More job opportunities (etc.) for Primary School Teachers?

pm123

Just wondering is it easier to get employed as a primary teacher since it all doesn't come down to 'hours' (as it does with secondary) - If you have an Irish degree and have good extra curricular activity experience and have a good teaching record from your Dip, is it possible to get employed in that regard? If the choice is there, what way is better to go in this climate - primary or secondary ? Which is more employable?? ...

byhookorbycrook

There is huge oversupply of primary teachers at the present, many with plenty of experience. Teaching numbers have been cut and there's talk of more,so it's not looking great for primary anyhow.

pm123

So would it be better to go down a secondary school dip route (teaching Gaeilge) as opposed to a primary school teaching one?

seavill

Teaching primary and secondary are two completely different things.

You shouldn't do either unless you are actually interested in them, it should not come down to employment opportunities it should come down to which one you would love to do, if you don't care either way maybe the answer is neither

pm123

That's a bit insulting to be honest. It's not that I don't care either way, it's that I can't make up my mind, and I don't want to have chosen one, only to have other people say to me 'oh you should've done the other one, because you'd be in a job right now' - I love both equally but I just can't decide and I'm trying to find a way to increase the 'pros' in one of the columns for either strand, and I'm wondering which one would increase a job possibility if any?

seavill

My post was not in any way insulting.

I said they are two completely different things. Fact

I stated that you shouldn't do either unless you are fully interested in them - nothing wrong with that, you don't state in your OP that one is your pasion or anything like that

I stated it should come down to which one you would love to do - How is that insulting?

I stated that if you didn't care either way then maybe neither is the answer - that is common sense teaching (like most jobs) is something that you need to love to get into it for the rest of your life, nothing wrong with what I said there - how is that insulting

Can you explain how any of that insulted you. All i said was unless you love them don't get into them, they are two different things usually its one or the other. In your OP you didn't express a bigger interest in either you just wanted employment.

Saying now you love both equally answers some of the questions I posed

It also shouldn't matter to you what people say, go for what you want to do not which one gets least grief from family.
If you love secondary and it takes 4 or 5 years to get a proper post but its something that you are going to spend the rest of your life doing so its worth the wait.
Taking one over the other just to get a job quicker will leave you regretting things down the line where you may end up changing either way down to your own choice not based on other peoples opinion

pm123

I apologise, I was just personally insulted because you didn't know how passionate I am about teaching, but how could you know, - I should've stated that very fact in my OP. Sorry. Anyway, it's just I don't want to make the wrong decision I've had experiences in both types of schools, and am torn between the two. Maybe I need a little more time to think/explore.

seavill

Think about 30 years time, standing in front of teenagers or little kids.

I don't think I've spoken with anyone before that is completely split between the two.

For me the thoughts of little kids screaming and roaring, etc. just horrible:P

I find it much easier to deal with teenagers but I have a friend who thinks the complete opposite she is almost terrified of teenagers.

To be honest if I were you I still wouldn't let employment opportunities have anything to do with the decision. 100% what other people say about you getting a job should have nothing at all to do with it.
There are so many more aspects to it that should decide it. Maybe speak with a primary and a secondary teacher who are both in their jobs 20 years or so and see what advice they would give you. How do they feel about the job after that long at it.

Even if you think you are 50/50 completely about it, there will be one thing that outweighs the other just even the slightest amount. Go for that one. Again I feel ignore the job opportunities, I can guarantee you in 5 years time you will regret making the decision based on this.

If you go for one and it doesn't work out, you know you love the other, and although it may be an extra two years dip at least you will know then either way

pm123

I suppose my heart was always with secondary... When I was in secondary school, I would always say to myself 'If I were teaching this class, I would be doing this instead of that...' and that kind of thing, and I love the idea of preparing students for state exams, and I think I'd be a good mentor to them on that score (Irish is my subject), and I suppose any time I've worked in primary schools, the kids have, like yourself, gotten on my nerves, shouting all day and being hard to manage. At least in secondary you get a new class every 40 minutes. Maybe I'm thinking of primary for the wrong reasons (having one's own room, that kind of thing...) - Maths, PE and science wouldn't be my strong suit at all as well, so maybe that's spelling it out for me - secondary is the way to go with my Irish, etc.

seavill

Sounds to me you have your mind already just about made up.

