Primary teaching as a mature student

mascherano11

Thinking of going back to repeat my leaving cert Irish next september to get honours Irish so i can apply for the B Ed in St Pats or Mary I in Limerick just wondering has anybody else ever done something like this? also what are the chances of getting into Primary Teaching If i do achieve the honours Irish required is there a lot of competition for these places? Am male and play a lot of GAA and have done a lot of coaching kids was hoping that would stand to me. any other suggestions of what i could do that would help me get into the course as a mature student? Thanks...

Larianne

Moved from Mature & Non-Traditional Students.

TheColl

mascherano11 wrote: »

Thinking of going back to repeat my leaving cert Irish next september to get honours Irish so i can apply for the B Ed in St Pats or Mary I in Limerick just wondering has anybody else ever done something like this? also what are the chances of getting into Primary Teaching If i do achieve the honours Irish required is there a lot of competition for these places? Am male and play a lot of GAA and have done a lot of coaching kids was hoping that would stand to me. any other suggestions of what i could do that would help me get into the course as a mature student? Thanks...

1. I know plenty of mature students who did this to get into he B. Ed., you won't be the only one if you end up going for it.

2. This will all stand to you, particularly the experience with children, and ultimately this may also help you find employment.

I take it from your username that your a 'pool fan... Even still, best of luck!

mascherano11

Thanks for the Reply TheColl yeah going to go back to repeat the Irish this September it will be tough im sure but hopefully i will achieve it How hard is it to get into one of the teacher training colleges id imagine competition is pretty intense any tips on anything else that might give me an edge as regards even getting accepted as a mature student on the
B Ed pending the Irish results of course??

P.S you are right I am a big supporter of Britains most Decorated Club:)

dambarude

Hi mascherano11.

I don't know much about the mature entry process to the B.Ed, so I can't shed light on anything there I'm afraid. I'm a non-mature student (if that makes sense) in Mary I. There are many matures in the course (at a guess, 40/50), so you wouldn't be alone if you decided to do it. If it's what you want, fire away, you'll enjoy it. It can be an awful lot of work at times, and the work you'll have to do varies a lot (from performing dances to composing music for exams), but it is enjoyable. You'll also have to take arts subjects if doing the B.Ed in Mary I/Pats. In Mary I you can do the likes of English, Irish, Maths, French, Geography, History, German as Arts subject with Education.

TheColl

I'm not too sure about the process for mature students either, but if you can get a local school to allow you to do some observation (as much as you have time for) then it would look good. It would also help you to figure out if you definitely want to teach.

Just read online that mature students have an interview and oral Irish test. Observation would help for the interview as you can base your answers on your own experiences.

Farolina81

Definitely try to do some observation or even offer to help out in a school. I did the Grad. Dip. in Mary I. a few years ago and found reading the Intro to the Curriculum very useful too where values and principles etc. of Primary teaching are concerned: http://www.curriculumonline.ie/en/ Good luck!

Eriu

Eleven years ago, I did exactly that, quit my job and went to Pat's for three years and I'm still delighted I did it. The competition is very stiff, there are lots of very dedicated people out there!

There is an interview and an oral Irish interview (approx 10 mins and very similiar to Leaving Cert oral) The fact that you are male (I think) should stand to you as the profession is predominantly female, also a background in GAA and coaching will be very productive.

I came from an IT background and think this helped with my application as there was a big emphasis on introducing ICT into classrooms at the time. A knowledge of the revised Curriculum is handy and it would be a good idea to get some hands on experience if possible.

It's definately do-able and best of luck if you decide to go for it but be warned the course is very intensive, 9-6 most days, Teaching Practice is very tough and the assignments are constant! (worth considering if you have a family!)

Rocksteadykk

I hope that somebody will be able to point me in the right direction or at least have some answers....I'm thinking of applying to the postgraduate teaching course in Dublin....hopefully Froebel or Pats and I was wondering what are the requirements for getting into the course? I have a very good leaving cert including an A1 in Irish so I dont think the irish interview will be a problem. I also have a law degree and a masters in law...but I was wondering whether doing a masters in another area would work against you getting into the teaching course?

I have about 5 years experience working as a coach in summer camps in Dublin/Kilkenny/San Diego...would this work in my favour going into the interview...what I mean is whether or not it would show a desire or a passion to work with children?

I have no experience of working in a classroom environment....would it be important to get some sort of subbing/teaching experience before going into the interview? Because i dont know how easy it would be to get at the moment. I see a number of people talking about observing in a classroom...what exactly would this entail? Just sitting and watching for the day?

Also in terms of the interview what kind of questions do they ask about the curriculum? Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

BoozyBabe

As you have interent access, you also have access to those colleges' websites you mention, so look them up & you'll find out all the info you need!

Working with kids will defo go in your favour. It's great experience to have.

Experience:- prob depends on the college. I'm doing the postgrad now, & got in without any experience. But yes, if you could get into a school for a few days or whatever to volunteer / observe, then that would be better than nothing. What it entails depends on the teacer. It might just be watching, it could also be helping out: listening to reading, handing out materials, etc...
Even better again if you could get paid experience, but with the amt of qualified people looking for jobs at the mo, that would prob be v difficult to come by.

In terms of questions: http://forum.educationposts.ie/viewforum.php?id=8
has all the interview questions you could need.
Again, all you need to do is use the search function as you type of question has been asked 1000000 times at this stage.

Good luck

Rocksteadykk

Thanks I appreciate the link to the forum....loads of info there! Just found out I missed the date fro the mature application though...I'm not impressed at all because I rang them 2 months ago and I asked the person i was talking to when the applications were supposed to be submitted. She told me that all interviews were to be held in december and that more information would be on the website.....when i checked back I found nothing about it...until I found it today. Very frustrating!

BoozyBabe

Would you consider the postgrad with Hibernia College?
Not deadline for applications.
They accept all year round.

Rocksteadykk

Im not ruling anything out at the moment....i'll take what I can get. Hopefully if all goes well and with some luck I'll get into Pats/Froebel or Marino. If not then Hibernia would be something that I would definitely do. From what ive heard from a few teachers/principals the course is very tough and most schools would be more than happy to employ Hibernia graduates! If i get neither of them i'll be hitting the UK i think because i wouldnt want to wait 8 months for the next round of applications. Its gonna cost a bit of money but hopefully it'll be worth it in the end. Thanks for your advice anyway!