French immersion - Teaching Council requirement

Luckystar!

Hi all,

just wondering if anyone knows where I could find a two week immersive French course in Ireland to satisfy the teaching council requirements. I have just completed one with Alliance Francaise in France but the Irish Alliance Francaise (Cork, Dublin and Limerick) don’t do any and weren’t able to tell me where I could find one.

All help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

jrmb

I don't know for sure (it sounds like the requirement has changed again!) but Cavilam in Vichy might be able to help you.

jrmb

Sorry, I'm just noticing that you'd said in Ireland, but Cavilam might still know.

galwayhooker

I did French in first year in NUIG. Just wondering if anyone knows how I go about adding French as a teaching subject up to Leaving Cert. Think you can do a course through UCC?? No harm I think in adding it on. I teach Irish as well and another MFL subject.

Anyone who thinks that by having MFL subjects or Irish will walk into a job maybe think again. I was looking to come closer to home to the west. I spent 15 years in a school in the east but wanted in the last few years to move home for personal reasons. I gave up CID in school in the East eventually as was told having Irish and an MFL subject and experience as teacher and oral examiner/corrector would walk into a job. I spent over 6 years trying to get my own hours nearer home and messed about in one particularly school when I did move. CID now in a school now I love that is 2 hour round commute so thinking will have to move from home place and buy a house eventually on my own.

jrmb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119418204#Comment_119418204

I'm interested in adding another MFL subject too, but so far I've only looked into the Open University.

mtoutlemonde

If you have studied any Spanish, the Department of Education are providing free level 8 diplomas - you might be too late - I know maths was starting last January.

I was short module credits in my subject but I completed modules in literature my local university. Get onto the language department and they will help no doubt.

galwayhooker

Thanks for that. I haven’t studied Spanish - wasn’t on offer and still isn’t in school I attended. I have three languages which two of which I find hard enough to keep my oral command of them up to date. The department won’t fund teachers to go to the country to freshen oral skills - only PPLI will if language not on offer in your school.

gaiscioch

"Just wondering if anyone knows how I go about adding French as a teaching subject up to Leaving Cert. Think you can do a course through UCC?? No harm I think in adding it on. I teach Irish as well and another MFL subject."

The standard requirement is to get the requisite degree teaching credits (ECTS) for your subject - in the case of French, the Teaching Council of Ireland appears to require 60 ECTS: https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/publications/ite-professional-accreditation/pro-forma-toolkits-and-ssfs/french.pdf

The name of the course the universities provide to get these extra ECTS is usually called the Higher Diploma in Arts. When you find it, you need to ask will they be running your subject in it at night (it's essentially the required credits from the BA degree in that subject but with the "exit qualification" known as the Higher Diploma in Arts). When I did it, I needed 70 ECTs; 10 from 1st year, and 60 from 2nd and 3rd year so I did the HDA at night over two years (30 credits per annum) while working to get qualified to teach that additional subject.

Here's the Higher Diploma in Arts for French in UCC, so that might be some place to start your search: https://www.ucc.ie/en/cka12/

Bluespecs

Could you work sorry.... study... on one of the Eurolanguages summer courses... ??? They would be very beneficial from an immersive language point of view if you were hanging out with French native speakers working there

custardcream1

Hi

l am just wondering if you managed to find a suitable immersive course in Ireland ? I read on the teaching council requirements that if you are splitting up to 4 week requirement into 2 x blocks of 2 x weeks that only one of the 2 x week courses needs to be in a country where French is the main language , does that mean an immersive French course in Ireland would suffice? Also could you advise which immersive course you completed in France? I’m trying to organise 2 x immersive educational experiences (language courses) to meet the teaching council requirements