Question for Hibernia PME (Primary students)

Olivia Pope

Hi,

Hoping current or recent students can help me out.

I am starting the Primary PME in September. We have a family wedding abroad in June, so if we go we would be gone from June 7-13. For those doing the first year of the PME (having started in September 18) could you have taken last week off?
I have looked at the course outline and there doesn’t seem to be anything specific the second week in the June of the first year.

Also in the first year, do you get the full month of August off?

Thanks in advance.

jimbobaloobob

It changes year to year, there's no particular months off.
You can always be gone and login to the online lectures from abroad, i worked abroad a lot while doing it and did that, then went back over them again when home.

thequarefellow

Unless you have a relative who can get you a job in a school afterwards don't do it. Hibernia (and the other colleges) are turning out huge numbers of newly qualified teachers - way more than there are jobs for. The course is horrendous and way over priced. If you must - go to Scotland where they will practically pay you to study and convert the Irish requirement later. You probably won't need it anyway as 90% or NQTs have to go abroad to get work where you will not be required to teach Irish. Honestly, don't take my word for it. Go in to any staff room in the country and meet the NQTs there scrambling about trying to find the scraps of subbing and maternity leaves that keep them hoping for a full time job for years on end.

Olivia Pope

Thanks the quarefellow, are you a current student? Sorry to hear that you feel this way. Would you be able to answer my original question? Thanks

thequarefellow

Hi, yes I am a current student, September 2018 intake. You will be told that you can not miss anything - there is no flexibility in terms of weddings funerals etc and trying to get written permission from staff is a waste of time. In practice, you just take time off if you need it - without taking the p!ss. They are highly unlikely to expel you as you will soon be handing over the second half of your fees for year 2. Money is the most important thing with Hibernia. The only onsite lectures that I hear are not to be missed are the religion lectures - because Hibernia is mandated by the Church to have all students attend in order to get the religion teaching cert. These are scheduled for July this year. So if it is the same when your turn comes around you should be fine. You will miss an onsite or two, nothing that you can't catch up on by asking for the slides that the tutor displayed on the day.

Ferris_Bueller

Yeah thequarefellow is right, you are told not to miss anything but in reality you are allowed to miss things every now and again. I started the course in Sept '18 and have missed two onsite days and I'd say I have missed 7/8 online live webinars. Some people in my group have easily missed double or triple what I have. Teaching Placement, The Gaeltacht and your Religion Cert classes seem to be the only things that are completely unmissable.

Olivia Pope

Thanks thequarefellow and Ferris bueller. Are you enjoying the course Ferris

spurious

Ferris_Bueller wrote: »

Yeah thequarefellow is right, you are told not to miss anything but in reality you are allowed to miss things every now and again. I started the course in Sept '18 and have missed two onsite days and I'd say I have missed 7/8 online live webinars. Some people in my group have easily missed double or triple what I have. Teaching Placement, The Gaeltacht and your Religion Cert classes seem to be the only things that are completely unmissable.

This doesn't fill me with respect for the Hibernia course.
Do they at least punish these people who don't bother, or do they just churn them out with the other hundreds all looking for jobs?

Ferris_Bueller

spurious wrote: »

This doesn't fill me with respect for the Hibernia course.
Do they at least punish these people who don't bother, or do they just churn them out with the other hundreds all looking for jobs?

A couple of people in my class have been emailed and warned that attendance at onsite classes is compulsory, but what else can they do really? I just counted there and we have had around 25 onsite classes since September, missing a couple in that time surely has to be expected. I would say 80%+ of my group have missed less than 2.

Olivia Pope wrote: »

Thanks thequarefellow and Ferris bueller. Are you enjoying the course Ferris

No problem, glad I could help. To be honest, not really anymore. I started off enjoying it but it is very hard to juggle the course with a job (and the course is too expensive to not work for 2 years), I have found a lot of the live webinars to be a pain, you get the sense some of the lecturers know they have to give an hours lecture so they drag half an hours content out over an hour. Haven't found the college staff overly helpful either and the assessment feedback is poor for an online course.

The onsite days are very good in fairness and the tutors they get to teach those have been brilliant. The online content is good as well although there is a lot of it (hard to get through). The college and inspectors/tutors are good around the school placement so far which is probably the most important part. I've enjoyed any time I have spent in a school and it's a means to an end I guess.

Olivia Pope

Is that 25 Saturday’s since September? I know what you mean Ferris, would you enjoy it more if you weren’t also working?
I’m starting in September, looking forward to getting my timetable.

jimbobaloobob

Ferris if you log on using laptop or phone at the times of webinars it will log you present. You could go off and do cartwheels for a hour if you like then and listen back to the lectures after.
That's what I did and I meant you can skim through the questioning people have and cover the content in about 40mins.
I used to listen to the webinars as I drove my commute to work. It is do able but tough to work and do the course but bear in mind why you're doing it. I had no choice but to work more than fullyime pours even through placements.
I wouldn't be worried how many hibernia process through their books so long as you glean what's necessary from the course and use it to show your different in your placements.

thequarefellow

spurious wrote: »

This doesn't fill me with respect for the Hibernia course.
Do they at least punish these people who don't bother, or do they just churn them out with the other hundreds all looking for jobs?

