Giovanna Freezing Minibike wrote: » Everyone keeps mentioning the shortage of Home Ec and Irish teachers, which are both my subjects! While there have been many of these jobs advertised in the area I want to move to- midlands, very few are actual jobs with a prospect of permanacy, they are mostly career break, mat leave, job share etc... I have a permanent job and a family, so wouldn't accept anything unless someone has resigned or retired and these are few and far between. I'm wondering is it that Home ec teachers, predominantly female, have more babies than the average teacher and therefore more mat leaves, career breaks etc???
EmzBoBo wrote: » I've just finished a secondary teaching B.Ed degree (4 years). I have applied for every job within a 1 1/2 hr commute from me, and only heard back from one of those jobs... to tell me that I wasn't even getting an interview. This is pretty much the same experience of everyone in my year that wants to teach this coming September. Those jobs were for 8-11 hr temporary contracts, so I'd still have needed another job in order to pay my bills. I was discussing this with my course coordinator last week, and she looked through the list of schools I'd applied for with me and was able to tell me, quite emphatically, that the jobs in those schools were already gone, because "so and so from the Class of X is the teacher already in that school, and they should be due CID soon". As an NQT, it's really disheartening to hear that the "vast amount of job opportunities available to us" that the Teaching Council couldn't stop patting themselves on the back for at one of their induction talks in College, was a lie. Nobody in my year wants to end up unemployed next year, so people are looking at non-teaching, but related fields. One of the guys in my year has moved to London to do this, because, as he puts it "only having an 8 or 11 hour contract, if we were lucky, would be unsustainable long term". I myself have obtained a full time permanent contract in a school just outside London, so I'll be moving over at the end of the summer. I imagine more of my year will follow us over in the not too distant future, because sadly the jobs just aren't available at home. Nobody in my year (myself included) wants to emigrate. I'd love to be able to get a job in Ireland, but they just don't exist, and I haven't worked this hard to get my degree, just to spend the foreseeable future hoping to get some subbing hours while working several other jobs just to pay my bills!
Giovanna Freezing Minibike wrote: » I would like to teach mainly home ec, but don't mind some irish with it. Have had 2 interviews , came second in first one , heard later someone in the school already got the job, second one was when she mentioned the job share teacher from last year, I got offered 11 hours for that even though it was advertised as 22. I ring the schools and ask where the hours are coming from to see if it is worth applying. A good example was a job being advertised for an etb job in cavan, the secretary said ' well there certainly wasn't any retirement, I don't know what that job is at all, maybe it's a career break or something '. Indicating there was no job at all!
Exiled1 wrote: » The increase in Deputy Principals in large schools has caused a big increase in new jobs. Also extra hours given to schools this year. Problem continues for schools to source Irish and Home Ec. Also problems appearing in Maths, particularly since the TC has become very sticky re. recognition of maths qualifications. Lucky grads this year!! As for the poster who saw the other candidate going to the staffroom......... nothing unusual in that since everybody has to be effectively interviewed at least twice before getting a sniff at a cid.
Gebgbegb wrote: » Better careful what schools tell you when you inquire about how a position came about. They might be trying to put you off applying to 'keep it' for someone. It might even be a son/daughter of a friend of the secretary's too. I'm of the opinion that ETB's would have a higher chance of a more diverse/larger interview panel compared to say a voluntary school. What do ye think about that?
sitstill wrote: » Also I wouldn't be going by what the secretary says. She'd probably know if there was a retirement coming up alright, but she wouldn't know the ins and outs of where hours are coming from so in the example above, you could have ruled yourself out of getting that job!
man_no_plan wrote: » Out of interest, what are your subjects?
maynooth_rules wrote: » What are your subjects? That's the big thing really. I am History and Geography and it has been a slog for me for years. Only finally settled now. I know Irish teachers who straight out of their dip have had jobs thrown at them. A colleague last year even got offered an Irish job after not turning up to the interview! Really there should have been a cap put in colleges for over subscribed subjects. I made the mistake of picking my subjects for the Dip without putting consideration into job prospects. That was in 2007. Clearly there are many people doing the same now. I know its easy to say get qualified in the subjects you love, but hdip students really need to research the dour job prospects with certain subjects. Again though, I do believe colleges should have a bigger role to play in that guidance.
