Which primary teacher training college is best?

sophiiieee

Hi, i am doing my leaving cert this summer and i really want to do primary teaching but i dont know which college to choose?
I've been looking at pats, frobel, marino, cice and mary I but i cannot decide which would be best for me
Does anyone know information about any of them? If you have been there what did you think or if you know people in other ones? pros and cons of different ones? im really confused about which to choose

Smcgie

My GF is in Bangor in Wales doing the course and she loves it. I know its
Very popular with the Irish over there

ShamoBuc

Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, London - very good reputation, excellent college and the vast majority of students doing the PGCE will be Irish - great craic and 25min bus ride to Heathrow. Twickenham is a very nice spot with riverside pubs etc and Richmond is around the corner...noice place!
I went there and would highly recommend it!

Jimmy Iovine

ShamoBuc wrote: »

Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, London - very good reputation, excellent college and the vast majority of students doing the PGCE will be Irish - great craic and 25min bus ride to Heathrow. Twickenham is a very nice spot with riverside pubs etc and Richmond is around the corner...noice place!
I went there and would highly recommend it!

The OP is only doing the leaving cert now. The PGCE is a while away for her yet.

I don't think there is much difference. Like everything, you get out of it what you put in. If you spend all your time in the library then you'll succeed in the academic side but miss out on a lot of the social side. If you spend all your time drinking pints then you'll flunk the academic part.

If you can get the balance right then you'll get the most out of college.

ShamoBuc

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

The OP is only doing the leaving cert now. The PGCE is a while away for her yet.

I don't think there is much difference. Like everything, you get out of it what you put in. If you spend all your time in the library then you'll succeed in the academic side but miss out on a lot of the social side. If you spend all your time drinking pints then you'll flunk the academic part.

If you can get the balance right then you'll get the most out of college.

True, but... I did the PGCE there.

You can of course do your undergraduate Primary teaching degree there aswell...

BA (Hons) Primary Education with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) - which is three years in length
BA (Hons) Primary Education with Advanced Specialist Elective and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) - which is four years in length.

Jimmy Iovine

ShamoBuc wrote: »

True, but... I did the PGCE there.

You can of course do your undergraduate Primary teaching degree there aswell...

BA (Hons) Primary Education with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) - which is three years in length
BA (Hons) Primary Education with Advanced Specialist Elective and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) - which is four years in length.

I know that but I'm 99% certain the deadline for the application has passed. I think it was way back in the middle of January. There's really no point in considering it unless you were willing to take a year out and apply for the 2013/2014 academic year.

And at that you still have to get a reference together and statements and all that jazz. The OP would be better off spending time studying imo with so little time left.

OP, if you're willing to go down the UK route then I'd recommend Bangor as well. I'm heading over there for the PGCE next year. Everything I've heard about the normal Primary Education course is great. Their teaching course was rated as one of the top in the country. There are plenty of Irish over there and if you're living near to Dublin it's quicker to get to Bangor than it is to get to other parts of Ireland on public transport.

dambarude

For your own sake, OP, it is much more straightforward to do a B.Ed or a Postgrad in Primary Teaching in an Irish college.

hungrypig

i agree with dambarude and also easier to get a job. i also don't think there is much of a difference in colleges. i went to marino many years ago and at the time they had a huge emphasis on irish and the practical end of teaching, teaching practise was much more demanding than other colleges but very beneficial. in general i find the standard of graduates from all the colleges is good now. seriously consider the one which is more convenient. rathmines is church of ireland so will potentially limit your employment prospect. best of luck with the lc

40047002

With the new four year B.Ed this September it really will not matter where you go, all the teaching colleges are well respected institutions. I go to Pat's and love it! I lived in Marino last year and loved it! I've been to Froebel to visit friends as well and it's nice but there is no student accommodation on campus, but it is moving to NUI Maynooth in 2013 so that would only be an issue for a year.

KarmaGal

<snip unsubstantiated allegations on zombie thread>

D4RK ONION

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