Irish language requirement for public library posts

genie

Not sure if this is the right place for this but I am interested in pursuing a career in the public library service and want to do a course in Library & Information Studies. BUT I do not have a school qualification in Irish as I was born in the UK. How much of a disadvantage will this be promotion-wise as I have seen a number of advertisements for certain library posts which require Irish. Will I get a job at all in Ireland if I have no Irish??

Victor

**Some** exceptions will be made for non-Irish educated people, but AFAIK you will need to do Irish lessons to bring you up to standard. Having other languages than English already might help. Best make enquiries with the relevant agency. Obviously some library positions will need a strong emphasis in Irish.

Some New Zealanders teachers I met are teaching here in primary schools (in primary schools the pupils normally only deal with one teacher for the entire year, whereas in secondary school, teachers sepcialise in 1-3 subjects) and for Irish class they swop with another teacher. However, they need to have Leaving Cert standard irish within five years.

Check out http://www.publicjobs.gov.ie/

eth0_

I guess if you're better qualified than someone who has done Irish in school then you'll get the job. I don't see *why* you need Irish, i've never heard any librarian conversing in Irish with a member before.
I was educated in Northern Ireland til I was about 12 so I have a certificate of excemption from Irish, but I doubt you'd need anything like that.

luckat

Genie, you could go and take some of the Gael-Linn classes, held in Merrion Square - they do an excellent intensive course. If you've shown willing in this way it would certainly be well regarded, I'd imagine.

zenith

Originally posted by eth0_
I guess if you're better qualified than someone who has done Irish in school then you'll get the job. I don't see *why* you need Irish, i've never heard any librarian conversing in Irish with a member before.

I believe that there are books that have been published in Irish, and that most libraries have them.

Therefore, I'd imagine that you'd need Irish in order not to put the Irish-language equivalent of The Erotic Adventures of O on the shelf next to Adventures of Spot The Dog Picture Book.

Just a thought.

simu

You could take classes or else buy a book with CDs to learn Irish and I'm sure you'd be better than the average school-leaver within a year!

I believe that there are books that have been published in Irish, and that most libraries have them.

Well, of course books are published in Irish!. They have some in the Cork City library and I imagine they have some in most public libraries.

zenith

Tá mé ag magadh, simu. Droch, droch zenith!

genie

Thanks for replying everyone!

I also have an exemption certificate from school Irish.

This is a reply I got from The Library Council:

There is an Irish language requirement for public library posts. As you know, job adverts require applicants ‘to possess sufficient knowledge of Irish and English to enable him/her to perform the duties in both languages’. The language requirement may not apply to posts in academic libraries or civil service posts.

Funny that, because on www.localgovernmentjobs.ie there is a vacancy for a Part-time Branch Librarian in Passage West, Co Cork and there is no mention of an Irish requirement.

Kobie

I worked in an Institue of Technology (government run college) for a while and there was an Irish language requirement. However, foreign lecturers there were exempt from taking the Irish exam - so I guess there'd probably be an exemption for libraries. If you think about it, we're in the European Union - it'd probably be illegal for them to refuse a German or a Spaniard, so I'd say the person you were in contact with was mistaken.

K.

Victor

Originally posted by Kobie
I worked in an Institue of Technology (government run college) for a while and there was an Irish language requirement. However, foreign lecturers there were exempt from taking the Irish exam - so I guess there'd probably be an exemption for libraries. If you think about it, we're in the European Union - it'd probably be illegal for them to refuse a German or a Spaniard, so I'd say the person you were in contact with was mistaken.

Not quite. A pub for example would be perfectly entitled to insits that their staff have a reasonable level of English for dealing with the majority of their customers. As the state legally has to provide bilingual services, they are entitled to demand that public office staff have both languages or certainly an adequate number of them.