (Moving into Primary Teaching)

Jay16

Hi, first time poster. Jay here looking for a bit of help/advice.

Ive been looking into doing primary teaching but realise Im WAY behind
in achieving my goal.

Quick background:
-28 male.
-I only have an ordinary degree in Business Management.
-Dont have honours Irish either :rolleyes: but willing to go back.

-Been working for 2.5 years as a Special Needs Asst with kids with
severe learning disabilities. I love my job so much and want to stay
in that area, perhaps as a teacher?
Ive had to 'fill in' for the teacher now and again so I have a fair idea
what the job entails and feel I would be up to the task.
The main reason I want to switch is the salary. Mortgage and family
etc... on the way means I wont be able to survive in the job I love.

So does any kind soul have some advice for me? Is it even possible to
do the PGCE courses in the UK with my qualifications?

I read somewhere here that people with classroom experience with
ordinary degree's have been accepted to do the PGCE courses.
Is this true?

Im at that crossroads in life and could do with some advice.
Thanks for reading and any help would be greatly appreciated.
Jay

Trotter

Do some searches in this forum for PGCE and similar people looking for similar advice.

Check with the PGCE colleges that usually take a good few Irish students like Liverpool Hope etc, and see are your qualifications acceptable to them.

The GTTR website is your start point for the PGCE info.

Best of luck!

scut

I'm no expert but 3 of my friends did the pgce, one of them didn't have honours Irish and a year after completing the pgce she still doesn't have everything sorted, If I was you I'd work hard concentrating on the honours Irish this year and sit it in June 2009. Even after that hibernia would probably still be the better option as you could work while doing it.

Jay16

Trotter wrote: »

Do some searches in this forum for PGCE and similar people looking for similar advice.

Check with the PGCE colleges that usually take a good few Irish students like Liverpool Hope etc, and see are your qualifications acceptable to them.

The GTTR website is your start point for the PGCE info.

Best of luck!

Thanks Trotter. Appreciate the help mate.

scut wrote: »

I'm no expert but 3 of my friends did the pgce, one of them didn't have honours Irish and a year after completing the pgce she still doesn't have everything sorted, If I was you I'd work hard concentrating on the honours Irish this year and sit it in June 2009. Even after that hibernia would probably still be the better option as you could work while doing it.

I dont have the proper degree to get into Hibernia, which is the problem.
Thanks for the advice on the Irish though. Ill start watching Tg4 a bit more.

Tony_Montana

What i did Jay was i went to Trinity College Wales a great area and college alround. Alot of mature students there two, well worth a look into it

Larkenn

Your best bet would be to sit Irish in the Leaving Cert and do a H dip course in either Trinity College, Colaiste Mhuire Marino, Froebel College or St Pats. A lot of people go to the UK to do a PGCE in the hope of getting around the Irish language problem but they have more difficulty getting jobs than people who go to Irish Colleges.

Jay16

Tony_Montana wrote: »

What i did Jay was i went to Trinity College Wales a great area and college alround. Alot of mature students there two, well worth a look into it

lol thanks mate. Ill check it out for sure but Im not looking for the 'craic'
as such, as thats what Ive been having my entire life (hence my
predicament). I just need to put the head down and just do it and stop
being a lazy *beep*. :pac: I will look into though. Thanks again.

Larkenn wrote: »

Your best bet would be to sit Irish in the Leaving Cert and do a H dip course in either Trinity College, Colaiste Mhuire Marino, Froebel College or St Pats. A lot of people go to the UK to do a PGCE in the hope of getting around the Irish language problem but they have more difficulty getting jobs than people who go to Irish Colleges.

If I get the Irish, wont my (ordinary) degree still be an obstacle in gaining
entry into these colleges?

Lets say for arguments sake that I can get a job without too much hassle
(if I were to know a few principals). Would I be adequately qualified
with the PGCE? (presuming I got in). So if I got a job (after PGCE),
wouldn't I then have 5 years to complete the Irish exams?
Tbh Id probably need 5 years as Im brutal at Irish.:rolleyes:

Im also half French (fluent). Would there be any way of avoiding the Irish
in any way because of my Frenchness? I know Im clutching at straws
here, but I like straws......

Thank you everyone for your help and advice. Mucho apprecciated!

Tony_Montana

Hate to break it to ya but unfortunetly there's no way of getting around the Irish. For me i had to do an Irish exam which is exactly the same as the Leaving Cert and all you need to do is pass it, it's not 2 difficult really as long as you take the course and do sum bit of revision. You also have sumthing like 6-8years to pass it.

P.S. if you want to get your head down don't go to Carmarthen lol

dan_d

Get yourself someone who teaches Irish grinds, or Irish to foreigners.You need to sit the LC exam, then work up hours in a primary school (which i don't think you're paid for).You can apply then/while you're working, to do a 16 mth/18 mth course(i think)through the Irish colleges.You'll have endless heartbreak if you do it via England.They make you sit an Irish exam which takes a good 5 years to study for,yet nobody really knows what the course is,what the exam is like and it's rarely passed first time.Can't remember the name of it but it's infamous!Don't wish that upon yourself!

Trotter

Larkenn wrote: »

A lot of people go to the UK to do a PGCE in the hope of getting around the Irish language problem but they have more difficulty getting jobs than people who go to Irish Colleges.

Thats not true for all cases. Some principals prefer the Irish based qualifications, but I know of no UK trained person who has had trouble finding a job of some kind in teaching.

dan_d wrote: »

They make you sit an Irish exam which takes a good 5 years to study for,yet nobody really knows what the course is,what the exam is like and it's rarely passed first time.Can't remember the name of it but it's infamous!Don't wish that upon yourself!

It doesn't take 5 years to study for. Its called the SCG, and its quite easy to find out what the course is.. www.scgweb.ie is the website for starters. It is often passed on the first occasion.

:rolleyes:

A note to everyone by the way, If we have information to post, can we all make sure its some way accurate? I'm not interested in reading "information" here that has come from a friend of a friend etc.


To Jay16, you need to contact the GTTR or the individual colleges to see if your degree is acceptable to them. It may vary from college to college in the UK so you may not get accurate reliable information in that regard here.

scut

Is it a pass degree you have? My friend got in to hibernia last year with a pass degree in geography and english. Your experience might balance it out

Trotter

Be careful Be careful Be careful !!!

The colleges use the following framework to determine your existing qualification level.

Up to a couple of years ago, a pass degree was just that.. a pass degree.
Then.. The old diploma became an ordinary degree.

Theres a difference in the levels as stated in this framework.
http://www.nfq.ie/nfq/en/images/FanDec2006.jpg

As far as I'm aware, your qualification needs to be at level 8 before you can do the post grads in Ireland.

scut

o yes I see what you mean, her's was a pass BA

Tom Dunne

scut wrote: »

o yes I see what you mean, her's was a pass BA

It's not the pass part that is relevant, it's the level.

Did she get a pass at level 7 (ordinary degree), or a pass at level 8 (honours degree)?

Larkenn

An ordinary degree is not enough to get into a Post Grad course in Ireland. You need an Hons Level 8 Degree for this. I don't know about the PCGEs in England though, they might accept a level 7 ordinary degree.

Jay16

Larkenn wrote: »

An ordinary degree is not enough to get into a Post Grad course in Ireland. You need an Hons Level 8 Degree for this. I don't know about the PCGEs in England though, they might accept a level 7 ordinary degree.

Does anyone know of any colleges in the UK that would accept a level 7 ordinary degree? Any help would be greatly appreciated.