Any way of qualifying as a primary teacher without Honours Irish in Leaving Cert?

Filan · 13-12-2006 08:15PM #1

Despite holding an honours B.A partially in european languages (not including Irish!), a Higher Diploma in Education, a .T.E.F.L. Cert and a ....Hospitality Certificate!....I am apparently inelligible for a Primary school teacher training programme as I only hold a C1 from my 1996 Leaving Certificate. As a qualified second level teacher I may and have taught as a "trained substitute" yet I am not allowed to enter a Primary teaching training course. A foreign qualified primary school teacher may practice here and sit an Irish exam (not the leaving cert) over a number of years but I may not. Above all does a C at honours Irish , possibly from several moons ago, even mean that one can speak Irish with any level of fluency? I don't believe it does. Has anyone else experienced this anomaly?

Shifty · 13-12-2006 08:48PM

try daycourses.com they have a thread running on the question you asked.
www.daycourses.com click Guidance Forum (top of the page), click mature student (last 1 of the first section options), click Primary Teaching (3rd thread in the list)

hope it helps!

Trotter · 13-12-2006 09:33PM

Filan wrote:

Despite holding an honours B.A partially in european languages (not including Irish!), a Higher Diploma in Education, a .T.E.F.L. Cert and a ....Hospitality Certificate!....I am apparently inelligible for a Primary school teacher training programme as I only hold a C1 from my 1996 Leaving Certificate. As a qualified second level teacher I may and have taught as a "trained substitute" yet I am not allowed to enter a Primary teaching training course. A foreign qualified primary school teacher may practice here and sit an Irish exam (not the leaving cert) over a number of years but I may not. Above all does a C at honours Irish , possibly from several moons ago, even mean that one can speak Irish with any level of fluency? I don't believe it does. Has anyone else experienced this anomaly?

Your only option at the moment is to do the PGCE course in one of the UK based colleges and then come back as a foreign trained teacher. I agree it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

blue banana · 14-12-2006 09:49AM

A friend of mine was at an Information night in UCC about a month ago. He mentioned that UCC were going to be running a part time Irish course which Mary I, St Pats etc would recognise as the equivalent of Hons Irish for entry purposes. He said they did not have very much info and they were very vague. Of course, it still means doing exans in Irish. You could try ringing the Adult Ed or Irish Depts in UCC.

kittex · 14-12-2006 05:39PM

My 6th class teacher was UK trained and she swapped with the other 6th class teacher for Irish. So she covered maths for both and the Irish teacher covered Irish for both.

It was nice to have a change to be honest. Kind of prepared us a little for having so many different teachers in Secondary.

Not a helpful insight I know, more a personal observation.

sean9han · 18-12-2006 02:24PM

blue banana wrote:

A friend of mine was at an Information night in UCC about a month ago. He mentioned that UCC were going to be running a part time Irish course which Mary I, St Pats etc would recognise as the equivalent of Hons Irish for entry purposes. He said they did not have very much info and they were very vague. Of course, it still means doing exans in Irish. You could try ringing the Adult Ed or Irish Depts in UCC.

I attended the night for becoming a teacher in ucc, I also must resit irish, and must learn it, I will contact the Irish department to see what they have heard and get back to you.

Moonbeam · 19-12-2006 09:31AM

I remember from looknig myself that you could do irish through Arts for a year.

Coláiste Mhuire Gan Smál

Accepted Examination Alternatives

* A pass in University First Arts Examination in Gaeilge, English or Mathematics will be accepted in lieu of the Leaving Certificate Examination /GCE/GCSE requirement for that particular subject. In the case of Mathematics only, a pass in that subject in the Matriculation Examination will also be accepted in lieu of the Leaving Certificate Examinstaion/ GCSE requirement.

funktastic · 22-12-2006 12:04AM

'as I only hold a C1 from my 1996 Leaving Certificate.'

I thought you could get in as long as you have an honours grade? (ie C3-A1)

Filan · 22-12-2006 12:49AM

Perhaps I neglected to say that despite 435 points none were from Irish. My C1 was at ordinary level.

Any way of qualifying as a primary teacher without Honours Irish in Leaving Cert?

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