Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Irish/French/Spanish/English/Economics/History/Religion

  • 13-02-2022 11:56pm
    #1
    Mandf
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 79 ✭✭


    I am interested in becoming a secondary school teacher. I am studying the following subjects: Irish, French, Spanish, English, Economics, History and Religion for the leaving cert. I like all these subjects and would consider teaching any of them. I am attending a Gaelcholáiste so my Irish is good. However, I have heard a lot of bad things about the new junior cycle course in English speaking schools and that the leaving cert is headed the same way. There is also the problem that Irish might not be a compulsory subject for leaving cert in the future. Apart from these concerns, I would be happy to teach Irish. I like French and Spanish but am more confident with French and my grades are better. But there is shortages in both subjects so I could do both in university. I am unsure about English, economics, history and religion because there is no shortages in these subjects. Which would be the best two subjects to pick for job opportunities and taking into account my concerns about Irish? Is there an easy way to add on some of these subjects when I would qualify as a teacher? If so what are the best ones to add on? Thank you.



Comments

  • #2
    gaiscioch
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,534 ✭✭✭gaiscioch


    Loads of work in Irish - absolutely loads if you get your standard up. You could branch into working in the EU as a translator, or also working in one of the 13/14 EU/European Schools on the continent which annually look for qualified teachers of Irish (and other subjects) on 9-year contracts. Across the board in all teaching subjects and in all careers there are slackers. If you aim to be the stand-out person in whatever you do, you can make a nice living. You'll get to the point where you just don't have the time to take on the work once you get the reputation for being solid.

    I know you said you'd like to be a teacher, but would you not use your Irish to get a niche as a barrister? They are desperate for Irish-speaking barristers and solicitors in Ireland and the EU and there is a course in legal translation (https://www.kingsinns.ie/cmsfiles/LEGAL-TRANSLATION/CJEU.-KingsInns-March-2021.pdf). There are loads of slacker barristers and solicitors, too, so always room for somebody who wants to excel.

    Rationally speaking, it would make more sense to put the years into going this path. If you want to be a brilliant teacher or a brilliant barrister, you're going to have to put a huge amount of work into it. The financial rewards for the latter are, however, considerably greater. I know teachers who are putting 60-70 hours work per week into their jobs and they have great reputations. But their teaching career stops in the classroom and to advance they need to get out of it and into school management or something. Be very conscious of that no matter how much you say now you'd like to teach - the financial incentives in schools are to leave teaching. In contrast, if you put the same time into a more protected profession like niche areas of law, you would receive far greater financial rewards and this makes life easier by giving more freedom to you down the road. I wouldn't have held this unromantic view 20 years ago, but life happens, as they say.



Advertisement