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Primary Teaching: Ireland v UK

  • 09-12-2012 4:14pm
    #1
    Trained Monkey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78 ✭✭


    Hi all,
    I moved to England 18 months ago to do a PGCE in primary teaching. I have since completed the course and taken up a job as a NQT. I have one term almost completed but am finding it very tough. It seems like we have to assess everything over here. We have assessment grids for maths, English, science, religion, PE and everything else you can imagine. I arrive at school at 7.30am and rarely leave before 5.30pm. Then I return home to mark more books and do more planning.

    My life has been consumed by my job and my weekends are taken up by jobs I didn't have time for during the week, food shopping and washing my clothes! This is not the life I signed up for.

    My simple question is...is it any easier in Ireland? If not, I think I'll just pack it in!


Comments

  • #2
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,345 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    Much the same here, to be honest, in the second level sector, though I don't think it's quite as bad yet in primary. It will get there.
    Reports, assessments, more reports, more reports that will never be read. Drowning in a sea of unread paper.
    Meetings about nothing, meetings for the sake of putting in hours, meetings that stop you actually doing work you want/need to.


  • #3
    Trained Monkey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78 ✭✭Trained Monkey


    Thanks Spurious. I'm mainly just wondering if there are people on here who have worked in Ireland and the UK, who can compare both experiences.


  • #4
    Neecod
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29 ✭Neecod


    I trained in London as a primary teacher, completed my NQT year and spent a total of 3 years over there, at which point I decided that if I stayed teaching in London I would burn out. Pure and simple. Just like you I was in school from 7.30 to 5.30/6. It felt like I had no life outside of work especially at the weekends with the ever changing planning formats, spreadsheet data inputting, excessive report writing, nonsensical assessment structures, curriculum open evening presentions e.t.c. My girlfriend (also a teacher) and I moved back to Ireland during the summer and to be honest there have been no regrets.

    Teaching in Ireland in the Primary side of things is so much nicer than in the UK. You are just trusted to get on with things and the focus is on teaching not paperwork. I learned so much in London especially in terms of professional development for maths and literacy; however, while these things are beginning to happen in Ireland, I just hope politicians don't use education as a political football like they do in England and introduce too many ill-thought out changes. I digress, but I do feel strongly that the education system in the UK has people who not educationalists making all the decisions and don't start me on OFSTED!

    My advice is to move home after you finish your NQT year. You will probably find it hard to get work but you will be happier teaching here if it works out. Worse case scenario you can always move back.


  • #5
    Trained Monkey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 78 ✭✭Trained Monkey


    Neecod wrote: »
    I trained in London as a primary teacher, completed my NQT year and spent a total of 3 years over there, at which point I decided that if I stayed teaching in London I would burn out. Pure and simple. Just like you I was in school from 7.30 to 5.30/6. It felt like I had no life outside of work especially at the weekends with the ever changing planning formats, spreadsheet data inputting, excessive report writing, nonsensical assessment structures, curriculum open evening presentions e.t.c. My girlfriend (also a teacher) and I moved back to Ireland during the summer and to be honest there have been no regrets.

    Teaching in Ireland in the Primary side of things is so much nicer than in the UK. You are just trusted to get on with things and the focus is on teaching not paperwork. I learned so much in London especially in terms of professional development for maths and literacy; however, while these things are beginning to happen in Ireland, I just hope politicians don't use education as a political football like they do in England and introduce too many ill-thought out changes. I digress, but I do feel strongly that the education system in the UK has people who not educationalists making all the decisions and don't start me on OFSTED!

    My advice is to move home after you finish your NQT year. You will probably find it hard to get work but you will be happier teaching here if it works out. Worse case scenario you can always move back.

    Thank you for this post! I agree 100% with you about teaching in the UK. I feel that I have learned a lot but the level of paperwork and assessment in the UK is crazy. I am looking at teachers who are 30 years old approximately and the majority of them look 5-10 years older due to the constant pressure and stress. Cant wait to get home now!

    I am hoping to just do some subbing for a year when I return as I feel wrecked after the past 18 months. Is that a viable option in Ireland at the moment or is subbing difficult to get in Dublin area?


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