Thinking of becoming a Secondary School Teacher (Late Starter)

JohnnyBananas

Hi All,

I am an office professional in my early 30’s. I have been putting some thought into the prospect of becoming a secondary school teacher by the time I am 40 and beforehand I would like to do some research.

I have two qualifications (a University Business Studies degree and an Insurance Qualification) and I am part qualified in a 3rd mathematical qualification (the Actuarial profession). I have no doubt I have the aptitude to teach Leaving Cert Honours Maths, Economics & Business Org and then possibly Accountancy (while I have managed good grades in accountancy, I am not a natural in this area). While I am unqualified in History, I have a natural interest in the subject and I would intend to do some form of correspondence course in order to qualify in this area over time.

Can I ask people in the education sector the following starter questions:

• My understanding is that for one to become a teacher, you have to do a one year Higher Diploma as a full time student. Is this correct?
• Does a standard university Business Studies degree automatically qualify me to teach the three business subjects (after the Higher Diploma)?
• While I technically have no Mathematical qualification, I am a natural in the area. Would my Business Studies degree and part Actuarial qualification (4 advanced mathematical exams) be sufficient to qualify me in this subject?
• What are the employment prospects in Ireland for a former office professional in his late 30’s who can teach Maths, the three Business subjects and eventually History??
• Are there any other considerations I should take into account?

Any help with the above would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in Advance for all responses.

doc_17

JohnnyBananas wrote: »

Hi All,

I am an office professional in my early 30’s. I have been putting some thought into the prospect of becoming a secondary school teacher by the time I am 40 and beforehand I would like to do some research.

I have two qualifications (a University Business Studies degree and an Insurance Qualification) and I am part qualified in a 3rd mathematical qualification (the Actuarial profession). I have no doubt I have the aptitude to teach Leaving Cert Honours Maths, Economics & Business Org and then possibly Accountancy (while I have managed good grades in accountancy, I am not a natural in this area). While I am unqualified in History, I have a natural interest in the subject and I would intend to do some form of correspondence course in order to qualify in this area over time.

Can I ask people in the education sector the following starter questions:

• My understanding is that for one to become a teacher, you have to do a one year Higher Diploma as a full time student. Is this correct?
• Does a standard university Business Studies degree automatically qualify me to teach the three business subjects (after the Higher Diploma)?
• While I technically have no Mathematical qualification, I am a natural in the area. Would my Business Studies degree and part Actuarial qualification (4 advanced mathematical exams) be sufficient to qualify me in this subject?
• What are the employment prospects in Ireland for a former office professional in his late 30’s who can teach Maths, the three Business subjects and eventually History??
• Are there any other considerations I should take into account?

Any help with the above would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in Advance for all responses.

First of all you can check out your degree with the teaching council and see what, if any, subjects your degree allows you to teach. Think this link works: http://www.teachingcouncil.ie/_fileupload/Publications/autoquals_86299814.doc

To answer your q's:

1. Yes you have the dip but it can be done part time through Hibernia or full time at university.

2. See the teaching council link above but once you are in a school it's up to the principal if they trust/want you to teach other subjects.

3. I am a natural at sport yet I am not qualified to teach PE. What are your advanced mathematical qualifications? And who awarded them?

4. The prospects wouldn't be great. It takes the average teacher at least 7 years to get a full time permanent job so if you didn't start until you were 40 you could be nearly 50 by the time you have any job security. And that's allowing for you being fully qualified and recognised by the TC to actually teach these subjects.

5. Other considerations? Money? Can you afford to go 3-4 years with maybe only part time work? Or no work at all? Very few newly qualified teachers (NQTs) get full hours starting out.

Also you would be classified as a new entrant with a reduced starting salary.

Hope this helps!

JohnnyBananas

Thanks for the link. It appears I could potentially teach the 3 business subjects with my degree.

doc_17 wrote: »

3. I am a natural at sport yet I am not qualified to teach PE. What are your advanced mathematical qualifications? And who awarded them?

I hold 4 out of 8 of the first stage mathematics exams on the Institute of Actuaries programme. (to qualify to be an Actuary you have to pass all 8 and then pass a number of non-mathematical exams afterwards)

Leaving salary and job security aside, what do people think the prospects are for a 40 year old new entrant with my criteria to receive regular, be it part time, work until retirement age???

