Considering teaching

LegacyUser

I've thought about going into primary teaching for a number of years now, however I'm not really what you would call a warm or empathetic person. I'm not uncaring, I just don't have that innate connection with young children and my communication skills are generally not the best, tbh. Part of this is down to a disorder, btw. These are the main things holding me back. Won't these problems be obvious to an interviewer, the children, other staff and parents? I'm talking about more than the times of when a child comes to you crying, but dealing with parents generally, the more confrontational ones and other things such as having to discipline kids. The odd time I've had be in such a situation I've felt like people see right through me.

I know it's a profession that's generally held in low regard (unions rabble) which is a little offputting, also. Not that this is foremost in my mind, but I'm well aware of the sniping and also how under-resourced some schools are - even when we had the boom years. If I were to apply to a course and get through it then it would be my fourth graduation at university level with not many ongoing or steady jobs in between, so even considering it seems a bit nuts. I'd have to finish my current course (due late 2012) first before applying for another and assuming I went through with it I'd be early 30s by the time I qualified. I do think I'd have some good ideas that could be useful in the classroom, though I'm aware there's much more to it than that. I'm not a fan of the role of the church, but the kids come first, right? I would seriously have to brush up on my Gaeilge and also, I've no teaching experience, really. I've spent a lot of time in a school in another role, occasionally in classrooms, but not much in way that could be useful for taking a stab at applying for a course.

I'm wondering if I'm wasting my time thinking about this, particularly with the lack of warmth, etc. I don't wish to imply that I'm mean or ill-tempered, I'm not. I just don't have that 'wow, look what John did last night, class, isn't he brilliant?' type of instinct. I can think of those things in my head, but I've a huge fear of saying them in front of anyone else. I've not looked at the course requirements so I don't know if they teach you mostly the academic and practical side or would they encourage you to learn from peers or what. I know some of the things I've mentioned come with experience and maybe I'm shooting myself down a bit. Anyway...

Raspberries

Hi,
I'm doing a post-grad in Primary Teaching at the moment. The job situation sucks, I'll tell you that from the off. But like all jobs I think if you give it enough time and effort something will come around.

Yes it is held in low regard by some people, but others are the opposite. Some people think it's a walk in the park, but I can tell you it's not. Think about it; you have to get 30+ children actively involved in what you are teaching them and still maintain some sort of control over the class. And that's just one aspect of it as an example!

To be brutally honest with you I think good communication skills are vital. Granted that is something you can work on.

The post-grad courses are a mixture of the theory behind the teaching, the methodologies used and practical experience through placements in classes.

If you'd like to go for it, ask your local school/your old school if you could observe some classes or give a hand. That's what I did before I committed myself to getting into one of the courses. It really opened my eyes to what goes on in a classroom.

Also check out the primary school curriculum, that will give you an idea of what you will have to teach. You don't have to read all of it, I'd say the introduction is enough to give you an idea. http://www.curriculumonline.ie/en/Primary_School_Curriculum/

Educationposts.ie is also a great website, loads of people there asking about interview questions and general teaching info.

Hope all that helps in some way!:)

tenchi-fan

Communication skills are very important, and you should be able to relate to children and get them to participate in class. You will need to be very confident and inspire confidence in the kids.

Equally, coping skills are important. The children can be little bastards, and parents can be very aggressive - particularly the ones who have nothing to do all day apart from drop their kids to school and pick them up in the evening.

You should also consider that over 1000 teachers are losing their jobs in primary schools including teachers with previous experience who are fluent in Irish.

Before you commit to anything, get some experience in schools by volunteering for a week in a classroom.

Flashgordon197

Im a secondary teacher but also have done some primary. Teaching is not held in low regard-thats a media spin. The media write about teachers negatively so as to boost circulation. Most people have kids-it attracts readers. When I talk to parents its generally positive. In 15 years in all types of schools-most parents are supportive.

The anti-union thing is mainly driven by a right wing media with its own agenda . The agenda to have a servile workforce. The Teaching unions are the only thing stopping our system becoming like England-a system that drives out teachers after 5 years (burn out) and does not like grading kids because it affects their self esteem. Can you believe this?? That being said 2-3 years in England wont do you any harm. You will take a couple of years to qualify so add in a few years in England and the situation here will be much improved. Population is still rising here.

Teaching is a great job but the promotion prospects are quite limited. If you are an ambitious type then I would avoid it. However if you like your free time and have hobbies you are obsessed with go for it. It is a tough job. Dont let anybody tell you it isnt-particularly those who can barely handle their own 2/3 kids but see no hassle with 30! Kids though are great to deal with and there is not one type of person suited to teaching. It takes all types of people.