Becoming a teacher

Otis Driftwood

Hi all.

Apologies if the below sounds dumb but I really havnt a clue as to the whole process so please be kind.:o

Basically Ive been unemployed for the last 6 months and things arent looking all that rosey so Ive been mulling over my options and teaching is something Im thinking about.

I hold an honours degree in Business majoring in HR,an ordinary degree in Business management and a cert in accounting and computers(graduated in 06,all from Sligo IT if that matters)I also recently completed a cert in personnel practice for membership of the CIPD.I didnt work too hard for my LC so the results arent exactly spectacular.I passed all though.

My questions are as follows.

What qualifications would I need to pursue in order to be eligible for secondary teaching?
Where should I apply to do these qualifications?
Is there anywhere you would recommend me contacting for more in depth information as to the whole lot?

Thanks guys and again,apologies if these questions seem a bit dumb.

Any advice greatly appreciated!

peanuthead

hi ned

I wouldn't worry about the leaving cert results, they have no bearing on your application to be a teacher.

Okay, so do you want to be a business teacher? If so all you will need to d is apply for the PGDE (Post-graduate diploma in education)

Its basically a teacher training course, a necessary evil really. Before now you could really have walked into a school just with the degree and taught away, but at some point you would have to have done this course. However they are cracking down on that now, and alot of schools won't employ you without one.

Okay so back to the course. It is a one year full time course, and is quite difficult to get accepted onto. www.pac.ie is where you get information on this course. If you download the files you should be able to sift through the list of eligible degrees and find yours there. If you have any problems with this you could always ring the PAC and they will help you out.

You apply through PAC also. Applications must be made by 01 December of the year before starting the course. So, for example, if you wanted to start this course this september, you would had to have applied before 01 Dec 08.

So in other words, the earliest you can start this course is september 2010!!

This gives you lots of time to gather information, and, if it is something you are genuinely serious about, then start looking for some kind of work in a school for september, subbing, adult ed, something like that.

The PGDE is a costly year. Fees are expected to be close to 7,000euro this year, and they rise by 10% every year, so you should make sure its really what you want to do before parting with that kind of cash.

Otis Driftwood

Cheers mate.

I was thinking about business studies teaching alright.At least I have a few months to make up my mind.

I will have a dig through that site and see what I can come up with.

Thanks again.

peanuthead

nedtheshed wrote: »

Cheers mate.

I was thinking about business studies teaching alright.At least I have a few months to make up my mind.

I will have a dig through that site and see what I can come up with.

Thanks again.

no probs. At least now you know the name of the course, it will be alot easier to gather info.

Twitter

Hi OP

You can also do PGDE in Business in UL. You can look up details on the UL website, as that course isn't administered through PAC.

Best of luck whatever you decide

pathway33

you can do the pgce in england or wales where you don't have to pay the €3,000-€4000 fee until you are qualified and earning at least £15,000 and you also get a maintainence grant of £6,000 for the academic year.

Google GTTR where the UK applications are done through. The pgce is recognised here but confirm with the teaching council. You may be able to still get in for september 2009 intake in the UK.

you may get a grant for the fees here in september 2010 if it is your first postgraduate course....not sure...also a €3,500 maintenence grant which is means tested. your local county council will tell you this

slingerz

What should you do if your undergradaute degree is not among the list of recognised degrees for the purpose of becoming a post primary teacher? What about Masters degrees do they count?

Also can someone please explain to me the points system for qualifying for the course

emertheleemer

Hi Slingerz,

If its not on the list you'll have to apply to the teaching council to get recognition of your degree. It will be assessed by them to determine whether it's acceptable or not for teaching. You'll have to gather loads of info on your course like course documents, details of modules, things like that which can take a lot of chasing up. Also costs a bit and can take a while. You can find the form and info on their website. Don't know about post grads. You can find the points info on the pac website. www.pac.ie and download the handbook for application to h dip in education. Hope this helps!

marblesolutions

Ring the teaching council on 1890 224 224 ask for secondary school department and you want to speak to someone dealing with recognition of qualifications. They deal with enquiries all day and should be able to answer all your queeries.
Good luck

dublintuition

Before anyone thinks of doing the PGCE in the UK, PLEASE check that the course you are doing will be recognised here in Ireland. Not all of them are, and even if they are, it will cost you close to €200 to get it recognised!

slingerz

What are the job opportunites like then in second level teaching i've heard that you'll mostly only get temporary work as a sub and it would take a couple of years to get fully qualified is this true?