carpenter wants to teach woodwork?

jakko86

hi guys im a 26 year old fully qualified carpenter/joiner and want to teach woodwork at secondary school or teach apprentices but dont know where to start,i would hope to do a part time course as i have to pay for the bills etc...i have my leaving cert and would hope that my qualifications would stand to me and i wouldnt have to start from scratch any help would be appreciated??

seavill

Both UL and Letterfrack do full time degrees in Woodwork and Tech. Graphics teaching. Both are 4 year degrees

http://www3.ul.ie/courses/MaterialsAndArchitecturalEducation.php
http://www.gmit.ie/letterfrack/programmes/bsc-hons-design-and-technology-education.html


UL also do a grad dip, however you obviously need to have done a degree before this. This is 18 months.

http://www2.ul.ie/web/WWW/Services/Research/Graduate_School/Prospective_Students/Graduate_Programmes/Taught_Programmes/Education_&_Health_Sciences/Technology

These are the only places you can do this type of course to teach woodwork etc. at second level. They are either 4 year degree or 18 month grad dip whichever applies. Both are full time courses, if you are lucky you may just about find time to have a part time job while in UL however this course is packed over the 4 years very little spare time even in the evenings. I would imagine the grad dip is the same, I do know they have 2 and 7 week blocks of full time teaching practice plus college work to get done so again I would imagine that there is very little time to do anything else.

You can read the above links to get the exact details and the entry requirements but there is no part time option.

In regards to becoming a FAS tutor or something like that I have no idea how to go about this and what qualifications are needed, someone else may be able to help you on this or you could try ringing FAS directly yourself, which is probably the best idea. This is all I found after a quick search
http://www.aontas.com/information/faqs/tutor.html

In relation to the UL and Letterfrack courses, it is worth bearing in mind that approx 70 degree graduates come out of UL each year, plus probably 20 grad dips and possibly another 20 or so from Letterfrack, so you are talking about over 100 graduates coming out every year for the last 4 or 5 years, before that the number would have been lower.

Not exactly an uplifting reply but it is reality

jakko86

thank you for all the info,ill look into the 18 month course full time will be tough goin with no job but ill see how i get on... by what your saying there are a lot of teachers in this area and difficult to get a job?

looksee

There are almost no jobs in teaching at all, but the more specialised posts, like woodwork can be a better prospect, especially if you include the VEC and Fas. That is not to say there is any guarantee of a job.

seavill

seavill wrote: »

...............


UL also do a grad dip, however you obviously need to have done a degree before this. This is 18 months..............................

jakko86 wrote: »

thank you for all the info,ill look into the 18 month course full time will be tough goin with no job but ill see how i get on... by what your saying there are a lot of teachers in this area and difficult to get a job?

I think you have missed the point about requiring a degree to take that 18 month course

FAS instructor may be the best bet, qualifying as a secondary school teacher without a primary degree will be a long slog.

Also to be a secondary school teacher you may well have to teach something else too.

seavill

I was going to ask the same question, do you have a degree already done, if you don't you will not be able to do the 18 month dip, your only option is either the 4 year degree in UL or Letterfrack.

Saying that you have a better prospect of a job in a specialist area is not true, in fact the opposite is probably true, all it means is you have less schools available to you to get a job in.
Out of the 10 schools closest to me they do not do woodwork in 6 of those schools, one does technology, so you could say that locally I can only apply for jobs in 5 out of the 10 schools closest to me. Also you will generally find that woodwork teachers are normally in schools a long long time, very few career breaks, maternity leaves etc. to get your foot in the door.
Another point to consider is that with the impending introduction of the new JC course students will not be doing as many subjects which means less students doing specialist subjects, meaning less jobs in woodwork.

Anyone may be lucky and walk straight into a job, but the opposite may be true, I am currently in my 5th school in the last 4 years (not including short term subbing). I have been lucky to get hours but none of them turned into a proper job as of yet. A lot of my class either went into industry or went teaching in England. As I posted before two jobs I saw advertised during August were for 2.5 hours a week and 7.5 hours a week.

In relation to the point about a second subject, doing either of the degrees or the dip you are fully qualified to teach, Junior Cert Woodwork and Technical Graphics plus Leaving Cert Design & Communication Graphics and Construction Studies, so you are fully covered in that respect.

By the way, I don't mean to sound so negative about everything but I am just answering the questions posed realistically

jakko86

Thanks for the replies,afraid i have no degree just qualified carpenter/joiner which is a level 6 fetac merit grade (90-100%) qualification from what i can gather i need a level 8 qualification?is that a degree? all the exams to get into that course are very basic, iv done honors tech drawing and woodwork for the leaving and the exams for that course are a pass level leaving cert exam which would be very handy considering the technical drawing and practical exams i had to do for carpentry/joinery in l.i.t. There is also an interview for the course once you pass those exams...Icould manage the 18 month course but starting again to do a 4 year course would be impossible for me...Not looking good so by the looks of it..Just dont want this to be it for me and since being in college have always thought about furthering my career to hopefully teaching.

seavill

Quote from the Grad Dip page
"Applicants must hold a degree (level 8)"
"Those applying for the Construction Studies option must also hold a degree in the relevant area. Areas of study include Construction Technology, Architecture, Wood Science and Technology, Furniture Design and Technology and Building Technology."

