Help! Becoming a primary school teacher Qs?

crolekka

Hi everyone,
for a good while now I've been considering so many different courses but after much consideration I'm now focused on becoming a primary school teacher. Sorry if some of the questions I'm asking have popped up before but I couldn't find clear concise info relating to my situation.

I'm currently in 6th year and very much stressed out as it stands. I just seek some clear guidance of career paths I can take in order to fulfil the role of a primary teacher. So here's some specific questions, if you can help with any at all, it'd be extremely appreciated:

Q1. Is the B.Ed sufficient for permanent work or is the HDip mandatory?
Q2. I keep hearing of an Irish oral test, what is it and what role does Irish play overall on the career path?
Q3. Are you inspected or graded on work placements during your course?
Q4. What exactly is the purpose of the HDip?
Q5. I'm thinking of attending Marino, Mary I or Pats. Are there any colleges that are seen as preferable when it comes to getting a teaching position?
Q6. If, in some tragic set of circumstances, I don't get into the B.Ed courses I want, is there a way of becoming a primary teacher through arts?
Q7. Do you think the jobs situation in Ireland will be remedied come c.2020?
Q8. If I wanted to become a teacher in Scotland/England, what do I need? (I've heard of the "PGDE" course but still not completely confident I know what it entails)

Thanks everyone, any help is valuable at this stage where decisions will have to be made soon that can shape my entire future. Phew! Cheers

RealJohn

crolekka wrote: »

Q2. I keep hearing of an Irish oral test, what is it and what role does Irish play overall on the career path?

I apologise if I'm reading too much into this question but I find it worrying that a prospective primary school teacher would need to ask either of these questions.

Irish is a core subject and if your level of Irish isn't reasonably high already then I wouldn't think you should be going into primary teaching. Irish has to be taught more or less every day in primary (like english and maths). It forms a very important part of a primary teacher's working life. Proficiency is as vital as it is in english and maths.

Don't worry about the oral. Chances are your level of Irish is fine already or you should think about a different career path. Either way, the oral shouldn't be a cause for concern for you.

Bananatop

crolekka wrote: »

Q1. Is the B.Ed sufficient for permanent work or is the HDip mandatory? B. Ed is sufficient. Higher diploma is a postgrad course taken by people who already have a degree in another area. Once you finish your B. Ed. (or Higher Diploma if you're a postgrad), you must complete a year of probation in a primary school. This means that an inspector would come in to check your notes/teaching etc. The probation year is mandatory for everyone.
Q2. I keep hearing of an Irish oral test, what is it and what role does Irish play overall on the career path? You would need a good level of irish to get into a teaching course. Following that, you would need to be able to answer some questions in Irish for a teaching position at interview. You will also have Irish oral tests during the B. Ed./HDip.
Q3. Are you inspected or graded on work placements during your course? Yes
Q4. What exactly is the purpose of the HDip? Higher Diploma is a postgrad course for people who have a degree in another subject (i.e. they don't have a teaching degree).
Q5. I'm thinking of attending Marino, Mary I or Pats. Are there any colleges that are seen as preferable when it comes to getting a teaching position? I don't think so. With the job situation the way it is, getting into a particular college is the least of your worries.
Q6. If, in some tragic set of circumstances, I don't get into the B.Ed courses I want, is there a way of becoming a primary teacher through arts? Yes. You could also do a degree in IT, Science, History, English Literature, Finance etc, and still go on to do the postgrad (Higher Diploma)
Q7. If I wanted to become a teacher in Scotland/England, what do I need? (I've heard of the "PGDE" course but still not completely confident I know what it entails). Have a look here at an example of a PGDE course http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/education/postgraduate/pgde

Best of luck with your decisions!

** Just to clarify......when I was in college, if people spoke about the HDip, it meant they were doing a year of teacher training (following their degree) to enter into secondary school. Don't know if the same applies nowadays!

crolekka

RealJohn wrote: »

I apologise if I'm reading too much into this question but I find it worrying that a prospective primary school teacher would need to ask either of these questions.

Sorry if it comes across as naivety but I only seek guidance. All prospective primary school teachers have had to ask these questions it's just the fact that time's running out for me that I'd like quick answers to them to help me form a strong comprehensive base. Like I said, up until about a week ago I was researching methods of psychology and areas of biological science! Then I realised that I need to follow what I want to do and primary teaching has always been my ambition. I know I can be a good one too.

Cheers for the bit of clearance about the Irish. My Irish is good enough I'd say. I'm expecting at least a B at HL. Every little bit of info helps and thanks very much for taking the time out to reply

crolekka

Bananatop wrote: »

Best of luck with your decisions!

** Just to clarify......when I was in college, if people spoke about the HDip, it meant they were doing a year of teacher training (following their degree) to enter into secondary school. Don't know if the same applies nowadays!

Thank you so much for answering all the specific questions. Your input is invaluable to me at this time and I can use it to research further before that CAO Deadline falls on top of me! Cheers for wishing me luck too, by the sound of things, prospective teachers need it!