Primary Teaching?

Lu1993

Okay.. I really wanna do Primary Teaching but the points are pretty high.. but if on the off chance i exceed my expectations and i get it wheres the best place to do it? Im living in Kerry so Mary I is the closest but i wouldne mind Dublin either.. heard Mary i is supposed to be REALLY hard like? Nayway if anyone could help id appriciate it!

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Pats and Mary I are the best. I've heard a lot more girls than guys go to Mary I than Pats tho. I had a cousin that went there a few years ago and she said there was only 4 lads doing the course. As I've had experience of this sort of thing at F.C. (50 girls, 14 lads) I'll be heading to Pats (if I get the points). If not then I'd settle for Marino (I had the points from last year but didnt put it down:().
AFAIK all 5 colleges are recognised as the same though, but talking to an aunt who's a principal she said they hire graduates from Pats and Mary I over the other 3.

gaeilgegrinds1

Without meaning to knock what anyone else says my mother and aunt are principals and one hires Hibernia, the other goes on what other attributes the teacher has such as sport, music, gaelgóir etc. So it really is up to the individual principal.
Best of luck!

BrenosBolts91

Lu1993 wrote: »

Okay.. I really wanna do Primary Teaching but the points are pretty high.. but if on the off chance i exceed my expectations and i get it wheres the best place to do it? Im living in Kerry so Mary I is the closest but i wouldne mind Dublin either.. heard Mary i is supposed to be REALLY hard like? Nayway if anyone could help id appriciate it!

As a current student of St.Pats, I have this to say......CHOSE PATSLIFE!

spurious

Have you looked at the jobs situation?

Might be better off training in England since that's where the best chance of a job will be.

Lu1993

BrenosBolts91 wrote: »

As a current student of St.Pats, I have this to say......CHOSE PATSLIFE!

Really? Very encouraging i must say... if i get the points i think il put it down first? But id have a 4 hour train journey evry weekend

byhookorbycrook

To be honest, there are hundreds of unemployed primary teachers,many who did not work even one day this year.I'd think carefully about primary teaching as a career choice for the next few years.

And to the Pat's Person, Mary I is the way to go:D:D

KarinaKarona10

Hey there im from kerry too and really hope to do primary teaching in mary i...points are realy high though so after that ill put st pats (round the same points i think) then marino then frebel..

yurmothrintites

THFC wrote: »

Pats and Mary I are the best.

How do you know Pats and Mary I are the best? Everyone will dispute that their college is the best but to be honest all five Colleges of Education are very good and its basically down to the individual students how much effort they put into their course and education and consequently what kind of teacher they become.

In regards to getting a job, it can surface from many factors such as, a principal or chairperson knowing yourself, family or reference on your C.V., your final grades and teaching practice grades, having worked in a school previously, if they like the contents of your C.V. and other factors. It rarely has anything to do with the college you go to (Only in some cases).

I personally wouldn't go and say that Pats and Mary I are the best because they are 5 or 10 points more than Froebel, Marino, CICE. How many points you get in your Leaving Cert has very little relevance to how good of a teacher you will become.

I'm not giving out in particular or taking a stab at anyone but I just think a lot of people are really mis-informed about the Primary Teaching career. To be honest Primary Teaching is a highly esteemed career in Ireland and all colleges are very good so I wouldn't dismiss the smaller ones because they are equally as esteemed.:)

dambarude

The B.Ed or B.Ed in Education and Psychology (which is similar, but a different kettle of fish) in Mary I are difficult courses. They aren't an easy ride, but no third level course that's worth its salt is. They're difficult in terms of time pressures and workload more so than content. They'd be well respected courses.

The courses in other colleges are respected too though, save comments that are made by certain people about certain colleges from time to time.

And yes, anecdotally it seems that it's not what or where you know, but rather who you know that gives you a leg up in job applications. Relevant other experience (like sport [GAA in particular] or drama) is good bonus though.

