Teaching additional subjects

onlyrocknroll

Hey
Sorry if this has been asked elsewhere, I searched but found nothing.

I'm doing my PDGE this year in post primary education and I'm worried because when I'm finished I'll only be able to register for history with the teaching council.

I'd love to be able to do some part time or evening course when I graduate to give me an additional subject. I've heard from other teachers that this is possible. Would a Higher Diploma in whatever subject, say English, be sufficient?

Thanks any info would be a great help.

Powerhouse

Only subjects studied to degree level can be registered with the Teaching Council. A H Dip is no use from that point of view. You could try something like the Open University or some part-time degree like Oscail but it looks like the long haul either way.

That said, I know a teacher teaching English for year in a school and she never studied it at college. But established teachers seem to be a law unto themselves at times - try tellng a principal at an interview that you could teach something that you are not qualified for and you'd get short shrift.

onlyrocknroll

Thanks for the response. You're right, after a BA, MA and now a PDGE another degree is pretty much out of the question for me.

That's pretty disappointing about a hdip not being enough, i would have thought that as it is a FETAC level 8 qualification, the same as a degree, that this might be considered of degree level. I think the teaching council ought to reconsider their criteria as it seems pretty arbitary to me that 20 credits as part of final year of an undergrad degree is sufficient but not a hdip.

Anyway sorry for whinging and thanks again for the reply.

Dionysus

onlyrocknroll wrote: »

Thanks for the response. You're right, after a BA, MA and now a PDGE another degree is pretty much out of the question for me.

That's pretty disappointing about a hdip not being enough, i would have thought that as it is a FETAC level 8 qualification, the same as a degree, that this might be considered of degree level. I think the teaching council ought to reconsider their criteria as it seems pretty arbitary to me that 20 credits as part of final year of an undergrad degree is sufficient but not a hdip.

Anyway sorry for whinging and thanks again for the reply.

OK. In pretty much the same boat as yourself: based on my degree, I'm able to teach history and CSPE, the latter which is about the last subject to be put on the average school timetable (and then, given to the PE teacher, science teacher or whoever is wandering about at the class period.)


Basically, I'm going to have to go back and do at least one other subject to degree level. At present, I have Economics and Irish to First Year level. So, I could return and do Second and Third year in both and be better positioned. For precisely the same reason as you, I cannot do that fulltime. So, upon looking I examined the new UCD Horizon system and therein was my "solution". It's now a credit based system. For example, as I have 1st year Irish, I need 60 credits more and then I have the BA in Irish. Importantly, however, you can do the outstanding credits at whatever pace you want to; you are not confined to a strict 'day' or 'night' programme as was the case previously. This is particularly good as if you don't get much hours teaching this coming year you can do, say, 40 of the required 60 credits and do the remaining 20 next year when you have more teaching.

UCD's BA by night is currently (2009-2010) on each Tuesday and Thursday, for 3 hours each night. In Semester 1 you need to do 15 credits, or 3 sub-subjects (within your chosen subject). In Semester 2, you need to do a further 15 credits/ 3 sub subjects. It is possible to take 10 credits/2 sub subjects each semester, and carry the remaining 10 credits into 3rd year.

Dionysus

Powerhouse wrote: »

Only subjects studied to degree level can be registered with the Teaching Council. A H Dip is no use from that point of view. You could try something like the Open University or some part-time degree like Oscail but it looks like the long haul either way.

Check out the new UCD system. I'd be surprised if the other NUI colleges do not have something similiar at this stage. UCD has gone very flexible with regard to the 'long haul' and you can now do the full degree at night within 3 years providing you do the required credits.

This is the (currently broken) link to info about the new BA on the UCD website:

http://www.ucd.ie/acshs/baevening_prospective_students.html


The course title and code is BA Part-time Evening Degree (DN022).

sitstill

There is a course in St Patricks College in Maynooth (part of NUI Maynooth) called the Higher Diploma in Theological Studies. It is a part-time course which qualifies people to teach religion. It is aimed at teachers who only have one subject. I haven't done the course but am considering it for next year. Info at:

http://maynoothcollege.ie/courses/diplomas/hdiptheo.shtml