Returning to teaching after caring for family

pudney3105

For the past 3 and a half years i have been working as a family carer, have recently completed an MSc in Educational Technologies which i completed on a partime/online basis and i am looking to get back to work, and i am registered with the teaching council to teach Physics, Biology and Agricultural Science but with no experience which is the main problem, i have been applying for teaching jobs but not even getting an interview. I need a job close to home so i can keep an eye at things with my family, what would be the best approach to take to getting back to work, i am quiet anxious now as well as i havent taught since my last teaching practice, obviously apply to all local schools for subbing, correcting exam papers in the summer, exam supervision, volunteer work, has any one any other ideas

happywithlife

Tbh your subjects are fairly limiting. Have you junior cert science?
Keep handing in cv's and apply for all interviews as it's all experience. I was only talking to someone over the weekend that took a much larger gap to rear her family and she has gone back teaching in the last 2 years so it certainly can be done. Would it be useful to have someone run through an interview with you to see where you're falling down. Also ring any place where you've interview lately and ask for your score card to see where you fell down.
Best of luck with it.

pudney3105

Can also teach JC science and Maths, will just keep plugging away i think!

happywithlife

Well then that's a much broader base.
You sold yourself short in your OP
Do you do this often? If so, definitely consider getting a professional to practice your interview techniques.
Also, make sure you on substitution panels with your local etb (old vec)

rainbowtrout

happywithlife wrote: »

Tbh your subjects are fairly limiting. Have you junior cert science?
Keep handing in cv's and apply for all interviews as it's all experience. I was only talking to someone over the weekend that took a much larger gap to rear her family and she has gone back teaching in the last 2 years so it certainly can be done. Would it be useful to have someone run through an interview with you to see where you're falling down. Also ring any place where you've interview lately and ask for your score card to see where you fell down.
Best of luck with it.

Seriously? Three Leaving Cert science subjects limiting??? Wow. Most science graduates only have two.

Suspect the OP is a UL graduate with that combination.

Keep plugging away OP, it's going to be hard when you have no teaching experience to try and get your foot in the door, might be worth your while calling around to schools and let them know you are available. It can be hard to get physics teachers.

Also let them know about your ag science qualification. I teach it myself and it has really boomed in the last few years. While it's many months off yet, ag science teachers go out examining practicals in May each year, it could be an opportunity to get subbing in that area in a few months time and make yourself known, hopefully something else comes up in the meantime.

happywithlife

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Seriously? Three Leaving Cert science subjects limiting??? Wow. Most science graduates only have two.
.

I was answering the original post and any school I've taught in has very limited physics classes, if any and ag science was often done outside regular hours. So going by the original post I did think it was limiting yes.
I was a bit suspect though, that with three subjects like that, the op would have had more subjects eg junior cert science which is why I asked for clarification in my own post.

Moody_mona

pudney3105 wrote: »

Can also teach JC science and Maths, will just keep plugging away i think!

No such thing as having Maths to JC, used to be the case but not anymore.

pudney3105

That is a good thing that unqualified maths teachers are no longer teaching maths, but alot of jobs advertised are still looking for those combo's physics & maths, biology & maths etc, teachers do have the oppurtunity to do a postgrad in maths if they have time to fit it in with teaching there other subjects