Again, thanks in advance for all responses.

highly1111

I didn't have time to read all the thread but just wanted to post a word of warning. It's EXTREMELY unlikely that the teaching council will recognise all 3 business subjects. I have yet to meet one business teacher who was recognised for all 3 since the establishment of the TC without doing further studies to get more credits. The TC looks at the amount of credts you have for each subjects so it'll depend on the modules you took in college to see if you'd get economics and accounting. The TC have made a hash of the whole thing with their incredibly confusing documentation. And they rarely give a straight answer. I find them the most incompetent organisation on the planet and everything is a battle with them - and will cost a small fortune too.

As for job prospects - I was a professional in finance for years - did my dip 2 years ago. Last year I was in 4 different schools covering 2 maternities and 2 sick leaves and this year I got a career break contract for the year. However I got the one job i got an interview for and it was 40 km away - jobs aren't thin on the ground - they're practically non existent at the moment. Most of my dip class have emigrated :-(

JohnnyBananas

highly1111 wrote: »

The TC looks at the amount of credts you have for each subjects so it'll depend on the modules you took in college to see if you'd get economics and accounting. (

I did a University of Limerick Business Studies degree, but didn’t major in Accountancy or Economics. Taking the TC link and what you said into account, it appears I won’t qualify to teach these subjects but will qualify to teach Business Organisation (unless I have misread the small print).

So it looks like I will only qualify to teach Business Organisation, without doing further studies. Again, what do people think my prospects are for receiving regular work from 40 to retirement age taking this into account (leaving salary and job security aside)?

As always, thanks in advance.

rainbowtrout

JohnnyBananas wrote: »

Thanks for the link. It appears I could potentially teach the 3 business subjects with my degree.



I hold 4 out of 8 of the first stage mathematics exams on the Institute of Actuaries programme. (to qualify to be an Actuary you have to pass all 8 and then pass a number of non-mathematical exams afterwards)

Leaving salary and job security aside, what do people think the prospects are for a 40 year old new entrant with my criteria to receive regular, be it part time, work until retirement age???

Again, thanks in advance for all responses.

You would have to get your maths qualifications checked by the Teaching Council. I'm not an expert but having just had a look at some of the actuary exams gut feeling would tell me that the Teaching Council will say it's not enough.

If you have maths in the first year of your degree you can complete a number of modules with Open University to qualify you in maths, but only after you have registered as a teacher (in another subject). There's a thread about it here. I did it a couple of years ago.

On the jobs front, l would agree with other posters. There aren't many jobs out there, permanency is non existent and more cuts are coming down the line.

JohnnyBananas

Taking all of the above into account, I have further questions:

1. It looks like after doing a Higher Diploma, I would be qualified to teach Leaving Cert Business Organisation. Would I also be qualified to teach Junior Cert Business Studies?

2. If I was to register as a Business Organisation teacher, I will then want to qualify to teach Leaving Cert in 3 other subjects, in the below order.

Maths, then Economics and then History.

Has anyone any ideas on the quickest and easiest way to achieve these qualifications? (I have a Business Studies degree in which I did Maths as an elective and then later sat & passed 2 Actuarial exams. I have some grounding in Maths and Economics. I have little or no grounding in History)

As always, thanks in advance.

whiteandlight

First, before the tone of your posts gets peoples back up, it is not polite or a good reflection of your opinion of teachers in the sector you are going into to suggest that because you have a flair for something you should be able to teach it. teaching requires an in depth knowledge of your subject matter and teachers have worked hard for their qualifications and they take time. Now leaving that aside....


It is going to be a long complicated process to gain qualifications in those subjects without going back and doing another degree. Afaik the teaching council require you to have the full amount of credits as a degree in each subject, and in modules that they agree to be relevant to the course. The only subject you mentioned there that there is some clarity on is Maths. The teaching council have (there is a full thread on this in the forum) the titles of open university modules for Maths that they will accept for you to increase your credits provided you studied Maths in the first year of your degree. However you would need to check which if any of your current credits are relevant with the teaching council. With regard to the business modules I would be surprised if anyone here has the answer as the only people who could tell you that are the teaching council themselves. And asfaik the business organisation course has been changed at leaving cert and is just called business now? A business teacher may be able to confirm tat!

