Postgrad in Primary School Teaching.

MaybeTeacher11

Hi.
Im basically looking for any relevant information anyone could give me with regards to doing a postgrad in primary teaching. Ive just finished a BA in English and got a 2.2, Im only 21 but have experience in that Ive been teaching in a successful drama school for almost two years, have my honours in Irish, am currently working full time as an afterschool teacher in a daycare and have done unpaid work experience in a local primary school.
BUT I am still fairly clueless as to the postgrad system and everything on here that seems relevant is a few years old and it is a course that is constantly changing so I was hoping someone could shed some light. What sort of GPA is required? How many places are there usually (both in the colleges like froebel and in hibernia)? How long is the Hibernia course? And lastly, where does one find out info about doing this postgrad but in the UK?
Thanks in advance!

pog it

I'd be very wary of going into primary teaching if I was you. I know someone who's doing the degree in Pat's and apparently there are 300+ in her year alone- and that's only one class at Pats, not to mention the other colleges doing postgrads, the online courses, the courses abroad and the degree courses. These colleges need the money so continue to take in new students according to demand from students but it is really hard to see how there could be jobs for everyone. As it is so many teachers can't get work. Too many people are in it/want to get into it.

maggiep2010

Can't tell you much about the courses in ireland, but I am just at the end of my primary PGCE in London..Over here almost every University offers a post grad in traching (PGCE), the course lasts 10 months, and generally to get in you need a 2:2 or above and some relevant experience, which you seem to have lots of..
To research and apply you need to go to www.gttr.ac.uk and from there you can look at what courses still have places for sept, each uni's requirements and the application process..
It is quiet an intense year but worth doing, and there are jobs over here too which is an added bonus!

Eoin

There's a Postgraduates forum and a Primary & Pre School forum, which might be of more help. I can move this thread to one of those forums if you want.

Delancey

Sister-in-law of a friend qualified as a Primary teacher last year but has had to emigrate as no jobs here.

MaybeTeacher11

Yes please Eoin, the Postgrads forum would be great thanks!

Maybeteacher, have you tried www.educationposts.ie? Within it there is a forum for teachers or anybody trying to get in to teaching, or doing hibernia/BEd/postgrad. On the homepage click on 'resources' then 'message board' et voila ! There are subsections regarding different aspects to teaching, and you could do a search for your querey or start your own thread to ask your questions there, there are thousands of teachers on it, loads willing to help. To access these threads you will first have to register with an email address, select a username and password (takes about 2 mins) then bob's your uncle.

A few words of warning though - - on this site you will probably stumble upon threads with with very downbeat, fully qualified teachers, rightly complaining about the lack of jobs. The job situation is dire for teachers, the market is over saturated, there are simply not enough jobs to cope with the amount of graduates and Hibernia college doesn't care, they still take in 600+ people per year willing to fork out the €10,000 to do the course. I know there are lots of young people who have qualified in the past year or two and finding it impossible to get a job, they're searching the UK, Middle East and NZ/Oz. There are many more also who have left very well paid careers which they may not have been happy in to follow their 'dream' to teach, but can't get a job and having to go back to what they were in the first place. Teaching itself is going to become so much more challenging, as every child has a right to education, but with the state of the economy there have been, and going to be more, cuts in resource teaching hours for children with special needs, language support etc. leaving the class teacher with a mountain of work to cater for every child in his/her classroom. From this year onwards also, newly qualified teachers will have to start on the bottom point of the salary scale (before they would have got an extra few grand for an honours degree, masters or HDip) and on 10% less than their counterparts who qualified before this year. Sorry I'm being very bleak here, but at the end of the day if it's what your really want to do then it's your decision !!!

So check out that site MaybeTeacher, and good luck

pog it

It's a shame that every tom dick and harry wants to and can go into teaching.

It's the main reason we have a below average education system.

CG328

A 2.1 degree is a requirement for the primary teaching postgrads in Ireland

CG328

CG328 wrote: »

A 2.1 degree is a requirement for the primary teaching postgrads in Ireland

That is not correct. As long as you get better than a pass in your level 8 degree, you are eligible to do the postgrad here. The OP has a 2.2, which is an honours degree.

CG328

I understand your point but some colleges say that qualified applicants will be placed in order of merit determined by their results. We also had info evenings in college from the teaching colleges themselves saying that a 2.1 is needed due to the increase in demand.

MaybeTeacher11

Thanks for all your info! I know there is a lot of worry etc over finishing the post grad and not being able to find a job but I don't mind the idea of going abroad or not going straight into teaching. Im young enough to now have to be extremely worried about that, I would just like to have the postgrad under my belt so that I have the option to do what I love.
Could someone tell me what the application process itself is actually like? I know you have to put down your preferences college wise but how do you actually apply, do you fill out a form or send in a cv'esque application?
Thanks again!

