adding english olscoil

annaw

Hi,

I am thinking of adding English as a subject to increase my employment prospects. I am thinking of English as it is a core mainstream subject -

Maths or Irish would not be in the running for me...

Just wondering if anyone completed or is in the process of doing the Olscoil English modules and how you are finding them? Is there a lot of work?

I really am not very interested in English - didn't love it in school, don't have much of an interest in poetry or drama and wasn't into essay writing either in school - found them hard to write!

Would I be wasting my time adding English or find it difficult when I don't have a passion for it?

derb12

What are your current subjects?
To be honest, I wouldn't dream of adding a subject that I had no interest in. Not only do you need to love your subjects for your own well-being, you have to be able to ignite a passion for the subject in your students. No hope of that is you're not that into it yourself.
A friend of mine just finished the Oscail modules for history - it was a very big workload but she got through it okay.
BTW, it is "Oscail" (as in "open") so it looks like you're right steering clear of Irish!

annaw

Thanks for the reply Derb12

my subjects are economics and geography

yes - I didn't realise that spelling error or that it stood for open!! thought related to school - hence the spelling misunderstanding!

I was just wondering if the modules would be different from school as its predominately literature and if perhaps I might mature into liking it...

Fair play to your friend - did it take her long to complete the modules? I wouldn't have the slightest interest in history!!

rainbowtrout

annaw wrote: »

Thanks for the reply Derb12

my subjects are economics and geography

yes - I didn't realise that spelling error or that it stood for open!! thought related to school - hence the spelling misunderstanding!

I was just wondering if the modules would be different from school as its predominately literature and if perhaps I might mature into liking it...

Fair play to your friend - did it take her long to complete the modules? I wouldn't have the slightest interest in history!!

To be honest it's not really relevant what you would be studying in the modules (no offence to English graduates and teachers), at the end of the day if you got the qualification and started teaching English you would still have to teach all the things you don't like as they are part of the JC and LC syllabi.

You said you don't like poetry, drama or essay writing. Why the hell would you want to try and get a qualification in a subject you don't like and more than likely won't enjoy teaching?

I teach science and last year Leaving Cert LCVP was landed on my timetable to fill my hours. I only had the class once a week but I had to get them through the leaving cert exam and I found it torturous. I didn't have a choice in teaching the subject and dropped business after my junior cert. Why would you torture yourself teaching a subject you don't like by choice?

If you want an extra subject, sure it makes sense to pick something with decent prospects hours wise, but pick something you are interested in.

Meangadh

You're not interested in English but you want to teach it? Why? It's a long time to retirement so what would possess you to want to teach it? It's not just about getting a job, it's about getting a job you want for life.

RealJohn

Just to echo the others, you really shouldn't even consider adding a subject you clearly dislike (judging by what you've said. You don't like poetry, drama or essay writing. Do you like any part of english?). You need to think about subjects that actually do interest you and see what you can do about adding them. Yes, a core subject would be good but only if you'll actually be able to do it.

Are you qualified in other business subjects or just economics? I would think you shouldn't need to take too many extra modules to qualify in business and maybe in accountancy.