From what you say you would be well able for the drawing exam and the bench test alright but unfortunately without the degree you are not elagable to apply. From what I hear approx. over 100 people apply each year for 20 spaces so its very tough to even get to the bench tests.

So its either start the degree in order to become a secondary teacher or the only other option available to you would be to look into the FAS option. As I said I have no idea on how this works so you would have to ring them to find out. A lot of further education colleges are run by VEC's so hours in those places can go towards secondary teachers who are not on full hours.
One other option would be to maybe set up a night course for adults. A VEC I previously worked in had asked me to set up one but I did not have the time as there was a huge demand for one, however again I do not know do you need to be a qualified teacher to do this or is there some type of tutor course you can do without the teaching qualification.

jakko86

That thought had actually crossed my mind about teaching a night course,but who would i go to or where? would that be through fas or some similar body..it looks like id have to get a degree which looks like starting from scratch again which would be near impossible for me as i cant lumber my girlfriend with all the bills while i head back to college...im not too sure about the fas route either as from what i hear there is only two classes per year going through at the moment so thats not too promising either but i will ring fas and see what the procedure is...

seavill

I have no idea about the fas issue but my only experience of the night course as I said was through a VEC. If you look up the night courses of your local vec and they should have a contact for their director of adult education or something like that. That is the person who asked me to run one. Again I am a qualified teacher so I don't do they employ non qualified teachers.

Basically if you are ruling out the degree your only options left are to ring your local VEC and ring FAS and see what they say, unless anyone else has any other suggestions.

The degree may be an option for you a few years down the line if not now.

Best of luck

jakko86

Ya ill contact them and see...maybe there might be a way of furthering my current level 6 fetac qualification to a degree possibly so i could get into that 18 month corse in UL. Thanks fo all your help and info its much appreciated.

seavill

Let me know does this work out I would be interested in the outcome.

RHunce

I'm in the first year of the undergrad Woodwork degree in UL. There's maybe 5 or 6 mature students in my course, most of whom had to give up their jobs for the four years or were let go and then decided to do this degree. Some still work part time in their respective areas but one of my closer friends does bar work at the weekend to subsidise some costs. Long story short if you want to pursue a career as a Woodwork teacher in secondary schools you will have to do the full four years. If you have any questions about the course then just fire away.

Godge

jakko86 wrote: »

Ya ill contact them and see...maybe there might be a way of furthering my current level 6 fetac qualification to a degree possibly so i could get into that 18 month corse in UL. Thanks fo all your help and info its much appreciated.

It is likely that Letterfrack or Letterkenny would give you some credits for your level 6 fetac qualification (did you get it from an IT?). That might gain you exemption from Year 1 and/or Year 2 or alternatively, you might be excused certain subjects allowing you to study part-time for some of the degree. It is worth exploring with them. Now is the time to do so if you want to start next September.

jakko86

I presume id have to pay costs myself as grants and all that have been cut? so have ye any idea of what figures im lookin at? Yes i done my phase 4 and 6 in LIT which were 12 weeks each and got a merit in my overall qualification which basically means i got 90-100% in all my assesments and practical pieces and drawings..Dont know if thats counts for anything though i do remember one of my lecturers saying that unless you achieved that you couldnt go on to do what hes doing... I dont know how true this is....

owla

Hi jack
heres what I know, whether its relevant or not.
My other half carpenter joiner and self employed, he has taken on apprentices over the years. Because of this it seemed to push him up the educational ladder and although he never did a 'degree' according to FAS he has is on level 7 of the educational ladder (a so called 'ordinary' degree). He would be eligible to be a FAS instructor with another course which he can do from England. I have not looked into it yet, if you want any further info let me know. but for interest put all your experience together and find out from someone in FAS what level you are at. Its not always about college obviously.

lestat21

You do not need to be a qualified teacher to work in adult education but it is a definite plus. I know one computer network and maintenance tutor who had no teaching qualification but years of experience in her field. Approach local VECs with a CV and you could get lucky but at least youll find out exactly what qualifications are needed. And definately aproach more than one VEC as their procedures can vary alot.

Also you said you got a merit grade (90-100%) in a fetac level 6 course. Im fairly certain that 90-100% is a distinction!!

Gutterballs

So any more on this thread. Is there many jobs in that sector at the moment? Also a carpenter thinking of the change