FETAC childcare courses - best available or are there others out there?

UngratefulWhelp

Hi,
My wife is thoroughly dissatisfied with her current job and the crowd of &*$%'s she works with.

She loves children and would like to get a qualification and move into this area. However, there is such an amount of courses out there that it's hard to know what she should go for.

For example, FETAC 4 seems to be the starting point for childcare as far as I can see, then moving on up to levels 5 and 6.

But are there alternatives out there she can do which are not that much more expensive and better?

Thanks to anyone who can set us straight here. By the way, she's non-EU, as obviously that can impact on entitlements.

Jinxi

I teach Fetac levels 5 & 6. If your wife has her leaving cert (or equivalent) then she should go straight into a level 5, and then a level 6. Level 4 would be way too basic. Or she could go and do a 4 year degree in Early childhood Care and Education in Dublin (DIT) Carlow or Cork.(FETAC 8).
You have to have at least a level 5 to work with children in Ireland.
New legislation that is coming will mean to be in charge of children(a supervisor or on your own with children) you need a level 6. Most managers now have a level 6 but are working towards a level 7(ordinary degree).
You can do a level 5 full time over a school term in a further education college or alot of places do them pert time at night, ususally over 2 years.
The basics of it are that there are 4 core modules(subjects) and you need 4 more to get a cert. Go onto
www.fetac.ie for more info and for a list of places in your area that do them

namoosh

Your wife can do it at night or at the weekends as well, fetac level 5 offered in Trinity Comp Ballymun at night, Level 6 offered in Colaiste Ide Finglas on Sat