Being a Teen mother and completing my leaving certificate

MarliMay

I got pregnant at 17 and left school ( leaving school was the biggest regret of my llife) . Having spent a year being a stay at home mum I am now 19 and my daughter 1 i feel its time we both got out of the house, her mixing with other children her age and me doing something that will better both our futures. I know i could do a FAS course or something like that but i want to become a doctor and to do so I'm going to need my leaving cert. I cant seem too find anything on the VEC website that offers help with this other than youthreach. Does anyone have any body experience that could be helpful or is any one in the same position?

foxy06

MarliMay wrote: »

I got pregnant at 17 and left school ( leaving school was the biggest regret of my llife) . Having spent a year being a stay at home mum I am now 19 and my daughter 1 i feel its time we both got out of the house, her mixing with other children her age and me doing something that will better both our futures. I know i could do a FAS course or something like that but i want to become a doctor and to do so I'm going to need my leaving cert. I cant seem too find anything on the VEC website that offers help with this other than youthreach. Does anyone have any body experience that could be helpful or is any one in the same position?

Have you anyone to look after the child if you go back to education?

iffy_2007

foxy06 wrote: »

Have you anyone to look after the child if you go back to education?

Obviously the OP has someone to look after her child, she would hardly consider going back into education if she didn't!!

OP, each VEC should have an adult guidance counsellor. I would highly recommend making an appointment, they are extremely helpful & will guide you in the right direction. The number should be on your local VEC website, give them a call & a brief explanation of what you want to do so they have the info ready for when you come in. I know certain FETAC courses can also give you direct entry into certain courses when you achieve certain results, but the guidance consellor would have all the info you need.

Best of luck OP, fair play to you for making the decision to better yourself. While it might be tough when you are trying to do homework & look after a child, it will benefit you & your child in the long run!

Sleepy

OP, I think a reality check may be needed here. Becoming a doctor in Ireland requires 7 years of university and the shifts you'll have to do as an intern are utterly brutal. Unless you have someone else who can be a full-time parent to your child I really don't think you'll find it possible to complete the training. And if you do have someone who can do this for you, what kind of relationship will you have with your then 8/9 year old since you won't have really featured in their life as their primary carer until then?

Maybe set your sights on something more realistic like becoming a nurse (although you could still have problems having to combine parenting with having to work long, unsociable shifts). Maybe something like studying to be a dietician (extremely well paid btw) or something else in the medical field might be a more realistic option?

foxy06

iffy_2007 wrote: »

foxy06 wrote: »

Have you anyone to look after the child if you go back to education?

Obviously the OP has someone to look after her child, she would hardly consider going back into education if she didn't!!

OP, each VEC should have an adult guidance counsellor. I would highly recommend making an appointment, they are extremely helpful & will guide you in the right direction. The number should be on your local VEC website, give them a call & a brief explanation of what you want to do so they have the info ready for when you come in. I know certain FETAC courses can also give you direct entry into certain courses when you achieve certain results, but the guidance consellor would have all the info you need.

Best of luck OP, fair play to you for making the decision to better yourself. While it might be tough when you are trying to do homework & look after a child, it will benefit you & your child in the long run!

No its not bloody obvious actually.

Op I was really lucky to have family to look after mine when I went back to education. the reason I ask is that 7 years studying won't be easy without some really good support from family.

Lola92

Hi OP, I was in a similar situation to you. I got pregnant at 17 and had my daughter after I finished my exams. I did okay but I got far from my expected results and deferred my college course. When my daughter was about 9months I decided to go back to college. You should contact your local VEC or adult education centre. Link to website here.I went to one but unfortunately in my position they could not help me as I had a good LC and did not qualify in age for a mature student status or any grants.

If you have been getting social welfare benefits you should qualify for Back to Education Allowance/. More, here. That would allow you to finish your leaving cert and then go on to apply for a PLC or a degree course afterwards. If you qualify for it then you can get subsidised rates of childcare from a community child care setting, if you do not have other child care arrangements for your child.

