Mature Student looking to repeat LC Honours Irish

curiousts

Hello,

I am currently looking into changing my career path to Primary School Teaching and in order to do this I need to re sit LC Honours Irish. I have been looking into various courses online and in schools around my area and I was wondering if anybody knows of anyone or has done the Irish course for Mature Students in the Institute of Education Dublin? It seems to be a lot more expensive than other courses on offer, I just wanted to know is it worth the money?

gaeilgebeo

curiousts wrote: »

Hello,

I am currently looking into changing my career path to Primary School Teaching and in order to do this I need to re sit LC Honours Irish. I have been looking into various courses online and in schools around my area and I was wondering if anybody knows of anyone or has done the Irish course for Mature Students in the Institute of Education Dublin? It seems to be a lot more expensive than other courses on offer, I just wanted to know is it worth the money?

I'm an Irish teacher and my advice to you would be to get grinds from a qualified secondary school Irish teacher on a weekly basis. You will get more value for your money with one to one.
You are hitting a lucky year because the Irish course has changed this year and is much more student friendly. It's not as literature heavy and the oral exam will be worth 40%.
In my opinion it is a much nicer course and should be easier to get an honour. If you have any more questions , just ask. Best of luck

curiousts

Thanks Gaeilgebeo, I hadn't thought about private grind lessons, I'll look into that. Would it be best to contact a school to see if they can refer someone or is there a good website do you know? I had read about the Irish course changing but didn't know it was this year, that's great news.. it is the Oral part that I most need to improve on and to help me with Interviews also so it will be extra motivation to do well in it. Its been 10 years since I did my LC!

Toto Wolfcastle

If you're sitting the exam in 2011 you will be doing the old course but if you are planning on doing the course over 2 years and sitting the exam in 2012 you will be doing the new course.

gaeilgebeo

janeybabe wrote: »

If you're sitting the exam in 2011 you will be doing the old course but if you are planning on doing the course over 2 years and sitting the exam in 2012 you will be doing the new course.

True... I was thinking of my incoming 5th years!

Toto Wolfcastle

Yeah, it's easy to forget that we have a whole group of students still doing the old course.

gaeilgebeo

curiousts wrote: »

Thanks Gaeilgebeo, I hadn't thought about private grind lessons, I'll look into that. Would it be best to contact a school to see if they can refer someone or is there a good website do you know? I had read about the Irish course changing but didn't know it was this year, that's great news.. it is the Oral part that I most need to improve on and to help me with Interviews also so it will be extra motivation to do well in it. Its been 10 years since I did my LC!

I'm not sure about asking the school and I'm not sure of any websites. I give grinds and don't advertise. I get students through word of mouth.. Maybe if you ask around in your local area or if you know any Leaving Cert students, they could give you the name of someone good...
You could also put an ad looking for grinds in your area in the Grinds section of forum.educationposts.ie. You'll need to register but usually you'll get a good response.
I do however, recommend that you get a qualified secondary school teacher who is familiar with the course and marking scheme as well as someone who can give you good notes and sample answers. You will have primary school teachers and lots of "I'm good at Irish" people offering you grinds, but to get your moneys worth, go with someone who is teaching it every day and knows the actual literature! Again, just my advice.
Best of luck

dory

I agree with the grinds option. I used teach a night course for adults and they were each paying as much an hour as my private students. And my private students obviously made more progress in a short time.
Plus these night classes are massive you'd never get oral practice.

Kilroy's college have a distance course which if it's not too expensive would be handy enough. They basically just give you notes and correct your essays. If your grinds teacher doesn't correct essays (she/he should), then Kilroy's would be an option.

curiousts

Thanks a million for all your advice. I think I will go ahead and look into Private tutoring and save myself a few euros! I looked into Kilroys college but I think the teacher interaction would keep me more motivated and also help with my Oral.

gaeilgegrinds1

Why not try online grinds?

Nead21

hey op, i've just sat my lc irish as a mature student. i basically did the work on my own and then did a revision course in the institute of education over christmas holidays, which i would highly recommend!

it was a tough enough year but hopefully it will pay off in august

baloobus123

Nead21 wrote: »

hey op, i've just sat my lc irish as a mature student. i basically did the work on my own and then did a revision course in the institute of education over christmas holidays, which i would highly recommend!

it was a tough enough year but hopefully it will pay off in august

Hey I completed my L.C. in 2009 but want to do the honours irish now so I can go into a course for teaching after the course I'm doing now. My irish is not good even after just one year of not doing it. Where is there course and how much is it? I'm a student so am not going to be able to afford much grinds. I also am going into second year of commerce which means I'm also going to be studying for that course aswell. Is it very tough and do you think it is easy to get your honours? I'm unsure on wether to try and do it this year or wait untill I so my three years of comerce then take a year out and just focus on my irish. Im confused and not sure of all my options.?

Dionysus

curiousts wrote: »

Hello,

I am currently looking into changing my career path to Primary School Teaching and in order to do this I need to re sit LC Honours Irish. I have been looking into various courses online and in schools around my area and I was wondering if anybody knows of anyone or has done the Irish course for Mature Students in the Institute of Education Dublin? It seems to be a lot more expensive than other courses on offer, I just wanted to know is it worth the money?

If you are thinking of it over two years, why not forget about LC Irish and just do the Dioplóma sa Ghaeilge Fheidhmeach part-time over two years in UCD (or NUIM, NUIG, UL, UU and UCC - see list below)?


Here's a list of courses which are officially acceptable in lieu of Leaving Cert Irish for primary teaching:


"Alternatives to second level qualifications in Irish, English or Maths
A Pass in a University First Arts Examination in Irish, English or Mathematics will be accepted in lieu of the Leaving Certificate Examination/GCE/GCSE requirement for the relevant subject.
In the case of Irish, a Grade C in the Matriculation Examination (which existed up to 1992) will also be accepted in lieu of the Leaving Certificate Examination/GCE/GCSE requirement. In addition, the Dioplóma sa Ghaeilge from NUI Maynooth, the Diploma in Arts (Applied Irish) from University College Cork, the Dioplóma sa Ghaeilge Fheidhmeach from UCD, the Dioplóma sa Ghaeilge, Level C1, NUIG, the Dióploma sa Ghaeilge (An Ghaeilge sa Saol Comhaimseartha), University of Limerick and the Diploma in Irish at the University of Ulster, are accepted as satisfying the Leaving Certificate Examination/GCE/GCSE requirement"

Source: http://www.spd.dcu.ie/main/administration/admissions/documents/EntryRequirementsFinal-PostGrad2010mb.pdf

An additional advantage of doing the dioplóma is that it is equivalent to 1st Year undergraduate Irish so if you think you'd like to go back and do a BA in Irish you'll only have to do 2nd and 3rd year to get it. You have more options, in other words. Most importantly, the standard of your spoken Irish will improve much more with the dioplóma as the emphasis is firmly on spoken (feidhmeach = applied) Irish.