BTW the 5 schools I have worked long term in every teacher has had their own rooms. (add in another 10 or so subbing maybe 8 or 9 of the 10 were all teacher based classrooms too). Talking to a teacher from a local convent school they have changed this year after prob over 100 years to teacher based classes, they think the world is going to end now but that's a different thread.

Forget better employment opportunities in primary (if that is the case) you will regret it. The slog to get hours secondary is difficult at present and getting worse, the whole Irish teacher debate is also going on somewhere else but in my school last year we did have someone with no dip doing Irish as they could not get anyone else so who knows really about jobs.

Even 4 or 5 or 6 years of crap hours to finally get a full time job it will be worth it, who knows you might be lucky and walk into a post.

pm123

Thanks for your help and advice. much appreciated.

Btw, are you saying that in secondary schools the future is looking like all teachers moving around the school constantly to different classrooms instead of teacher assigned rooms?

seavill

pm123 wrote: »

Thanks for your help and advice. much appreciated.

Btw, are you saying that in secondary schools the future is looking like all teachers moving around the school constantly to different classrooms instead of teacher assigned rooms?

No sorry I was saying that in almost every school I have been in subbing or full time it has been teacher based rooms.

I mentioned the convent that up to this year used to have teachers moving but have changed to teacher based rooms this year. I was just having a joke with myself which obviously no one else could get, they hate change there every bit of change in like the end of the world.
E portal caused mayhem

RealJohn

If you are equally passionate about both primary and secondary and employment is your main concern, I would say that you're more likely to be employed as a secondary teacher but more likely to get full time employment as a primary teacher.
It seems that there are an awful lot of part-time contracts being given out at secondary level and because part-time contracts are less attractive prospects, people tend to leave them and graduate to better things thereby freeing up those part-time contracts again. The downside of that is of course the lack of stability as it's easier for schools to mess around with those contracts, depending on the needs of the school so just because you're needed one year doesn't mean you will be the following year. This is probably less of a concern in your case since Gaeilge is your main subject and as it's a core subject, the need for Irish teachers tends to be fairly constant so if a certain number of Gaeilge hours are needed one year, chances are good that a similar number will be needed the following year.

In primary, you're probably more likely to get a contract where you're in for the full day, five days a week but because this scenario is generally preferable I imagine that there is far less movement in the jobs market as I imagine most people are unlikely to move unless they're actually unhappy where they are for whatever reason or feel they would be happier elsewhere.

On a personal level, I'd prefer to see you pick primary if it is something you want. The more primary teachers with a high level of Gaeilge, the better. It's hard to give students a high standard of Irish at secondary level if they've spent 8 years with teachers who consider Irish an inconvenience.

seavill

[QUOTE=RealJohn;
On a personal level, I'd prefer to see you pick primary if it is something you want. The more primary teachers with a high level of Gaeilge, the better. It's hard to give students a high standard of Irish at secondary level if they've spent 8 years with teachers who consider Irish an inconvenience.[/QUOTE]

Not sure if you missed their comment below about a preference.

I really don't agree with what you said above. Making your career choice based on the fact that some primary kids will have a slightly higher standard is not something I think someone should consider. Your choice for your career should be based on yourself not anyone else

pm123 wrote: »

I suppose my heart was always with secondary....

StillWaters

pm123 wrote: »

....and I suppose any time I've worked in primary schools, the kids have, like yourself, gotten on my nerves, shouting all day and being hard to manage.

Forget primary, you would be burned out after 3 years.