Best of luck OP, I know it is not easy to get back to education, especially with a young child but you can do it. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

implausible

MarliMay wrote: »

I got pregnant at 17 and left school ( leaving school was the biggest regret of my llife) . Having spent a year being a stay at home mum I am now 19 and my daughter 1 i feel its time we both got out of the house, her mixing with other children her age and me doing something that will better both our futures. I know i could do a FAS course or something like that but i want to become a doctor and to do so I'm going to need my leaving cert. I cant seem too find anything on the VEC website that offers help with this other than youthreach. Does anyone have any body experience that could be helpful or is any one in the same position?

OP, becoming a doctor is an extremely long and difficult road and requires getting practically full marks in all of your Leaving Cert subjects at Higher Level. What were your Junior Cert results like? If this is the path you choose, your best option is to go back to your old school or a grind school and doing the full LC.

I have experience of dealing with quite a few young mums who go back into education. They either come to my course (FETAC Level 5 Childcare) from having completed a LC years ago or having recently done their LC through Adult Ed. Over the age of 23, the LC is not a requirement. The Childcare course offers a path into a degree in Early Childhood Care and Education or can be used to gain admission into other courses such as Social Care. Most of them are on Back to Education Allowance and they can avail of free/subsidised childcare (enquire with the Community Welfare Officer).

To be honest, unless you have rock solid childcare support i.e. parents who will take your child full-time while you attend college full-time and excellent grades thoughout school, then medicine is not a runner. PLC courses are good for easing you back into education and allow a flexible, assignment-based method of working, but if you are very ambitious and want a definite progression into 3rd level, then going back to do your LC is the best option.

All VECs run Adult Education courses which will allow you to do your LC. However, be warned that due to budget constraints, the subject and level choice may not be suitable for you e.g. Higher Level English may not be offered.

Orion

iffy_2007 wrote: »

Obviously the OP has someone to look after her child, she would hardly consider going back into education if she didn't!!

That's not exactly helpful. It you have a problem with a post report it.

foxy06 wrote: »

No its not bloody obvious actually.

See above.

Both of you finished your posts in a more helpful manner so it's being let slide this time but let's not have a row about what posts do or do not infer.

OP: Youthreach is not the place to get your Leaving Cert. For starters it's for 15-18 year olds and it's more aimed at vocational/trade skills. No Youthreach centre does a full range of LC subjects - they do English/Maths and maybe one or two others - but usually only to foundation level.

In another 4 years you would be able to apply to do a degree as a mature student. It might seem like a long time away but with a young child those years fly by. The child will also be in school then so you may be able to go to college part-time and work it around school hours.

paperclip2

Hi OP,

If you want to be a doctor OP you will need to meet the Matriculation requirements for the relevant college you are applying to. This effectively means completing a full Leaving Cert in one sitting. This also applies to Mature applicants to medicine, although they can also apply on the basis of a previous degree qualification. Also you will need to sit the HPAT exam.

As others have said qualifying as a doctor is a big ask but if you spend a year or so getting organised and really working out the fine details then at least you will know if its a viable runner or not.

Find out the nitty-gritty of the course you want, the class contact hours, the library hours, work experience demands, self-study hours, labs, tutorials, practicals etc. Also the time you may have to spend travelling to and from college. This should give you some idea of the amount of childcare you will need and you can work out the logistics and cost accordingly. Then research your childcare options, funding and supports.

Investigate the actual costs of attending college, food, transport, class materials etc. Also the financial support options open to you. Will you be able to keep a DSP payment, are you eligible for the grant and free fees etc. Will you be able to avail of the student support fund if one exists in the college. Then do the sums, will you be able to fund yourself through the duration of the course?

Also look at the time demands of the course, how many class hours, etc. Will you realistically be able to devote the time necessary to your course while managing all the other things in your life, child, family, social life etc.

Having a goal is fantastic, but to achieve it you do need to be practical and realistic and to do your research fully. Speaking to college faculty and med students directly will give a real insight into the actual demands of these programmes and then you are in a better position to make an informed choice about the course.

The Adult Education Guidance Initiative have offices in every county and can at least provide you with some information on the options open to you including PLC and Leaving cert courses. You can find your nearest service here: http://www.aegai.ie

Look under services.

Hope this helps