With regard to the job situation tbh it could not be anymore stark. It is not an exaggeration to say there are little or no jobs going in the profession and those that come up are already way oversubscribed by teachers who have been qualified for several years. Even casual substitution work is like gold dust these days. Unless you are really passionate about teaching it is not the profession to be entering at the moment. In addition as a new entrant you will be earning on the new scales which start at 27k. This might sound great but the reality is it will probably be up to 7 years before you are on full hours and you will be on a fraction of this salary until then. Also unless you secure an RPT position you will not be paid for your holidays including the summer.

Having said all of that if you have a passion for teaching and are going into it with your eyes open to the realities above then by all means join our ranks!

rainbowtrout

JohnnyBananas wrote: »

Taking all of the above into account, I have further questions:

1. It looks like after doing a Higher Diploma, I would be qualified to teach Leaving Cert Business Organisation. Would I also be qualified to teach Junior Cert Business Studies?

2. If I was to register as a Business Organisation teacher, I will then want to qualify to teach Leaving Cert in 3 other subjects, in the below order.

Maths, then Economics and then History.

Has anyone any ideas on the quickest and easiest way to achieve these qualifications? (I have a Business Studies degree in which I did Maths as an elective and then later sat & passed 2 Actuarial exams. I have some grounding in Maths and Economics. I have little or no grounding in History)

As always, thanks in advance.

Agree with everything Musicmental85 said.

It's not as simple as listing off what you would like to teach.


What you will need to do.

Check on the qualifications list on Teaching Council website to see if your degree is on the list and what it will qualify you to teach.



If it is on there and you are eligible to teach something then you can apply for PDE. I hope you have 7k to spare.

If it is not on it, you will have to get the Teaching Council to assess your qualifications and tell you where the shortfall is and what courses you need to do in order to rectify the situation. I would imagine that most business degrees would qualify you to teach at least one business subject.

Then once you are qualified if the Teaching Council told you that you had a shortfall in degree credits for a particular subject then you could go about doing those courses to gain the required credits for that subject. Maths tends to be the most straightforward of the lot as the Teaching Council have listed the modules from Open University that will be accepted by them. You can only get this qualification recognised once you are a registered teacher though. I suggest you do a search for the thread and have a read of it.

As for history, you have no qualifications at present. If you qualify as a teacher you can look into doing the required number of modules to qualify in History.

If you are set on becoming a teacher and gaining qualifications in all these subjects, you would want to set yourself aside 10k+, the PDE and maths courses will cost you that alone.

History - you could probably do modules through oscail.ie but I would personally see that as something you would do over a long period of time if you had the finances available.

Job prospects are not good.

micropig

doc_17 wrote: »

2. See the teaching council link above but once you are in a school it's up to the principal if they trust/want you to teach other subjects.

3. I am a natural at sport yet I am not qualified to teach PE. What are your advanced mathematical qualifications? And who awarded them?

Musicmental85 wrote: »

First, before the tone of your posts gets peoples back up, it is not polite or a good reflection of your opinion of teachers in the sector you are going into to suggest that because you have a flair for something you should be able to teach it. teaching requires an in depth knowledge of your subject matter and teachers have worked hard for their qualifications and they take time. Now leaving that aside....

Ultimately, it's up to the principal what subjects they want you to teach. I would get your Hdip on your business subjects, the when you go for interviews in schools, you can let them know about your history etc..you might get lucky and get to teach a few classes.

whiteandlight

Musicmental85 wrote: »

First, before the tone of your posts gets peoples back up, it is not polite or a good reflection of your opinion of teachers in the sector you are going into to suggest that because you have a flair for something you should be able to teach it. teaching requires an in depth knowledge of your subject matter and teachers have worked hard for their qualifications and they take time. Now leaving that aside....

