Adult Education tutor as a career path

lawstudent99

Hi everyone I'm a bit new to boards.ie so forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong place, I'm sure I will be taught as I go along. If anyone could help me with the following question would gladly appreciate it. I'm interested in adult education, including the prison sector. I would like to teach literacy/numeracy or even share some knowledge I already hold about law/criminality etc (this is what my background is in). Could anyone advise the best foot forward for adult education, including further study, gaining experience etc. Thank you everyone in advance!

spurious

The prison sector is staffed by VEC teachers. They require the same qualifications as for standard second level teaching.

If you're interested in literacy tutoring, that is mainly done on a voluntary basis and they're always looking for people. Contact your local VEC.

lawstudent99

Hi Spurious

Thank you for your help I will contact my local VEC and take it from there, thank you!

MontgomeryClift

I'd like to know about this too. I've been looking but all doors are locked. I've tried the VECs, and even for voluntary tutoring, you have to wait until September, then do a course - All for the privilege of working for no pay! Any help will be appreciated.

Dionysus

I'm giving a couple of adult education courses in the next few months (beginning at the end of January). They are paying slightly over €47 per hour, but I am only doing 2 hours per week for 8 weeks in each course. In other words, I am not doing it for the money when you consider the work I will have to put in for each 2-hour class. It is also only seasonal work. Undoubtedly, it would be much easier next year to do the same course. So, long term I can see it as good supplementary income and also good in the event of a teaching post arising in the schools in question. I can definitely see doing adult education as helpful to someday landing a permanent job in a school. Then again, I had never thought of teachers being required in prisons so maybe adult education does have greater potential than I had thought.

I'm doing the CELT TEFL at the moment to have further supplementary income, but it looks like I will have to go back and do the PGDE in UCD this coming September and in the process part with €6,500 and get a proper teaching qualification. The joy being that it is highly unlikely that I will get a permanent job in Ireland at the end of it due to my subjects (History & CSPE). The Irish education system is making a fortune out of me and not giving any health warnings/emigration warnings on these courses!

Sir Humphrey

Dionysus wrote: »

I'm doing the CELT TEFL at the moment to have further supplementary income, but it looks like I will have to go back and do the PGDE in UCD this coming September and in the process part with €6,500 and get a proper teaching qualification. The joy being that it is highly unlikely that I will get a permanent job in Ireland at the end of it due to my subjects (History & CSPE). The Irish education system is making a fortune out of me and not giving any health warnings/emigration warnings on these courses!

I don't get your point. As you acknowledge, they chances of landing a job (we won't even talk about 'permanent') with those subjects are between slim and none yet you intend to spend €6,500 on a teaching course anyway. What warnings to you need in all fairness? You seem to know the score and are pressing on anyway.

tringle

Hi Lawstudent, this is my first post so hope it makes sense.
...yes the Prison service education is normally delivered by the VEC in that area.

To tutor literacy and numeracy you need to do the Initial tutor training course run by your local VEC. This is a 20 to 40 hour course delivered locally, depending on he VEC it may or may not be a certified course. This will allow you to work as a volounteer literacy/numeracy tutor with the adult literacy scheme in that VEC. It MAY also allow you to be interviewed and placed on a panel of tutors for paid work in that VEC, this depends on your other teaching experience or qualifications.

Once working in some aspect of literacy you can then apply to do the WIT/NALA Higher National Certificate in Literacy. This is a modular course in literacy professional development, you need 12 modules. The course with the VEC may be counted as one of these modules (if that VEC is certified by WIT). Most literacy tutors are working their way through this course.

look up the NALA website and particularly the WIT website for info.
If your VEC is not running a tutor training course soon you may be able to ask a neighbouring VEC, but then they will expect you to volunteer for them, its usualy only an hour a week and if you want to do the WIT/NALA course you really ned to be working with a learner in order to do the assignments.
The VECs normally advertise for the panels in August to be ready for September, its worth applying anyway as sometimes they can place you on a panel on condition that you then do the literacy training...depending again on other experience and training.

BUT....you have to like and enjoy the job, currently not a huge amount of hours available and not a huge amount of money to be made.

Hope this helps

Sophie39

I am writing in response to Tringles post on 22.02.09. I am curious and would like some guidance. With the recent development that teachers and tutors employed by VECs have to be registered with the Teaching Council; Can a person who has completed that WIT literacy certificate by employed on a permanent basis if they are not registered with the TC?

I am a qualified teacher who trained in NI and has recently jumped through countless hoops to become registered with the TC. However, i am very curious and confused about a distant relative. This person has a JEB qualification, no 3rd level qualification, teacher training etc (She is currently completing the literacy certificate with WIT). The person claims to have been employed as a Youthreach tutor for the last couple of years (this baffles me?!!:mad:?) I myself also gained employment as a Youthrech tutor (different location, temp conditions) and have been told that it is from March 2010 a requirement for tutors to be registered with the TC.

Basically i feel aggrieved that i spent 4years completing my BEd and this person may (according to your post) be eligible to work in the adult education sector. Will she have to be registered with the TC? Of course she will be deemed ineligibe to register due to the lack of formal teacher training. Could you help me with this query? Perhaps i should consider completing this literacy course. Advice from anyone in the know??

tringle

Im not sure about that. My understanding is that idf you are TEACHINg and paid from public money then you need to be registered with teaching council. HOWEVER you can register with them and get back a cert saying that you are regsitered but not a qualified teacher. Each youthreach may deliver differenty programs some at leaving cert level and some at literacy level and may have different criteria for the tutors for these programms. I know the VEC I work for cannot give me an answer as to who need to register and who doesnt and I find that very frustrating and some jobs I am eleigle for and some I am not. Its best to just apply for all jobs yopu can and hen ask that question of each VEC or coordinator.

I klnow, its a pain and not easy to figure out.

implausible

Sophie39 wrote: »

This person has a JEB qualification, no 3rd level qualification, teacher training etc (She is currently completing the literacy certificate with WIT). The person claims to have been employed as a Youthreach tutor for the last couple of years.

If she has been with YR for the last few years, then she is already in the system. She was probably teaching on whatever date it was the TC specified and so is recognised as a teacher. YR opens up a whole other can of worms anyway, as VECs are only slowly and reluctantly recognising YR tutors as teachers now.