I would say in relation to the Irish language aspect of the course that I'd aim for more than an C3 in HL. Anyone who gets into the course on that must seriously struggle with Irish lectures, or teaching Irish on teaching practice (not to mention the language competence they'll pass on to the children they'll teach for 40 years [if they manage to get a job at all the way things are:rolleyes:])

If you have any specific questions about Mary I you can ask them in our sticky >here<.

Sorry about all the mad brackets and sub-brackets!

seriouslysweet

I'm not going for Prim Teaching, I'm going for medicine but my aunt is a principal and I asked her about this. She only employs people who are fluent as Gaeilge and who are open to teaching as much as they can through it. She sees it as something they should be good at naturally as languages are so important. She also said music and sport are very important too. One of my friends at school is aiming for it but is adamant to get her A in Irish and music, worth keeping in mind if that's what they all seem to be looking for.
As for jobs, there will always be jobs, just harder to get them now it seems. Don't ever let anyone tell you it's not possible to do something. I started formal education this year for the first time and just got 580 in my 5th year tests, nobody bar myself was confident I could do it. Chin up, someday you could be teaching my sprogs!

seriouslysweet

Oh and she laughed when I asked what college was best, she looks for talent in those areas, not where you went as she said that is often down to where you're from and can commute from. Five teachers hired in her school in two years and three were postgrads from Hibernia...just to throw that out there!

EverybodyLies

Just to throw in my 2 cents.

I was at both the Pats and Marino open days (not by choice mind you :P) and the difference was amazing. The students at Pats were going on about how much of a doss it was and how easy the course was. On the other hand, the students at Marino were much more professional and the school seemed to be much more child orientated than Pats.

Now, I dunno if that's a reflection of the college as a whole, or if Marino is just better at coaching their students to talk up the college, but if I was going to study primary teaching, Pats wouldn't be my first choice.

BrenosBolts91

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

To be honest, there are hundreds of unemployed primary teachers,many who did not work even one day this year.I'd think carefully about primary teaching as a career choice for the next few years.

And to the Pat's Person, Mary I is the way to go:D:D

I'm going to have to politely disagree with you on that one

BrenosBolts91

EverybodyLies wrote: »

Just to throw in my 2 cents.

I was at both the Pats and Marino open days (not by choice mind you :P) and the difference was amazing. The students at Pats were going on about how much of a doss it was and how easy the course was. On the other hand, the students at Marino were much more professional and the school seemed to be much more child orientated than Pats.

Now, I dunno if that's a reflection of the college as a whole, or if Marino is just better at coaching their students to talk up the college, but if I was going to study primary teaching, Pats wouldn't be my first choice.

That sounds like our 2nd and 3rd years anyway! :P You won't know until you try it for yourself. St.Pats is very good craic, and theres a really nice community spirit if you will. You won't regret either college to be honest.

scoll

FROEBEL !!! It's the only teaching college in which you can do 4 years, so your degree is recognised internationally, not like in the other college!

BrenosBolts91

scoll wrote: »

FROEBEL !!! It's the only teaching college in which you can do 4 years, so your degree is recognised internationally, not like in the other college!

Is one of those years spent studying abroad?

scoll

Nope not at all, the 4th year is a part time course. It's just evening lectures 3 nights a week! Once you have done the 4 years though, you're basically able to teach abroad, other countries recognize the degree!

BrenosBolts91

scoll wrote: »

Nope not at all, the 4th year is a part time course. It's just evening lectures 3 nights a week! Once you have done the 4 years though, you're basically able to teach abroad, other countries recognize the degree!

Right, well you can get that degree by doing the Erasmus. Not the same thing, but at least you actually study abroad! :P

scoll

BrenosBolts91 wrote: »

Right, well you can get that degree by doing the Erasmus. Not the same thing, but at least you actually study abroad! :P

It's completely different.

Lu1993

scoll wrote: »

FROEBEL !!! It's the only teaching college in which you can do 4 years, so your degree is recognised internationally, not like in
the other college!

So you cant teach abroad with a degree from the other colleges?

seriouslysweet

You can.

bmarley

You will get a job alright, but only if you're related to the principal or a member of the B.O.M.:D