Best combinations (languages) for second level teachers

Fausto Miño

Hi all,
My quiery is regarding subject combinations for entry into hdip and then employment opportunities later on.

I realise right now in Ireland, teaching like a lot of professions is suffering cutbacks and blocks on recruitment by schools. But im thinking longterm, and eventually, recruitment must continue.

As regards subjects, if you dont have a diploma or a certificate, but are just exceptionally fluent in a language,(I am, spanish) will this suffice to mark it as a subject in your hdip year? And how are the prospects for teachers who would be looking for employment as a biology, science and spanish teacher. Is this a good combination?
Would it increase my chances if in the next year, I also gained a diploma in french, (im not yet fluent, but would not need much work to achieve this).

Interestingly, a teacher friend from the united states informed me recently that despite an enormous proportion of native spanish speakers living in the states, there is still a shortage of spanish teachers, who have qualifications, leading to the bizzare situation of non fluent teachers teaching spanish to kids who speak it almost as a first language.

Fausto-

peanuthead

Hi there

As far as I know, recent changes made by the teaching council means that any subject that you are considered to be qualified to teach in must be taken at degree level, and therefore your spanish cannot be counted as you did not take it at degree level.

However you may find yourself being employed as a biology teacher and being asked to take a few spanish classes, so you will still be able to teach it on one way, but not as part of your HDip

What I do recommend though, is sitting in on the Methodology for teaching languages lectures if you think you would like to teach spanish later on, as it will come in handy.

To clarify - Your Dip will be in your degree subjects, they will be the only ones you are qualified to teach, but you will find schools will be willing to make full use of your skills, and if that means needing a spanish teacher, they may very well ask you.

Don't know much about biology, but, I would think (and hope as a spanish teacher myself) that spanish is most certaintly on the increase here, and will eventually be as popular as French and German in schools.

Suerte!

Peanuthead

Fausto Miño

Gracias por su respuesta comprensiva!

Thats certainly useful to know, thanks again,
Fausto-

peanuthead

Fausto Miño wrote: »

Gracias por su respuesta comprensiva!

Thats certainly useful to know, thanks again,
Fausto-

no worries, if you haven't already applied, the Hdip is a course which runs from Sep to April, but you have to have applied by the 01st of Dec of the year before it starts, so, for example, if you wanted to start it this september, you would have to have applied for it in December of last year (08)

The address for requesting the literature (and application form) is www.pac.ie

rainbowtrout

Fausto Miño wrote: »

if you don't have a diploma or a certificate, but are just exceptionally fluent in a language,(I am, spanish) will this suffice to mark it as a subject in your hdip year? And how are the prospects for teachers who would be looking for employment as a biology, science and spanish teacher. Is this a good combination?
Would it increase my chances if in the next year, I also gained a diploma in french, (im not yet fluent, but would not need much work to achieve this).

I'm not trying to be smart but how do you define exceptionally fluent? Are you a native speaker or do you just happen to have learned the language from living there or something? You have to have a degree in a subject in this country to have that that subject recognised as one of your teaching subjects. Otherwise anyone could land along to the hdip and say they were exceptionally fluent in something and get it added to their qualfications.


Just as an aside, you generally don't see posts for science and language teachers mainly because you can't study that combination of subjects in this country.

Again French would probably come in useful but you would have to have a degree in it for it to be recognised.

peanuthead

rainbowtrout wrote: »

I'm not trying to be smart but how do you define exceptionally fluent? Are you a native speaker or do you just happen to have learned the language from living there or something? You have to have a degree in a subject in this country to have that that subject recognised as one of your teaching subjects. Otherwise anyone could land along to the hdip and say they were exceptionally fluent in something and get it added to their qualfications.


Just as an aside, you generally don't see posts for science and language teachers mainly because you can't study that combination of subjects in this country.

Again French would probably come in useful but you would have to have a degree in it for it to be recognised.

As stated before by myself, you cannot do the Hdip in subjects that are not part of your degree.

I suppose if someone has two degrees... one in arts (with spanish) and one in science, then it would be possible to have a combination of those two subjects, but yes, you may not see them advertised together, as part of the same post. Having said that, some schools look to recruit 5-6 or even more teachers at a time (especially a new one) so there would be opportunities there.

If you are fluent in a language, there is a good chance this skill may be called upon by your employer if you do get a job as, say a science teacher. Maybe they are short a 1st year spanish teacher. You don't have to be too fluent for that.

OP, I think the opinion of myself would be to do your Dip in your degree subjects, but don't leave anything off the CV