I wouldn't say it's any different from any other college in that regard. Do all students go to all lectures in any course? And even if they do are they paying attention at the time? One has to go back over course material in a way that suits the individual in order to pass exams and assignments just like every other college course.
I have plenty of reservations about the Hibernia course but the quality of the graduate is not one of them. There will always be strong and weak candidates - some will breeze through the system and yet make great teachers, others will work like crazy to get high grades and fail at interview with the usual mix in between. I have been in the office of many principals recently trying to secure a future placement and I have been old by a number of them that they receive an average of 150 applicants for new positions. Something to think about when considering the Hibernia PMEP fee that has been raised from 15 to €18,000 this year.

spurious

I didn't realise they had put the fee up. That's some increase.

I'm not sure people are hearing what the actual prospects for employment are. We had a fairly niche position (minority subject and only 8 hours) but there were over 100 applicants and a large number of those had PhDs in the subject. Crazy numbers for any higher hours positions that arise in 'standard' subjects.

Olivia Pope

The quare fellow, having a mini heart attack here. Where did you hear that the fees are increasing? There’s nothing on their website? I have accepted a place to start in September (9 weeks away) and it has never been said to me?

jimbobaloobob

Olivia Pope wrote: »

The quare fellow, having a mini heart attack here. Where did you hear that the fees are increasing? There’s nothing on their website? I have accepted a place to start in September (9 weeks away) and it has never been said to me?

What fee are you set to pay?

Olivia Pope

€15k was what I was quoted in March when I accepted and deferred my place until September. I was at an open day in April for people hoping to apply for September 19 and all mentions were of €15k. I wonder is the planned increase for 2020 quare fellow?

thequarefellow

Olivia Pope wrote: »

€15k was what I was quoted in March when I accepted and deferred my place until September. I was at an open day in April for people hoping to apply for September 19 and all mentions were of €15k. I wonder is the planned increase for 2020 quare fellow?

Hey, sorry for alarming you. I must be mistaken - at least for this year. A figure of 18k has been doing the rounds in the college. It may be a rumour.

spurious

Still a terrible amount of money. Could easily be more than the graduates make in their first year 'working'.

jimbobaloobob

Still cheaper than all the costs involved of not working. Moving to a college campus and taking 4 years to complete

Olivia Pope

jimbobaloobob wrote: »

Still cheaper than all the costs involved of not working. Moving to a college campus and taking 4 years to complete

Jim, do most people work until the second teaching practice?

jimbobaloobob

Olivia Pope wrote: »

Jim, do most people work until the second teaching practice?

Most I knew did but some worked through it all

Ferris_Bueller

Olivia Pope wrote: »

Jim, do most people work until the second teaching practice?

My group is a mix. Some quit their jobs at the start of the course, some quit their jobs for the first placement and others then are working throughout.

Olivia Pope

Thanks Jim & Ferris, do most people start subbing then once they give up their job. I’m hoping to do some subbing in the second year of the course.

Ferris_Bueller

Olivia Pope wrote: »

Thanks Jim & Ferris, do most people start subbing then once they give up their job. I’m hoping to do some subbing in the second year of the course.

Yeah most in my group are doing some subbing, some are nearly subbing all the time. I have only done 3 or 4 days subbing as I work as well, it is good to get some classroom experience and make contacts but there is no guarantee you will get hours I guess, depends on how many schools you hand them out to.

user12345_ed

We also heard the fees are going up to 18k. I would be expecting a major jump in standards of their structure for a fee hike which won't happen.

Olivia Pope

I got an email today looking for my fees to be paid and it’s still €15k total. That’s for September 19 cohort.
Very hard for anyone trying to plan and budget if it’s going to go up another 20%.

thefasteriwalk

Olivia Pope wrote: »

I got an email today looking for my fees to be paid and it’s still €15k total. That’s for September 19 cohort.
Very hard for anyone trying to plan and budget if it’s going to go up another 20%.

15k??? Wow. That sounds extortionate. I paid 4K for the Hdip not that long ago. I’m shocked.

jimbobaloobob

thefasteriwalk wrote: »

15k??? Wow. That sounds extortionate. I paid 4K for the Hdip not that long ago. I’m shocked.

The Hdip no longer exists far as im aware the Masters programme is whats needed now to qualify. The course used to be 18 months but then was extended to two years on becoming a masters.

I suppose the cost is also used as a measure of controlling supply.

Olivia Pope

Also if you can live at home with your parents etc you save on accommodation. I know 2 ladies in their mid 20s doing it next year. They can live at home in Cork instead of doing the same course in Mary I. If they go to Mary I, I think the rent would be 10-12k before any fees. I don’t think Mary I’s fees are hugely cheaper. Is it €11/12k for the two years.

ThatsNew

thefasteriwalk wrote: »

15k??? Wow. That sounds extortionate. I paid 4K for the Hdip not that long ago. I’m shocked.

I know someone who paid roughly 2k for a (non-teaching) hdip course about 10 years ago. It's now a Master's and is touching the 10k mark and rises every year. Would love to go in to teaching but not with the fees, cost of rent, job insecurity etc.