Ultimately, it's up to the principal what subjects they want you to teach. I would get your Hdip on your business subjects, the when you go for interviews in schools, you can let them know about your history etc..you might get lucky and get to teach a few classes.[/Quote]


There is legislation pending for the teaching council and more and more principals are less likely to use an unqualified teacher. In particular parents are beginning to question and check via the teaching council whether their childs teachers are qualified. While it is the case right now by the time this poster is qualified in two years fine it may not be the case

byhookorbycrook

My standard advice to anyone considering teaching, primary or secondary, is to do some observation in a school for a few days .It's a real eye-opener,some people tend to feel that "know about teaching" as they were once pupils themselves. Today's reality is a vastly different place to even 5 years ago.

micropig

There is legislation pending for the teaching council and more and more principals are less likely to use and unqualified teacher. In particular parents are beginning to question and check via the teaching council whether their child teachers are qualified. While it is the case right now by the time this poster is qualified in two years fine it may not be the case[/QUOTE]

Fair point, that's why I suggested "he might get lucky", there will be occasions that the teacher is absent etc and the principal will have no one else to fill in etc

rainbowtrout

micropig wrote: »

There is legislation pending for the teaching council and more and more principals are less likely to use and unqualified teacher. In particular parents are beginning to question and check via the teaching council whether their child teachers are qualified. While it is the case right now by the time this poster is qualified in two years fine it may not be the case

Fair point, that's why I suggested "he might get lucky", there will be occasions that the teacher is absent etc and the principal will have no one else to fill in etc[/QUOTE]

Filling in for a random class every now and again is no basis on which to build a career, especially at present and especially as it's gonna cost the OP the guts of 10k just to become qualified.

JohnnyBananas

Thanks for all responses.

Let’s say I was retired by 40 and wanted to casually substitute teach as a semi-retirement profession, with costs of qualifying being no object. Any ideas of what the demand would be for someone of my credentials?

ie say by that time I had a H Dip, I was a qualified Business Teacher with an aptitude for Maths and Economics. Would I be allowed to substitute teach Leaving Cert Maths and Economics? Would substitute teachers like me be rare or plentiful???

dory

JohnnyBananas wrote: »

Thanks for all responses.

Let’s say I was retired by 40 and wanted to casually substitute teach as a semi-retirement profession, with costs of qualifying being no object. Any ideas of what the demand would be for someone of my credentials?

ie say by that time I had a H Dip, I was a qualified Business Teacher with an aptitude for Maths and Economics. Would I be allowed to substitute teach Leaving Cert Maths and Economics? Would substitute teachers like me be rare or plentiful???

There would be zero demand. There is no demand for teachers these days. There are plenty of fully qualified, unemployed, experienced teachers who would love a bit of subbing. Your father/uncle/aunt/sister would have to be the principal to get you in.

rainbowtrout

JohnnyBananas wrote: »

Thanks for all responses.

Let’s say I was retired by 40 and wanted to casually substitute teach as a semi-retirement profession, with costs of qualifying being no object. Any ideas of what the demand would be for someone of my credentials?

ie say by that time I had a H Dip, I was a qualified Business Teacher with an aptitude for Maths and Economics. Would I be allowed to substitute teach Leaving Cert Maths and Economics? Would substitute teachers like me be rare or plentiful???

No, you have to be qualified.

Would you expect any of us to walk into an insurance office and get actuarial work, just because we had an aptitude for maths but none of the qualifications? It's the same for teaching.


If you're not qualified in the subjects why would you expect to get work??? There are loads of teachers qualifying every year. Too many. And there's loads looking for work.

djk1000

JohnnyBananas wrote: »

Thanks for all responses.

Let’s say I was retired by 40 and wanted to casually substitute teach as a semi-retirement profession, with costs of qualifying being no object. Any ideas of what the demand would be for someone of my credentials?

ie say by that time I had a H Dip, I was a qualified Business Teacher with an aptitude for Maths and Economics. Would I be allowed to substitute teach Leaving Cert Maths and Economics? Would substitute teachers like me be rare or plentiful???

It seems like you're not really taking in what's being said, sorry to be direct but people have answered quite clearly that you need to be highly qualified and even then, it will take many years of dedication to be in with any chance of a full time job.

I've always wanted to be a teacher but I decided that I just can't make that commitment unfortunately. If I did the HDip, I'd be qualified in the three business subjects, from my research over the last few years, it seems that these subjects (particularly business) are the most over subscribed by qualified teachers.

I've been through the same thought process as you're going through now. The decision is simple, make a huge commitment over many years to be a full time professional teacher, or don't get into it at all.

I think it's folks replying to him aren't listening, he asked.......

"...................with costs of qualifying being no object. Any ideas of what the demand would be for someone of my credentials?"

Ye all ignore the qualified bit, the question he asked was if he was qualified, what would the demand be. His credentials would include the fact he was qualified.

