Adding a subject

wingnut

Has anyone experiece of adding a subject post teaching qualification. I did English in first year arts and figuring if I can find a two year part time dip it might pass muster. I will ask the Teaching Council too but was wondering if anyone here has experience?

Dionysus

Interested in this one myself, as Irish was my 1st Year subject and that's where the teaching jobs are now.

I'll possibly end up doing the Irish methodology on the PGDE in Sept. Dunno yet.

gaeilgegrinds

My friend returned to college this year. Had English and History. Like you had Irish to first year, was let into second year. Obviously as she is teaching full time she can not make all the lectures but hands up all the essays, only one year left and then she'll also have Irish. The PGDE won't work without the degree. But it is very manageable to go back to do half a degree, much easier that bit older as she really wants it.

Dionysus

gaeilgegrinds wrote: »

My friend returned to college this year. Had English and History. Like you had Irish to first year, was let into second year. Obviously as she is teaching full time she can not make all the lectures but hands up all the essays, only one year left and then she'll also have Irish. The PGDE won't work without the degree. But it is very manageable to go back to do half a degree, much easier that bit older as she really wants it.

Cool. But how does she manage for practising for the Oral and Aural Irish? What sort of percentages of the overall result are those two (roughly)?

I was thinking, seriously thinking, about registering for the 2nd Year while doing the PGDE. It is possible; you just need the OK from the Head of School in the Education and Irish departments. But I've been turned off that idea with all the "worst year ever" reports about the stress level of the PGDE.

gaeilgegrinds

There is an oral at the end of each year, doesn't count for much. As for aural, we never had an aural in college and when I taught Irish there never taught it either. So unless that has changed there is no aural.
I don't think I'd recommend doing it alongside the PGDE to be honest, it's not the worst year ever but is a really busy year. If I were you I'd have done the two years in college first but keep in mind either way you'll be paying.
My friend that is doing this literally gives up most weekends and her evenings, it's tough going going back but it's worth it. She knows, no more than the rest of us, the amount of Irish jobs coming up soon.

peanuthead

Dionysus wrote: »

Cool. But how does she manage for practising for the Oral and Aural Irish? What sort of percentages of the overall result are those two (roughly)?

I was thinking, seriously thinking, about registering for the 2nd Year while doing the PGDE. It is possible; you just need the OK from the Head of School in the Education and Irish departments. But I've been turned off that idea with all the "worst year ever" reports about the stress level of the PGDE.

I haven't done the PGDE, I'm doing it this year but I wouldn't advise that, again, going on what I've heard too.

Plus, I don't see how it could physically work, unless you can be in two places at once. I don't mean that to be smart.

gaeilgegrinds

I don't see it being possible, if it is actually possible at all something would suffer. Results need to be good so just concentrate on where you're at I think.

wingnut

Does seem doable so. I have my PGCE got and a MSc in an unrelated field. Ihave been teaching two years. I guess I would have to talk to the head of arts in the relevant subject area.

Dionysus

Thanks again for the above advice, gaeilgegrinds. It took me ages to search for this thread as I'm thinking again of doing the BA in Irish by night while doing my PGDE. As I have 1st year Irish, I need 60 credits more and then I have the BA in Irish.

UCD's BA by night is on each Tuesday and Thursday this academic year, for 3 hours each night. In Semester 1 you need to do 15 credits, or 3 subjects. In Semester 2, you need to do a further 15 credits/ 3 subjects. It is possible to take 10 credits/2 subjects each semester, and carry the remaining 10 credits into 3rd year.

So, my thinking/compromise was/is that as I'll be in ucd on these two evenings then I could do 20 of the 30 credits available this year and keep the weekends devoted to studying Irish. Do you (or anybody else) think, given the above structure of the Irish BA at night, it would be possible to get the coursework for the PGDE done during the 5 weekdays?

gaeilgegrinds

I really don't know the make-up of that course, I know a girl who did it in NUIG, was tough, she taught part-time and her classes were fixed to suit her college timetable. She never had a minute off, was teaching half a timetable and constantly working around the clock. But it's doable. I know another starting this year doing the same. Best of luck

Sir Humphrey

Dionysus wrote: »

Thanks again for the above advice, gaeilgegrinds. It took me ages to search for this thread as I'm thinking again of doing the BA in Irish by night while doing my PGDE. As I have 1st year Irish, I need 60 credits more and then I have the BA in Irish.

UCD's BA by night is on each Tuesday and Thursday this academic year, for 3 hours each night. In Semester 1 you need to do 15 credits, or 3 subjects. In Semester 2, you need to do a further 15 credits/ 3 subjects. It is possible to take 10 credits/2 subjects each semester, and carry the remaining 10 credits into 3rd year.

So, my thinking/compromise was/is that as I'll be in ucd on these two evenings then I could do 20 of the 30 credits available this year and keep the weekends devoted to studying Irish. Do you (or anybody else) think, given the above structure of the Irish BA at night, it would be possible to get the coursework for the PGDE done during the 5 weekdays?

It will be interesting when you go to register with UCD if you are allowed to register for two courses at the college simultaneously.

Sabatini

Sir Humphrey wrote: »

It will be interesting when you go to register with UCD if you are allowed to register for two courses at the college simultaneously.

In the original documentation we got on on the PGDE in UCD it expressly states that no other course can be studied at the same time. Even someone doing a PhD has to provide evidence of written permission to take time out while they are doing the PGDE.

In that context it's hard to see how someone could fail to run into problems at the registration stage alright.