Qualified outside of Ireland, questions about Teaching Council Registration

LornaBird wrote: »

Hello and thank you for reading.

I have recently graduated in the USA with a Master of Arts in Teaching, and will soon have a teaching license from my home state. I'm in Ireland for the year on a Work Holiday Visa (great timing, I know) and would like to register with the teaching council here. I'm finding the application a bit overwhelming, and there are some terms that I'm not familiar with. I'll get right into the questions:

1. Can I send the application before I receive my state teaching license, and make a note that I expect to receive it in a few weeks?

Ask the Teaching Council. I think you have to qualified elsewhere before they look at your registration. If you train in Ireland, you sign a form pre teaching practice allowing the university to forward your results to the Teaching Council.

2. There's three possible qualifications I could have assessed: Undergraduate Qualification; Teacher Education/Concurrent Qualification; Other Relevant Qualification. Since my degree was related to teaching, I would choose Teacher Education? (I'm pretty sure about this one but the importance of this application has been stressed and doubting myself, lol.)

You mention down below that you have a degree and postgraduate study, if not you have a concurrent degree. In Ireland, there are a few courses where you study your degree and teaching practice/methodologies are part of the programme.

3. Under the Teacher Education assessment section, it asks for Title of Qualification. I can't figure out if this wants the title of my degree (Master of Arts in Teaching) or my teaching license (Virginia Teaching License).

MA English & History.

3a. After the Title of Qualification, it asks if Postgraduate Initial Teacher Education Qualification or Concurrent Initial Teacher Education Qualification. I think it's the former? (Sorry for these types of questions.)

Yes.

4. It asks for both the Awarding Authority of my qualification and my College/University. Obviously my college awarded my degree, right? Or would I list the accrediting institution for my university? But, if the 'Title of Qualification' refers to my teaching license then I would just list the department of education in my state. That's why this section has me confused.

Whatever the awarding authority, I'm a graduate of NUIG but the awarding authority is National University of Ireland.

5. Since I went to school outside of the Europe, I don't have ECTS credits. Should I leave this section blank?

Don't know about this. The Teaching Council will do this.

6. One of the questions is 'Subjects in which teaching methodologies were taken'. Does this want me to list every single Education course I took? Cause it's the majority of the classes I took. The only other thing I can think of putting here is my Classroom Internship/Student Teaching course?

No, what you will eventually teach e.g. English and History - I presume you had classes on how best to teach your subjects.

7. They want transcripts for my degree, which is fine. But should I also send transcripts for my undergraduate degree?

Yes, everything you have that qualifies you as a teacher.

8. I'm not sure what 'Photocopy of Qualification Parchment' means. Perhaps a photocopy of my diploma/teaching license?

What you got at graduation.

9. I found all the syllabi for all my courses, so I'm all good on the module description, learning outcomes, etc. for each course. However, it also asks for a photocopy of modules that include:
- the schools and age ranges covered in the school placement element of this qualification.
(I did my student teaching at a public middle school, but that's not on any syllabus.)
- the subjects taught whilst on teaching practice.
(I taught English, but I don't have this on a syllabus?)
- confirmation that the teaching practice was directly supervised by the third-level institution.
(I do not know what a third-level institution is referring to and there's nothing in the document or the guidance notes that explains this.

There are three categories in Ireland. Category 2 is post primary and registration would be after completion of the PME which has been assessed for this category.

10. There's a character reference section, and it's pretty restrictive about who is allowed to be a reference. One of them is: "The Head of school placement of the College or University where the applicant completed his/her Teacher Education Programme."

I'm not sure if this is referring to the head of the school of education at my university, the person in charge of placing me in my student teaching (who I had very little interaction with), or perhaps my student teaching university supervisor?

Another option is a tutor at my university, and I was wondering if a professor would not be acceptable?

Head of Education at your university.

11. There's a section for previous teaching experience. I did teach in a private school while working through university, but it was a very poorly run school and negative experience, my former employer either takes forever to respond to any messages if he responds at all, and the school shut down this year anyway. Basically, I would rather not have to contact this employer again, and even if I did I would probably be waiting for weeks before I got the documents back.

I do have a document from my state teaching license application that confirms my employment, would I be able to attach that to the form instead of having to get my former employer to fill out this new form?

That's up to you and the Teaching Council.

12. I have to take the History and Structure Exam, if all of this application goes well would I theoretically be able to work as a teacher before taking the Exam in November? Or is there just no way I could be hired/get registered before taking the exam?

I don't know if they will issue you with a number temporarily. If not, you need a number to be paid by the state. Again ask the TC about this.

Okay... I think that's all. I appreciate any help, even just for one of these questions. Would any of these questions be better answered by calling/emailing the Teaching Council? I know in the US you don't get much help from directly contacting these agencies, but maybe it's different in Ireland, lol.

LornaBird wrote: »

Thanks so much for the help, I really appreciate it!