EmzBoBo wrote: » I only have one subject unfortunately - Music. If I could go back to before I started this degree, I'd absolutely still do it, but what annoyed me was that the Teaching Council changed my course after we'd already started it, and took away our courses second subject. We only found out about the Teaching Council's decision to do this in 3rd Year, since we'd have done the 2nd subject in 4th Year. We used to have a second subject recognised by the Teaching Council to teach up to Junior Cert level, but in their infinite stupidity wisdom, they decided that we "didn't need a second subject, because there'd be plenty of hours in music". Unofficially, I also sat through the PME English modules this year, but because the teaching council took away our second subject, I may as well not have bothered. My year is the first to graduate without a second subject. I know eventually I'll have to go back and try to add on another subject (if I ever come home that is), but any I've looked at are very expensive to do, so I'd have to make the decision between doing the Masters I really want, or adding on an extra subject for potential employment opportunities back home.
Giovanna Freezing Minibike wrote: » That's awful, I have heard similar stories about TC, very unfair. I did suggest to someone before , not sure if it was you, about the maths course in DCU. You need to be teaching in a school to do it, it is part time over two years, and it is something like €500 which you get back at the end. As far as I know the teacher in my school who is doing it, didn't even do HL maths for her LC.
man_no_plan wrote: » Sure the secretary wouldn't know what way you be jigging around the timetable. As for the home ec and economics , you have to advertise the registered subjects. Probably home ec and junior business. There's no such qualification so you go with economics
Giovanna Freezing Minibike wrote: » No matter how much jigging about someone does, a full time home ec job with your own hours does not appear from no where unless someone has resigned or retired. No you don't have to advertise what the qualification is, see for example the job advertised last week in Dublin for home ec and maths- no such qualification. If they want home ec and JC business that's what should be advertised, also business is a subject at LC, Economics is a separate subject.
man_no_plan wrote: » I don't know about that but in our ETB you can only advertise a job where someone can be TC registered for both subjects. We can't advertise chemistry and maths for example and hire a chemistry only registered teacher. My point about the JC business stands in light of the above. You shouldn't be allowed to just make stuff up.
Corkgirl18 wrote: » That is definitely not the case in all ETBs unfortunately! Last year I applied for a job advertising my subjects but I ended up teaching neither of those subjects and totally different ones! Similar things have happened to a good few people I know.
TheDriver wrote: » Good teachers will always get a job (once you have 2 subjects etc). However each year I see the following: NQts coming out from college where you wonder how they got through their qualification (as if the college is afraid to tackle their shortcomings and kick the can down the road) Applicants whose subject is never going to be a runner e.g. CSPE teacher only. You need 2 subjects Applicants not having their stuff in order e.g. vetting disclosure (not vetting), TC registration. Some applicants have lied in the past, you couldn't make it up Badly written application forms and CVs. Remember we're shortlisting based on what you wrote. Having the wrong school name is bad for starters not to mention just slops on the page. Its indicative of the effort you'd put into teaching. Sell yourself properly and get advice on CVs. Dreadful interview skills: Learning off answers however the difficult questions are not to see your answer but rather to see how you deal with a sudden uncertain situation, same as a student does something suddenly in your classroom. Also dress properly for interview: I have seen very very bad outfits ranging from denim to too much flesh. About 60% upwards of candidates who walk into an interview are non runners for many differing reasons I don't want to sound negative but unfortunately I have seen qualified teachers over the years and I really would struggle to see how they would function in a school environment.
TheDriver wrote: » NQts coming out from college where you wonder how they got through their qualification (as if the college is afraid to tackle their shortcomings and kick the can down the road)
Noveight wrote: » This is huge. I'm half way through the PME myself and the poor standard of some peoples subject knowledge (particularly Irish) is unbelievable. Meanwhile the college just tip-toe around it and focus on other aspects of teaching i.e. classroom management, ethics, as if lesson planning will sort it all!
williaint wrote: » Oh on a social level, it is absolutely fine. I am in a long term relationship over here and I regularly head to the pub with all my colleagues after work, there is a real departmental dynamic over here and the staff in the school are all so friendly and helpful. I did not have this in other countries and I have colleagues and now good friends from Romania, Germany, Ivory Coast, etc. However, this does not mitigate the horrors of teaching in the English system and even if you're English, you will want out...just read the secret teacher articles in the Guardian. Teaching in England is like Ryanair cabin crew but for education, start young, do a few years and then leave and so the cycle continues. Keeps wages low (wages come out of the school budget over here so they always favour NQTs as they're cheaper) and it's easier for SLT to manage NQTs and RQTs. I have taught in mixed and single sex state schools in Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Greater Manchester and now Lancashire (we moved up North as cost of living is so much cheaper than in the South East) and yes some schools are better than others but bottom line the system is the same no matter where you go in England. Right I better get ready for school, yea you are still teaching over here until July 25th! Do you really miss England that much? Hmmm...one month summer holidays vs three months summer holidays? I know what I'd rather! Oh and I didn't even get on to pay which yes is significantly lower than in Ireland. I'll save that for another commute to work!
