Is it possible to do H. Dip in UK with Irish as one of your subjects?

NoelleTh · 06-05-2009 07:12PM #1

Hi,
I was just wondering if anyone has any information for me, I'm just finished my second year of an Irsh and History double honours degree and my problem is that I've heard how difficult it is to get the into a H. Dip in Ireland. Does anyone know if it is easier in the U.K. and if so would it be possible for me to do it considering one of my subjects is Irish?
Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated as teaching is the only way I want to go after I get my degree!

hot chick · 06-05-2009 07:49PM

You could do it in History, and then when you come back here apply to the Teaching Council for registration as an Irish and History Teacher. There should be a list on their website saying what degrees they accept for different subjects. With the Irish TC it's your degree not your postgrad that determines what you can teach. http://www.teachingcouncil.ie/registration_information/default.asp?NCID=508 (Look under "approved qualifications list") If your degree isn't listed ask the teaching council.

List of UK courses here:
http://search.gttr.ac.uk/cgi-bin/hsrun.hse/General/gttr_search/gttr_search.hjx;start=gttr_search.HsForm.run

Dionysus · 06-05-2009 08:31PM

NoelleTh wrote: »

Hi,
I was just wondering if anyone has any information for me, I'm just finished my second year of an Irsh and History double honours degree and my problem is that I've heard how difficult it is to get the into a H. Dip in Ireland. Does anyone know if it is easier in the U.K. and if so would it be possible for me to do it considering one of my subjects is Irish?
Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated as teaching is the only way I want to go after I get my degree!

Don't even be thinking about selling yourself short and going abroad. Despite scaremongering it is not that difficult to get into the PGDE in Ireland and, in fact, if you want to do it through Irish over in NUIG you needed 39 points this year, which was only 58% (See: http://www.pac.ie/hdip/downloads/hb09hdip.pdf). You have to sit an interview and exam to be accepted but that shouldn't be any trouble.

Most importantly, you'll almost certainly be guaranteed a job with Irish, which makes you fairly unique (if somebody can be "fairly" unique) among PGDE students.

Go n-éiri an t-ádh leat.

NoelleTh · 07-05-2009 11:11AM

Dionysus wrote: »

Don't even be thinking about selling yourself short and going abroad. Despite scaremongering it is not that difficult to get into the PGDE in Ireland and, in fact, if you want to do it through Irish over in NUIG you needed 39 points this year, which was only 58% (See: http://www.pac.ie/hdip/downloads/hb09hdip.pdf). You have to sit an interview and exam to be accepted but that shouldn't be any trouble.

Most importantly, you'll almost certainly be guaranteed a job with Irish, which makes you fairly unique (if somebody can be "fairly" unique) among PGDE students.

Go n-éiri an t-ádh leat.

Go Raibh Maith Agat as ocht sin!
I'd much rather stay here and do the Dip, and doing it through Irish wouldn't bother me at all! It's just that anyone I speak to tells me how hard it is and that barely any body gets accepted to their PGDE here so just wondered what my options are!

clartharlear · 07-05-2009 12:39PM

Dionysus wrote: »

Don't even be thinking about selling yourself short and going abroad. Despite scaremongering it is not that difficult to get into the PGDE in Ireland and, in fact, if you want to do it through Irish over in NUIG you needed 39 points this year, which was only 58% (See: http://www.pac.ie/hdip/downloads/hb09hdip.pdf). You have to sit an interview and exam to be accepted but that shouldn't be any trouble.

This is agree with.

Most importantly, you'll almost certainly be guaranteed a job with Irish, which makes you fairly unique (if somebody can be "fairly" unique) among PGDE students.

This I absolutely don't.

Go n-éiri an t-ádh leat.

I agree with this too though!

Terri26 · 09-05-2009 02:44PM

sorry I do agree with teh previous poster. I Irish teachers are in massive demand. my school currently has 2.5 teachers teaching Iirsh who are not qualified (the.5 is a teacher who only has irish for 1st year).

I know of at least 3 other schools in the same situation. irish is in massive demand and a lot of Irish teachers will be able to pick in choose. my school had two full time positions advertised in Irish and had to go for ppl without the dip.

when I did my dip 5 years ago there were only 6 ppl in teh official irish class and 14 in religion!!!

gaeilgegrinds · 09-05-2009 03:18PM

Everyone of my friends with Irish got a job straight out of college, myself included. Not the same story with other subjects. As an Irish teacher I've never ever been short of work thank God. Fact.

Powerhouse · 09-05-2009 04:02PM

Dionysus wrote: »

Don't even be thinking about selling yourself short and going abroad. Despite scaremongering it is not that difficult to get into the PGDE in Ireland and, in fact, if you want to do it through Irish over in NUIG you needed 39 points this year, which was only 58% (See: http://www.pac.ie/hdip/downloads/hb09hdip.pdf). You have to sit an interview and exam to be accepted but that shouldn't be any trouble.

I would be very wary of this advice. Somebody would need to be extremely comfortable with Irish to do this course. If someone with an Irish BA does not have the points to get into the regular PGDE, then it might be that it's because their standard of Irish isn't great in the first place which would mean they'd struggle to get through an interview against the likely competition of native speakers in Galway.

I suspect the Irish PGDE in Galway is more for real specialists in Irish rather than some kind of overflow area for people with mediocre degrees.

Is it possible to do H. Dip in UK with Irish as one of your subjects?

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