No jobs!

sunflower!

just wondered if there was anyone else out there feeling a bit disheartened by the lack of jobs for secondary teachers at the moment?? I seem to have been applying for jobs for ever and I'm lucky if I get a pfo letter probably only for 1 in 10!!!

a lot of my fellow PDGE grads from this year in Galway seem to be in a similar position at least the ones I have been speaking to and i Just wondered if there were many others in the same position! or prehaps some who had been and have some words of encouragement or advise!!!!

TheDriver

To be honest, this situation has been predicted for many years now, I would not advise anyone to go into the profession due to lack of jobs and years of subbing around. Even primary level is drying up fairly fast

Nead21

yep have the same problem...very disheartened really. its very much dependent on the subjects i think.

TheDriver

Its down to presuming that a college place means a job place which unfortunately is inversely proportional. They need to cut down on HDip places and make it more realistic, its unfair to ye all.

spurious

I'm in the game a while and I had to do two years part-time before being lucky enough to get a permanent post. Many of my younger colleagues did up to eight or ten years part-time.

No-one should go into teaching thinking there is a good chance of a permanent job within the first couple of years, regardless of subjects. Of course there are the lucky few, we have one on this forum and we FINALLY managed to get a Home Ec. teacher in my school, but to be banking on it is foolish.

Nead21

spurious wrote: »

No-one should go into teaching thinking there is a good chance of a permanent job within the first couple of years, regardless of subjects.

i never had expectations of getting a permanent position in the first few years tbh, but i didnt think id be here in september till looking for something
:(:(

/very very depressed

sunflower!

same here!!! I fully understood I wouldn't be walking into a permanent position but I did think I'd be able to find something, a few weeks maternity leave or some part-time work

i understand it'll be a few years before I manage to get anything secure but without some kind of work it'll be hard to keep motivated!!!

rainbowtrout

spurious wrote: »

I'm in the game a while and I had to do two years part-time before being lucky enough to get a permanent post. Many of my younger colleagues did up to eight or ten years part-time.

It's the same in my school, two teachers in particular were part time for 14 years before finally being made permanent 2 years ago.

spurious wrote: »

No-one should go into teaching thinking there is a good chance of a permanent job within the first couple of years, regardless of subjects. Of course there are the lucky few, we have one on this forum

I think that might be me. I got a permanent job straight out of college. But I am the exception to the rule and I was incredibly lucky. Some of my friends are still moving from school to school each year on 1 year contracts/subbing/maternity leave 8 years after qualifying. It's quite disheartening to not have any stability even to be able to say they are going to be working in the same school the following year and having to uproot and get to know a whole new staff, students, rules and regulations of a school, as well as constantly moving around the country to new towns every so often.

To give an example a friend of mine has lived/worked in Castlebar/Rossport/Cork/Athlone/Connemara/Ennis/Limerick since we've left college for work.

Another friend while she is lucky to have a stable job, has bought a house in Roscommon and is commuting to Dublin this year to teach, which is crazy but she couldn't get a job in the West of Ireland including - Galway/Mayo/Roscommon/Leitrim/Sligo/Longford/Westmeath, again an experienced and highly qualified teacher.


I have no idea how new graduates are going to fare out.

Nead21

oh my god its so hard to keep motivated!!!

sunflower!: have you gone around to schools to leave in your cv or anything?....at least there's still jobs being advertised, at least there's still some hope......:o

TheDriver

rainbowtrout wrote: »

I think that might be me. I got a permanent job straight out of college. But I am the exception to the rule and I was incredibly lucky. .

And me, so lucky to get a permanent job out of the Dip. Those days are well gone now though, especially with CIDs, have friends messing around for ages, terrible stuff

Toto Wolfcastle

TheDriver wrote: »

And me, so lucky to get a permanent job out of the Dip. Those days are well gone now though, especially with CIDs, have friends messing around for ages, terrible stuff

Myself and another guy just out of college were lucky enough to be made permanent straight away, but another guy who finished the dip this year got mat leave the week before the start of school. Others still have nothing, I know of some who have yet to get an interview.

Talking to some of the other teachers in school it seems that jobs have been hard to come by for a good few years. Most of them covered mat leave for awhile and subbed until they moved to my school, where it took 4 or 5 years to be made permanent.

Sunflower, I hope that by the time our graduation comes around in October that your situation is better!

clartharlear

Would it be possible that getting jobs or not is subject related? Is there any observable trends apart from anecdotal evidence?

spurious

Traditionally, some subjects are always in short supply, for example Woodwork and Metalwork (Materials Technology). Our school was advertising for a Home Ec. teacher for four years before we got one. We seem to be overrun with Irish and Italian teachers this year, but that may be a local anomaly.

It sometimes helps if you get some experience in what the outside world would see as 'difficult' schools. In reality of course, many of these run a tighter ship than other schools.

I work in a vocational school in the inner city in Dublin. Almost all those who did their Dip. with us in the past few years had no trouble finding work.

TheDriver

I had 4 leaving cert subjects on my cv and had to teach all 4 of them to higher level in my first year, talk about culture shock! So yes, its all to do with subjects and willingness to teach other subjects (which is now kinda gone due to the teaching council!)

Enright

here in Limerick, Irish seems to be a good subject to have! i heard of just one applicant for a permanent position in a well established school!

YimpleMan

I need some help from a secondary teacher with some time to spare. I've started a small business that helps schools produce school yearbooks (mainly secondary). If there's anyone out there with who is reasonably tech savy and wouldn't mind talking to teachers/schools then get in touch with me via private messaging.

Mygsy

I'm a final year student and I am really wanting to do secondary teaching. I was under the(dis)illusion that there are plenty of job oppurtunities out there, should I rethink my career path? I study French and Maths which I'd imagine are two good subjects to have as French is the most popular 3rd language and everybody has to study Maths? Be grateful for any advice:D