Easier for Male Primary Teachers to find a Job - Myth or fact??

darrenoneill33

Its been well documented that there is a lack of male primary teachers, so does that make it easier at present for a male to find a job in the area?

GAA widow

It's definitely easier for guys to get teaching jobs in boys schools (once they have the necessary qualifications) because they are seen as male role models to boys.
Male teachers (at primary level anyway) are fast becoming an endangered species, and do tend to get snapped up for teaching posts.

TheDriver

i would disagree with males at primary as i know a guy in primary who is good yet didn't get snapped up for every job he applied for at all (girls got them) though he did get a job easily enough all the same in the end. Its all hit or miss!
I would agree with boys school thing though but most of them are disappearing as green field site schools are forming from amalgamations.

GAA widow

TheDriver wrote:

I would agree with boys school thing though but most of them are disappearing as green field site schools are forming from amalgamations.

Most boys' schools aren't forming amalgamations in my area at all - they are quite independent entities.
It is true that a guy won't necessarily get a primary teaching job before a female candidate - it totally depends on what type of teacher the school is looking for.
I do however know of a few situations where girls who have pulled top grades were still jobhunting while all the suitably qualified lads in the year got jobs before them.
Also quite a few male primary teachers i know were basically head hunted by schools eager to boost the amount of male teachers in their school (and to get an edge on rival schools involved in GAA by acquiring extra after school trainers!)

killbillvol2

TheDriver wrote:

I would agree with boys school thing though but most of them are disappearing as green field site schools are forming from amalgamations.

Where? That would be news to the staff, parents and pupils in most boys' schools.

spurious

Amalgamations are happening at second level. I haven't seen it often at primary level.

Male candidates will often get positions ahead of equally qualified women - women have known this for many years. Some could argue this is desirable if it provides male role models, though personally I would like to know I got a position based on my ability rather than my gender.

Once appointed, male primary teachers also tend to be promoted ahead of their majority female colleagues.

TheDriver

Seems different in all parts of the country and we all have stories for each side of argument.Amalgamations wise, i was talking of secondary only.
Must admit, top grades don't always make the best teachers especially how weirdly marked the tp is.

GAA widow

TheDriver wrote:

Must admit, top grades don't always make the best teachers especially how weirdly marked the tp is.

that is true - i went to college with girls who were very "academic" and just came to pieces when they had to stand in front of a class. However TP marks make or break your degree really.

Speaking of how weirdly some stuff is marked - going on marks PE was actually my forte in college (my h2b finds this hilarious)

Enright

having conducted several interview boards for national schools i can confirm that teachers are offered teaching jobs based upon qualifications and suitability to fulfill the criteria as layed doen by the patron and the board of management and dept of ed and science. Males do NOT get any preference.

IN general it has been my expierence that canditates get offered positions based on a points system. All interview boards must keep the scores allocated to canditates in case of appeal foe a period of time, this is 100% transpapreant, any preferences for males will be challenged and lightly to be a costly exercise for the school concerned, if an appeal is sucessful.

Ogie16

would ye think in something like the interviews for the Post Grad are the males getting any preference?
Like would there be a quota number of males laid down that they try to take in.

Trotter

Ogie16 wrote:

would ye think in something like the interviews for the Post Grad are the males getting any preference?
Like would there be a quota number of males laid down that they try to take in.

Even if either of those was the case, which I doubt, I dont think they'd ever be made public.

So.. We'll probably never know is the answer to both of your questions.

thirdmantackle

friend of mine was doing the post grad last year

out of a class of 104, 12 men on it

no preference given to men

Ogie16

do many men actually apply i wonder?

Trotter

Ogie16 wrote:

do many men actually apply i wonder?

Plenty of men apply, just not in the same proportions as girls do.

Ogie16

i suppose there is no actual breakdown availible, so 12 were doing it. how many men would have applied? would ye estimate, just curious