Montessori courses

kasperk xx

Hi all,
I have posted this on fetac forum as well in the hope that someone can offer advice.

I am hoping to do a montessori course part-time and am wondering which college and course would be best to secure employment. I have been looking at the fetac level 6 early childhood care and education with montessori and am wondering is this the qualification I will need need to work in both montessori and after school care. This course is held in portobello institute in two parts part 1 is 1 evening per week and part 2 is blended learning, or in dorset college or progressive education college over 2 evenings a week for 1 year. I'm confused about portobello as they only do 1 evening a week for part 1 then blended learning for part 2 and the others do 2 evenings making me wonder would it harder to follow course work. If anyone has any experience of any of these colleges or can offer me advice on courses I would really appreciate it as they are so expensive and I would hate to end up doing the wrong course.

Moonbeam

It is the same qualification .
You can work as a room leader in a pre school montessori or after school care.

kasperk xx

Hi Moonbeam, thanks for replying. I was wondering which college would be better portobello or dorset. I had originally thought of portobello but they do it in two parts part 1 is 1 night a week and part 2 is blended learning, dorset do all the modules over 2 nights a week which I think may offer more help/support. have you any experience of either of these colleges. Also you say you can work in afterschool care, is that with all primary aged children as I was wondering would I have to do another course to look after older children (just in after school capacity)

Moonbeam

No ,it meets the requirements to work in after school care.
I have no idea tbh I do it by distance learning due to having kids.
Your local VEC might run it too.

I have heard good things about Portobellos course but I don't know anyone who did it through Dorset college.

kasperk xx

Thanks again I have spoken to both and think Dorset may be best as if 2 nights a week I will be finished in 1 year with portobello part 2 seems to takes longer as its blended learning. How do you find the online course is it difficult not being with others in a class setting as thats whats also putting me off portobello. Do you mind me asking are you working in childcare? I'm not and am hoping it won't be too difficult to arrange work experience with no previous background in childcare.

Moonbeam

No,I have 4 small children so I do not work atm.
Baby sitting is an issue for me so I do it online.
I did my work placement but that is it.
Why are you going straight to l6?

kasperk xx

I really want to do montessori and all the montessori courses i've looked at are level 6, i asked did i need to do level 5 childcare first and both colleges said no. The courses are so expensive that I want to make sure i pick the right one.

Moonbeam

You might find it hard going in at level 6 if you have no previous experience.
There is no l5 in Montessori but it is seen as the predecessor to the l6 montessori.
If people hold previous degrees or have years of experience they often start at l6.

kasperk xx

I have a degree in a different area so I am hoping I will be able to manage the course work will start reading up on each module in advance

Moonbeam

ah you will be fine so:)
I have seen people try the l6 with no experience and really struggle.

Angela26

Hi there. I'm a Montessori teacher, qualified at both the 3-6years and 6-12 years level. So here's my advice for what it's worth. First of all you don't need any previous experience or training in childcare. In fact you're better off without it as the Montessori approach is very different to mainstream. Mainstream early childhood has taken on board a lot of Montessori ideas but it's still a long way from the pure Montessori philosophy.

Secondly, no part-time course can ever quite give you the edge that a full-time course will give you and online or distance learning is particularly difficult with Montessori because there is such a strong practical element and experience with the Montessori materials is vital. However, having said that it is possible of course to train part-time. The very best training is provided is by AMI with St Nicholas running a close second but they are less purist. AMI definitely don't do any part-time courses. Not sure about St Nicholas but again I don't think so. However I would recommend the Montessori Education Centre in Great George's St. They have an excellent reputation, far ahead of Portobello. Don't know anything about Dorset College.

Most importantly remember that Montessori is education, not childcare. Try to get teaching practice (really vital to get as much as you can) in an AMI school, not a creche with a half-baked Montessori session. Do loads of reading in addition to the basic course materials if you can. Understanding the philosophy is the key to being a good Montessori teacher. Don't underestimate the work load. It's huge but well worth it in the end. Good luck!

kasperk xx

Hi Angela26 thanks for the information it was very helpful. I called the montessori education centre, unfortunately they are not holding any courses this year. They recommended Dorset college (I was thinking of going to portobello as I work and its only 1 night a week) and said the dorset course would be similar in content to the course they used to run so I will look into this further. I just want to be sure I choose the right college to give myself the best chance of doing well and gaining employment.