Seeking advice re registration

J1

Hi

Am a Uk teacher and I am currently going through the process of registering my teaching qualifications. I had decided not to look for work until the registration came through but it is taking a long time as getting all the necessary paperwork and police clearance certificates takes a while. Anyway I have seen a job I would really like to apply for, it's a full time permanent post and in my subjects but I'm wondering is there any point in applying if my registraion is still pending, it is likely to be done by Sept ( I hope!) but not by the time of interviews. The practice alone would be good but the problem is that if I were to get shortlisted references would be requested and I don't want my current employer to know I'm looking.
So my question is, is there any point in applying without my registration through or is it possible to still be employed with it pending.
Thanks

Toto Wolfcastle

When I applied and interviewed for my job I was still waiting for my registration. This wasn't a problem and I was asked to hand it in as soon as I got my number. I was able to hand it in the day I started the job.

J1

Oh My God that is great news. The registration thing is hanging over my head it seems to have taken for ever to get evrything together and now the Garda vetting this is holding everything up. But that is great news.

Thanks

looksee

Someone in Ireland would know their qualifications were ok if they had been in university here, but UK qualifications are not automatic. Theyw ould probably be ok, but you cant be certain.

J1

Hi, yeah it's actually not looking good. I have a PGCE in English and Social Science 11-19, my degree is in Psycology and Sociology (known as Modern Studies) not English so I have accepted that I can't register the English but I thought I would qualify for CSPE but you have to have a teaching methodology in CSPE and obviously I don't because it isn't taught in UK. I have a PGCE in Social Science and have teaching methodologies in that subject which is the equivalent to CSPE in England but the teaching council are looking like they won't recognise it. It's very hard after teaching for a number of years to have to accept that you can no longer teach again. It's been my whole life and to think for the sake of a methodology that can't be achieved abroad and is probably about 15 hours worth I can't teach here. I'm hoping that they will advise me well and that there will be another way round this but reading comments about the teaching council it doesn't look like it. The person I spoke to on the phone said I might be advised to redo my PGCE for the sake of one methodology - you would think they would offer some way of just completing that - i have years of experience in teaching and I can't give up the work I'm doing now to retrain for something I can already do. If anyone knows of anything I can do I would appreciate the help, I can't believe that it's over - I was 30 when I finished paying off my student loans, have a 4 year degree, a PGCE and have taught for years, was a year head too, for none of this to have any value is heart breaking.

shtopthelights

Oh my God, that's absolutely appalling, my heart truly goes out to you. I wish I could say I was surprised, unfortunately, I'm not.

I know you posted this awhile back, but I hope you haven't given up. It's unbelievable that they are so tunnel-visioned that they can argue with the the suitability of a PGCE in Social Science for the teaching of CSPE. Have you asked if you can take a teaching methodologies course in CSPE from an Irish PGDE provider, to 'make good' this 'shortfall'? If not, ask them and approach the universities concerned (if you want to that is, I know you don't want to redo a full qualification, but you'd have to sit an exam on the History and Structure of the Irish Education System for registration anyway); they could potentially allow you to do something like this, if they would just cop themselves on....

Bear in mind that, thankfully, while many schools state that you must have T.C. registration to apply, some do not; apply for these jobs in either/both of your subjects and see what happens.

Also, begin substituting, if you have all that experience and have met the rigorous QTS standards and worked in demanding UK schools, you'll be well able to gain the favour of school management here in your substitution work. Most people, it appears, get into a contract job after they have worked in schools and got 'known'. You could end up getting a job more easily than you think.

If these approaches are not working and maybe even if they are, but you want to pursue what you really should have automatically, I would suggest that you do the following, if you haven't already done so....I'm not saying this will work, but it's worth a try.

1.) Obtain from the GTCE (or, as it is being scrapped, from your PGCE provider, or whoever is now doing this) a confirmation of your QTS under EU Directive 2005/36/EU (make sure it states that it meets the terms of this directive).

2) Explain the situation to your PGCE provider and/or former UK employers and any Irish (teaching) employers who can vouch for your teaching experience, knowledge, understanding and skills in these subjects, ask them to do so (on the official, headed paper the T.C. is so fond of). In particular, ask your PGCE provider to outline the structure of your PGCE and the fact that subject methodologies were (if it was structured like mine) covered in both the English and Social Science Subject Studies components of your course and that you should therefore be considered eligible to teach these or equivalent subjects in other EU countries, under current EU legislation. (I know the T.C. will argue your qualification as an English teacher if you haven't got a degree in the subject, but try to impress upon your PGCE provider the ridiculousness of them refusing to register you as a CSPE teacher, and to make a strong case for one of their former graduates, who has received their no-doubt comprehensive training and shown that they meet the standards for QTS.

3.) Get a good solicitor, what the T.C. is doing (in this and numerous other situations) is incompetent and unfair at best and unlawful at worst.

I really don't believe that if you went down the legal route and had documents such as those listed above, that they could possibly refuse to register you.

I'm Irish, but did my degree and ITT in the UK, I'm waiting on registration at present and I can guarantee that I'll be calling my solicitor if they drag it out too much longer.

Good luck, please don't give up, you really, really shouldn't have to... Keep us posted on your progress