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Primary school teaching

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  • 16-01-2021 10:17pm
    #1
    PinkChick
    Registered Users Posts: 214 ✭✭


    I’m in my late thirties with an engineering degree but would love to go back and study primary school teaching. I have three small children, currently 5, 3 and 1. Im wondering if anyone in a similar situation has done it. My main concerns are whether the workload is doable with children and how to manage the Gaeltacht requirement. Also trying to figure out the best time, should I wait another few years for kids to be older or get it done so I’m ready to go when youngest hits school. Would really love any input and just to know if it’s even possible.


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    #2
    Kauto Star
    Registered Users Posts: 21 ✭Kauto Star


    Watching this with interest as i'm in a very similar situation with the same ideas.
    From what I have seen on other threads and sites, I have no doubt that there is a huge workload and that it will very tough to manage the study time around family and work life.
    Hopefully some positive stories follow!


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    #3
    PinkChick
    Registered Users Posts: 214 ✭✭PinkChick


    Kauto Star wrote: »
    Watching this with interest as i'm in a very similar situation with the same ideas.
    From what I have seen on other threads and sites, I have no doubt that there is a huge workload and that it will very tough to manage the study time around family and work life.
    Hopefully some positive stories follow!

    What other sites have you seen stuff on. Would be interested to read anything at all!


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    #4
    Kauto Star
    Registered Users Posts: 21 ✭Kauto Star


    PinkChick wrote: »
    What other sites have you seen stuff on. Would be interested to read anything at all!

    Pm sent


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    #5
    shesty
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,894 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    My friend did it a couple of years ago with 2 smalle kids.Via Hibernia.She (and I) are engineers.

    She did the first year while also working.Her work hours were reduced because she was using parental leave.She was pregnant and on mat leave for a good chunk of the second year if I remember correctly.

    Weekends were spent at lectures and doing assignments.Annual leave and parental leave used to go to the Gaeltacht and cover Teaching Practice stints.Husband and grandparents picked up the slack on minding the kids, basically.They came and visited her in the Gaeltacht for some of the time she was there, stayed in a rental house nearby.

    I remember thinking she was crazy and it would have broken me (but admittedly I had done a Masters by then myself, just before my first child, so I was completely over ever returning to education like that myself!!) And I also remember her saying Hibernia is supposedly part time and flexible, but that is only really assuming you aren't working a 5 day a week job as something else at the same time.She also felt, having completed her first year of it, that she would have had to give up her engineering job in second year to cope with the course because it was too much to keep it all going for 2 years.(because she had mat leave in there somewhere, giving up her job wasn't an issue until she completed the course).


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    #6
    PinkChick
    Registered Users Posts: 214 ✭✭PinkChick


    Did she get a job?
    shesty wrote: »
    My friend did it a couple of years ago with 2 smalle kids.Via Hibernia.She (and I) are engineers.

    She did the first year while also working.Her work hours were reduced because she was using parental leave.She was pregnant and on mat leave for a good chunk of the second year if I remember correctly.

    Weekends were spent at lectures and doing assignments.Annual leave and parental leave used to go to the Gaeltacht and cover Teaching Practice stints.Husband and grandparents picked up the slack on minding the kids, basically.They came and visited her in the Gaeltacht for some of the time she was there, stayed in a rental house nearby.

    I remember thinking she was crazy and it would have broken me (but admittedly I had done a Masters by then myself, just before my first child, so I was completely over ever returning to education like that myself!!) And I also remember her saying Hibernia is supposedly part time and flexible, but that is only really assuming you aren't working a 5 day a week job as something else at the same time.She also felt, having completed her first year of it, that she would have had to give up her engineering job in second year to cope with the course because it was too much to keep it all going for 2 years.(because she had mat leave in there somewhere, giving up her job wasn't an issue until she completed the course).


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    #7
    shesty
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,894 Mod ✭✭✭✭shesty


    Yes, almost immediately.She may have done her TP in the school in question, I can't remember.She got a mat leave cover for a year, a second contract in the same school the second year, and I feel she may be permanent there now.I think.She would have graduated....maybe 2017??I think.So quite recently.

    She is Dublin based, so she would have had a good number of schools she could apply to, which may have helped.


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    #8
    Blush_01
    Registered Users Posts: 5,016 ✭✭✭Blush_01


    Anyone applying for a PME in Primary Education needs to consider the change in entry requirements from next year, and whether you'll meet those. Also, I know someone doing the PME in one of the NUIs at the moment, it's busy enough - at the end of the day, the 4 weeks Gaelteacht and the TP are dictated by the teaching council, and you can't graduate without meeting those requirements.

    If you're certain it's something you want to do, go for it.


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    #9
    PinkChick
    Registered Users Posts: 214 ✭✭PinkChick


    Thanks a million for that. What are the changes and where can I see the new requirements?
    Blush_01 wrote: »
    Anyone applying for a PME in Primary Education needs to consider the change in entry requirements from next year, and whether you'll meet those. Also, I know someone doing the PME in one of the NUIs at the moment, it's busy enough - at the end of the day, the 4 weeks Gaelteacht and the TP are dictated by the teaching council, and you can't graduate without meeting those requirements.

    If you're certain it's something you want to do, go for it.


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    #10
    Redser87
    Registered Users Posts: 610 ✭✭✭Redser87


    I did the GDE back when it was an 18 month course, and had no children at that point, so can't speak to your exact situation. But the summer Gaeltacht didn't suit me for family reasons, so I split it up over two Easters. You could check to see if that's still an option maybe.
    I've come across a good few women in their 40s who went back to Hibernia when their children were all in school, they kept the head down and got occasional subbing to keep themselves going. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me.


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