Read the question folks

gaeilgebeo

RoverJames wrote: »

I think it's folks replying to him aren't listening, he asked.......

"...................with costs of qualifying being no object. Any ideas of what the demand would be for someone of my credentials?"

Ye all ignore the qualified bit, the question he asked was if he was qualified, what would the demand be. His credentials would include the fact he was qualified.

Read the question folks

Read the replies. Nobody has "ignored" the qualified bit. There is no demand for teachers particularly in the subjects he will "qualify" in. There will be qualified experienced teachers competing for subbing with him, if he did qualify.
So to answer his repeated question about his "chances", they are slim to nothing! This has been repeated over and over again.

gaeilgebeo

gaeilgebeo wrote: »

Read the replies. Nobody has "ignored" the qualified bit. There is no demand for teachers particularly in the subjects he will "qualify" in. There will be qualified experienced teachers competing for subbing with him, if he did qualify.
So to answer his repeated question about his "chances", they are slim to nothing! This has been repeated over and over again.

I think they have

rainbowtrout wrote: »

No, you have to be qualified................

spurious

Demand would be close to zero.

All the Business subjects are over-subscribed, so much so that they put a quota on them applying for the PDE.

rainbowtrout

RoverJames wrote: »

I think it's folks replying to him aren't listening, he asked.......

"...................with costs of qualifying being no object. Any ideas of what the demand would be for someone of my credentials?"

Ye all ignore the qualified bit, the question he asked was if he was qualified, what would the demand be. His credentials would include the fact he was qualified.

Read the question folks

No he said a qualified teacher with an aptitude for Maths and Economics.


Aptitude does not imply qualified. I have an aptitude for languages. I am not qualified to teach French or German and I wouldn't expect to be hired to teach them regardless of what my other teaching qualifications are.

If he did the PDE he would be qualified for Business and there is no demand for that. So much so that Business has a separate allocation in PAC applications system because so many business grads apply to do the PDE. He will not be qualified in Maths or Economics after the PDE.

gaeilgebeo

RoverJames wrote: »

I think they have

ay by that time I had a H Dip, I was a qualified Business Teacher with an aptitude for Maths and Economics. Would I be allowed to substitute teach Leaving Cert Maths and Economics? Would substitute teachers like me be rare or plentiful???

You have quoted Rainbowtrout's reply to a post where the OP asked about teaching a subject they had an "aptitude" for. Aptitude does not equal qualified!

chippers

JohnnyBananas wrote: »

Thanks for all responses.

Let’s say I was retired by 40 and wanted to casually substitute teach as a semi-retirement profession, with costs of qualifying being no object. Any ideas of what the demand would be for someone of my credentials?

ie say by that time I had a H Dip, I was a qualified Business Teacher with an aptitude for Maths and Economics. Would I be allowed to substitute teach Leaving Cert Maths and Economics? Would substitute teachers like me be rare or plentiful???

I'm a qualified Economics, Business and Geography teacher (Teaching Council recognised). I didn't get called for one interview in Ireland last year.....not one. You might get lucky of course, but it is most definitely an employers market.

dory

RoverJames wrote: »

I think it's folks replying to him aren't listening, he asked.......

"...................with costs of qualifying being no object. Any ideas of what the demand would be for someone of my credentials?"

Ye all ignore the qualified bit, the question he asked was if he was qualified, what would the demand be. His credentials would include the fact he was qualified.

Read the question folks

I read the question just fine. I answered as if he would be qualified for business and not for maths or history. Even if he was qualified in all three the chances would be slim.

JohnnyBananas

I appreciate I may be throwing things back at people, but I am simply trying to research the matter in depth.

Here goes again.

I fully recognise demand is minimal, particularly for Business teachers. But what about substitute teaching on an internship basis where the prospect of eventual paid substitute employment is preferable but not essential (say I’m retired and fully provisioned for the rest of my life). Could this be accommodated and would it be in demand???

(Again, as a possibly qualified Business teacher who wishes to qualify in Maths, Economics and then History. I appreciate the quota system on Business subjects with PDE remark, but this could possibly change in the future)

As always, thanks in advance.

spurious

JohnnyBananas wrote: »

I fully recognise demand is minimal, particularly for Business teachers. But what about substitute teaching on an internship basis where the prospect of eventual paid substitute employment is preferable but not essential (say I’m retired and fully provisioned for the rest of my life). Could this be accommodated and would it be in demand???

