Qualifying in May as a primary teacher...what are my options?!

uhoh10

Finishing in Mary Immaculate with a b.ed degree this year, looking to do something a bit different once I finished, not looking like I'll be getting a job here. Anyone have any opinions on different postgrad/ masters/ jobs abroad. I've intrests in music and the whole pyschology aspect of teaching -especially with those with learning/ behavourial difficulties. Any opinions/ ideas would be more thank welcome!:)

Tigerandahalf

As you are not qualified until May the recent gov changes re pension and the 10% paycut will affect you. You can't escape them. Thus you have nothing to lose by travelling abroad. I think there will be even less jobs around next year. The gov have already indicated that the PT ratio will be increased unless savings are made in the CP agreement. If the PT is not increased this year it will probably happen at some stage in the future. This means there will be less and less jobs. Go abroad and get some experience if you feel up for that. You will get to see a bit of the world and it's a good time to be out of the country with all the doom n gloom.

lily09

:pI agree, go abroad preferably somewhere hot and sunny and get as much experience that you can. Dont bother with the masters route, I did one in education its very expensive and you will need to be teaching to complete a lot of the assignments.

Do as many courses as you can when you are away and fill up the cv, we have adopted many aspects of the Australian and New Zealand curriculums such as "First Steps" . Get involved with everything you can in schools and bump up your references.

Best of luch and enjoy, it will not always be like this and in ten years time when you are sitting in a cold prefab teaching Irish grammer you will have great memories!!

coolperson05

lily09 wrote: »

:pI agree, go abroad preferably somewhere hot and sunny and get as much experience that you can. Dont bother with the masters route, I did one in education its very expensive and you will need to be teaching to complete a lot of the assignments.

Do as many courses as you can when you are away and fill up the cv, we have adopted many aspects of the Australian and New Zealand curriculums such as "First Steps" . Get involved with everything you can in schools and bump up your references.

Best of luch and enjoy, it will not always be like this and in ten years time when you are sitting in a cold prefab teaching Irish grammer you will have great memories!!

Apologies for hijacking this thread but what masters in education did you do if you don't mind me asking? I'm considering one next year when I finish my degree. To get into Curriculum development and music teaching methods. Just wondering why was it so dissatisfying?

R

lily09

coolperson05 wrote: »

Apologies for hijacking this thread but what masters in education did you do if you don't mind me asking? I'm considering one next year when I finish my degree. To get into Curriculum development and music teaching methods. Just wondering why was it so dissatisfying?

R

No problem. I did the masters in education in ucc. I actually loved it and found it hugely rewarding. However in the case of the op IMO it is not sutible.from what I can remember and it could have changed you had to be teaching 2 years. As I said that is open to correction. Also most of my modules assesments were in the form of classroom based studies And my own learning logs. On the whole I would highly reccomend a masters and ucc wereamaxing and so accomadating but get some experience first and it will be more meaningful.
Ps sorry about spelling and grammer am on Iphone and ithas a mind of it's own!!!!

J.R.

Not sure of present situation or if it has changed or not but there was a rule there that you had to complete your 'dip' within 5 years of qualifying. That may impinge on long term travelling abroad. Might be worth checking out.

dambarude

J.R. wrote: »

Not sure of present situation or if it has changed or not but there was a rule there that you had to complete your 'dip' within 5 years of qualifying. That may impinge on long term travelling abroad. Might be worth checking out.

According to recent posts on educationposts.ie this has been reduced to 3 years... It's absolutely unbelievable at a time when jobs are few and far between. It seems that they've done it so they canforce NQTs to take up a place on the new FÁS scheme if they want to get their dip done in time.

The country is going backwards.

Tigerandahalf

I wouldn't worry about this rule. You have to be in a position to do the dip for one of the years to count. If you can't get a job well then that doesn't count as a year. Once you have your degree they can't take it off of you. A qualified engineer is a qualified engineer..same as anybody else including teaching.

uhoh10

dambarude wrote: »

According to recent posts on educationposts.ie this has been reduced to 3 years... It's absolutely unbelievable at a time when jobs are few and far between. It seems that they've done it so they canforce NQTs to take up a place on the new FÁS scheme if they want to get their dip done in time.

The country is going backwards.

Thank you so much for all yer responses, really helping me out being the type that wants a plan for the next year. I've thought about travelling seriously, and have looked up jobs and oportunities, does anyone have any experience of teaching in any countries? I've heard from newly qualified teachers left jobless that you have 3 years to do your dip from the time you get a job which you will hold long enough to do the dip if that makes sense?! At a risk of sounding like a drastic idiot I can say that I'd rather stay abroad for my whole life than teach as part of the new FÁS scheme, having spent 3 years of sleepless nights doing lesson plan after lesson plan, scheme after scheme, assignment after assignment and spending hundreds of euro on 'fearas' to get me my degree I will NOT teach for free or nearly free what ever the case may be.

dambarude

uhoh10 wrote: »

having spent 3 years of sleepless nights doing lesson plan after lesson plan, scheme after scheme, assignment after assignment and spending hundreds of euro on 'fearas' to get me my degree I will NOT teach for free or nearly free what ever the case may be.

I know the feeling... it's terrible.

The thing is that it's probable that before long this year of free teaching will become the norm. The teaching profession is likely to be devalued after the changes that have come, and are coming. That and the lack of any jobs. I've a feeling that a drop in points for the B.Ed programmes may be coming...