CG328

CG328 wrote: »

I understand your point but some colleges say that qualified applicants will be placed in order of merit determined by their results. We also had info evenings in college from the teaching colleges themselves saying that a 2.1 is needed due to the increase in demand.

But it isn't that way yet, according to the Department of Education website:

3. Conditions of Eligibility
Applicants must have the following academic qualifications:
(a) An honours Bachelor degree (level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications) or a qualification at level 9 or 10 on the National Framework of Qualifications, and

(b) one of the following sets of second level qualifications:

(i) in the Leaving Certificate Examination from 1969 onwards: a grade C3 or above in Higher Level Irish; a grade D3 or above in Mathematics (Ordinary or Higher level); and a grade C3 or above in English (Ordinary level) or grade D3 or above in English (Higher level);

(ii) in the Leaving Certificate Examination prior to 1969, Honours in Irish and passes in English and Mathematics; or

(iii) in the Northern Ireland GCSE and GCE A Level Examinations: a Grade C at GCE A Level Irish; a Grade C at GCSE Level in both English and English Literature or Grade B at GCSE Level in either; and a Grade D at GCSE Level in Additional Mathematics or a Grade A at GCSE Level in Mathematics.
Applicants must provide evidence to the Colleges of Education that their honours Bachelor degree is placed at level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications. Holders of level 9 or 10 qualifications must also provide evidence of their award's position on the NFQ. This should be included with the completed application form.

It says nothing about having to have a 2.1 degree. I know plenty of people who got in with a 2.2, who had really good Gaeilge and demonstrated at interview that they were suitable for the course. The colleges are obliged to interview everybody who holds a 2.2 degree at least, and who meets the minimum Leaving cert standards in Irish, English and Maths. Having said that, they may raise the bar for next year's intake to a 2.1, I don't know, we'll have to wait and see

OP - at 21 you are still really young so the world is your oyster. Applications are usually accepted for postgrads in the colleges of education from November of each year, closing date in December, with interviews in January, and the course starts in February, finishing in May of the following year. Check out this link which goes through the requirements and selection process, basically all you need to know !!
http://www.education.ie/home/home.jsp?maincat=&pcategory=10900&ecategory=19312&sectionpage=12251&language=EN&link=link001&page=1&doc=51462

Hibernia college seem to accept applications on an ongoing basis, with intakes of several hundered in Feb and Oct of each year (I thibk this is changing, as I heard it's now going to be a 2 year course, with 4 blocks of Teching Practice as opposed to 3 for the other postgrads.) An advantage of this course is that you can afford to hold a job down while you gain your qualification online, it also has some onsite seminars at weekends, where you get to meet others on the course. Browse
http://hiberniacollege.com/schoolofeducation/h-dip-in-arts-in-primary-education/
for yourself, it may or may not suit you.

For the UK system, as Maggiep said, check out the site www.gttr.ac.uk . In fact you would be better off going to the UK to study altogether, as so many people are leaving Ireland and applying there for jobs, plus the course, while intense, is only 10 months. If things improve here, you will always be able to come back

Rosita

pog it wrote: »

It's a shame that every tom dick and harry wants to and can go into teaching.

It's the main reason we have a below average education system.

Perhaps you'd amplify your argument because on the face of it it seems utterly illogical.

Greater demand for teacher training should - all other things being equal - ensure a higher academic standard among those doing such training (for example the points for the B.Ed in St Pat's last year was 475). Those doing the post-grad will be by definition university graduates already. Overall, academically speaking, that's not a bad starting point.

Why do you think "it is the main reason we have a below average education system"? Do you think lower academic achievers who would inevitably be the beneficiaries of a less competitive environment could empathise more with weaker students or something?

MaybeTeacher11

Thanks again for all the replies! Ive just two Q's
What is the interview like (generally, in english and irish)?
And did anyone find good irish grinds (one on one or group) preparing specifcally for the irish aspect of the interview (not jst interview prep in general)? Id really appreciate it!

TrigCon83

Hi,

I'm considering applying for the PME Primary course in the teacher training colleges in Ireland this year (closing date for applications: April 10th, 2015 for entry in Sep 2015.). I'm just wondering if anybody could confirm for me that the colleges are obliged to interview an applicant if he/she meets the minimum conditions of eligibility, regardless of school observation/teaching experience? If so, it would give me a window of opportunity to gain some observation experience after the Easter holidays and before the interviews are held in mid-May. I'd really appreciate any advice anyone can offer me.

Many Thanks.