What do you mean by internship? Do you mean work for no payment?

JohnnyBananas

spurious wrote: »

What do you mean by internship? Do you mean work for no payment?

Yes.

micropig

JohnnyBananas wrote: »

I appreciate I may be throwing things back at people, but I am simply trying to research the matter in depth.

Here goes again.

I fully recognise demand is minimal, particularly for Business teachers. But what about substitute teaching on an internship basis where the prospect of eventual paid substitute employment is preferable but not essential (say I’m retired and fully provisioned for the rest of my life). Could this be accommodated and would it be in demand???

(Again, as a possibly qualified Business teacher who wishes to qualify in Maths, Economics and then History. I appreciate the quota system on Business subjects with PDE remark, but this could possibly change in the future)

As always, thanks in advance.

The had teaching jobs on the job-bridge scheme

dory

Why not go to a local principal and ask for a meeting? They might give you an idea of demand.

Personally, if I were a principal (which I am thankfully not) - I would give them job to whoever the best qualified person is if the money is there.
If the money was not there I wouldn't take on someone for free in case they'd leave after a while. Then I've just put on a subject choice even though I couldn't afford it. The free teacher walks out and I have to put the history students in the Biology class.

Why not give free grinds via SVP?

spurious

dory wrote: »

Why not give free grinds via SVP?

This.
There are plenty of opportunities in after schools clubs, homework clubs etc. for teachers to work for free.
I know a number of my colleagues on low hours volunteer on such schemes, to keep up some familiarity with courses they are not teaching.

JohnnyBananas

dory wrote: »

Why not give free grinds via SVP?

Brilliant. I think that might be my way in. I’ll have to figure out the necessary qualifications required to join, which I can contact the SVP about directly. It would also be useful to have an understanding of how this experience could be beneficial towards eventually getting secondary school teaching work. If teachers have any opinions on this, I am all ears. (Again, thanks in advance)

rainbowtrout

JohnnyBananas wrote: »

I appreciate I may be throwing things back at people, but I am simply trying to research the matter in depth.

Here goes again.

I fully recognise demand is minimal, particularly for Business teachers. But what about substitute teaching on an internship basis where the prospect of eventual paid substitute employment is preferable but not essential (say I’m retired and fully provisioned for the rest of my life). Could this be accommodated and would it be in demand???

(Again, as a possibly qualified Business teacher who wishes to qualify in Maths, Economics and then History. I appreciate the quota system on Business subjects with PDE remark, but this could possibly change in the future)

As always, thanks in advance.

The job bridge scheme was mentioned but again that's for qualified people who are on the dole.

Even if you did become qualified I can't see why you would be offering your services for free as a qualified teacher. And despite the savings to the school money wise, I think it could open a can of worms audit wise for a principal if subbing was being done for free. Accountability could be a problem. Anyway aren't you digging your own grave work wise if you go into a school and tell them you'll sub for free, and then the following year tell them that you want to be paid for it. You could also create tension in a staff room where part time teachers would lose out on subbing because you're willing to do it for free. It undermines their position and the value of teaching if you're doing it for nothing.

Really I'm surprised this thread is dragging on, it's very simple, you get the PDE in Business, you choose then whether or not you want to continue to gain extra qualifications in Maths and History while you look for a teaching job in Business. I don't think there's much more to it, it's very straightforward.

Fear_an_tarbh

Hi Johnny

A lot of the response might come across as quite defensive - don't take it personally, its just not easy being a teacher right now and its hard to impress upon people just how difficult a job it can be and how difficult it is to get that difficult job!
And I think your posts may have been interpreted as seeming as though you think this is a relatively easy sector to break into and make it in (which you probably didn't mean to say).

I think I can see where you're coming from; for whatever reason you'll be secure and won't need to worry about earning a huge amount for the rest of your life and you'd like to work in a vocational sector in a job where you can make a difference? That's pretty noble and should be welcomed.

Have you thought about adult or further education? This might suit someone who doesn't need to strive and stress for a full salary. Also, your present credentials might suit a lot of business courses (of which there are likely a lot being offered by VECs, education centres right now).

