Science Teaching with Engineering Degree

ddaly6

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has any advice on how to become a Science Teacher from an Engineering background.

I graduated in 2010 with a BEng in Mechatronics from DCU which is not recognized by the teaching council. This i think is due to the maths in the course being taught by the engineering department and not the maths department. I always had an interest in teaching and due to a lack of research on my part when entering college, i find myself in this predicament!

I was hoping there might be a way to get into teaching without starting from the scratch and doing another 4 years in college.

If anyone has any info on how to proceed it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

rainbowtrout

Do you want to be a science teacher or a maths teacher? If your degree is not recognised for any subject by the teaching council you will have to start from scratch.

Miss Lockhart

Have you actually had your degree assessed by the TC? I have several friends with different engineering degrees who had to do one Open University module to be qualified for maths. They will tell you what you need to do if you get them to assess your degree.

ddaly6

rainbowtrout: I don't mind maths but its physics & chemistry that i have grown fond of over the last couple of years.

Miss Lockhart: I haven't actually had the degree assessed as I was unsure if it was possible.
Do you know who i should contact in regards to that.

I am slightly comforted to know that it may be possible to do some open university modules. I was hoping that some people would have taken a route like this already.

rainbowtrout

You need to contact the teaching council. They will assess your degree for €200 and tell you the shortfalls.

I'm a science teacher but I had maths in the first year of my degree so I did 3 open university modules to also qualify me in maths a few years back.

ddaly6

Thanks, i will defo send that away, just bit frustrated that there is not an easier route to find out this information, its all very ragtag on the website.

I have a feeling that it should certainly be possible to get into math teaching as engineering was 85% maths, but i am still unsure about the sciences, can you teach them as a 2nd subject???

Sorry if it sounds like i'm being lazy, but i have looked at the requirements so much, and making less and less sense!

Cheers anyway

clartharlear

http://www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/subjects-age-groups/engineers-into-teaching

If you're passionate about engineering and you're thinking about becoming a teacher, then now is the perfect time to consider training in a shortage subject such as physics, maths or chemistry.

Very little point in training in Ireland for a job that won't exist, whereas engineers are highly valued as teachers in the UK.

Cix

Hi rainbowtrout,

How long did it take you to complete the three maths modules with the open univesity? I'll be doing the PDE in September (Biology/Science) but I'm also interested in teaching maths down the line if I can. I too had maths for the first year of my degree.

Cheers,
Cix