Or, if you really want to educate, start your own school! Get yourself a teaching qualification and all you need is a room and a curriculum that will be in demand (such as starting your own business, office admin etc.) a guy I know did this in the languages sector and ended up expanding and doing quite well!

Best of luck anyway

rainbowtrout

Fear_an_tarbh wrote: »

Hi Johnny

A lot of the response might come across as quite defensive - don't take it personally, its just not easy being a teacher right now and its hard to impress upon people just how difficult a job it can be and how difficult it is to get that difficult job!
And I think your posts may have been interpreted as seeming as though you think this is a relatively easy sector to break into and make it in (which you probably didn't mean to say).

I think I can see where you're coming from; for whatever reason you'll be secure and won't need to worry about earning a huge amount for the rest of your life and you'd like to work in a vocational sector in a job where you can make a difference? That's pretty noble and should be welcomed.

Have you thought about adult or further education? This might suit someone who doesn't need to strive and stress for a full salary. Also, your present credentials might suit a lot of business courses (of which there are likely a lot being offered by VECs, education centres right now).

Or, if you really want to educate, start your own school! Get yourself a teaching qualification and all you need is a room and a curriculum that will be in demand (such as starting your own business, office admin etc.) a guy I know did this in the languages sector and ended up expanding and doing quite well!

Best of luck anyway

Adult and further education courses offered by VECs also require the tutors of those courses to be qualified secondary school teachers.

JohnnyBananas

Fear_an_tarbh wrote: »

Or, if you really want to educate, start your own school!

I take it you mean start my own after hours grinds school by this??? Cheers.

iona_buss

Also just remember if you take up subbing hours for free in a school you could be taking away money from another teacher who needs the money? I don't know if a principal is allowed to do this, but I imagine it's a thin line that eventually would get crossed. I don't know for sure, I'm just saying.

Anyway there are computer clubhouses that look for volunteers.
http://www.theclubhouse.ie/vol-app

It is great to see you've such great interest in teaching but the others aren't exaggerating when they say jobs are non existent. I realise how lucky I am to have mine. 6 years though and I'm still waiting for a full time position though or something above 16 hours, or more hours in the subjects I want to teach. Even with having excellent experience, good subjects and a masters, it is very seldom I get to the interview stage. I don't mind if I never get there, I'm happy where I am and all, but more hours obviously would be nice.

Others are obviously going to get annoyed when you keep asking what are the chances of you getting a job in an area that they are desperately trying to get work in, and not only want a job but need a job, as they have bills etc.


Anyway best of luck with the direction that you decide on and take.

gubbie

JohnnyBananas wrote: »

Thanks for all responses.

Let’s say I was retired by 40 and wanted to casually substitute teach as a semi-retirement profession, with costs of qualifying being no object. Any ideas of what the demand would be for someone of my credentials?

ie say by that time I had a H Dip, I was a qualified Business Teacher with an aptitude for Maths and Economics. Would I be allowed to substitute teach Leaving Cert Maths and Economics? Would substitute teachers like me be rare or plentiful???

A point no one has mentioned yet is they're making the Dip a 2 year course. The TC have a stipulation that if you do some Maths in your degree then by doing 3 other modules with the Open University then you will be able to teach Maths. You could do those 3 modules at the same time as the dip (though you'd have to be a good time manager). I don't know if that applies to your degree but you can always check. They're really your first port of call.

It's possible and there's plenty of late comers studying to become teachers. I've found they're very hard working and focused so I wouldn't let coming in late put you off. However, if you were able to travel you'd have a far better chance of getting a job. But many are not in that position - many have settled families and have mentioned that they will only be looking jobs in and around the area.

rainbowtrout

It hasn't happened yet though and is going to be time consuming enough. I've done the three OU modules and they are time consuming. They are not 1 semester modules. They last a full academic year. The three in question together are the equivalent of being a full time student.

It would be taking on an awful lot to do the dip and a year of maths at the same time.

Tigerandahalf

Johnny,
Have you any teaching experience at all?
You talk about semi-retirement?
If you are thinking of winding down, teaching teenagers is not the place.
Believe me when you have put in the effort to qualify as a teacher, you won't be prepared to work for nothing.
What is the story with your future pension? have you thought about that and what you will get from teaching?
Things have radically changed for new-entrants.