childcare and montessori qualification..please help!!

11amie11

http://www.portobelloinstitute.ie/montessori/montessori-courses/montessori-teaching-diploma-part-time

The above course is starting in february and i plan on starting it. What i want to know is exactly what it qualifies me for. The outcome of qualifications i will get from it are as follows:

Portobello Institute Diploma in Montessori Teaching Age Range 3-6 years and;


FETAC Level 6 Component Certificate in the following 6 modules:

• Educational Philosophy
• Practical life
• Sensorial materials
• Language
• Mathematics
• Culture

I assume i would be able to work in a montessori teaching kids from 3 to 6, just like any other montessori teacher and im hoping my only dis-advantage to the employer and myself would be the fact i can not look after any kids younger than 3?

I just hope this so that i can finally clarify things for myself. Assuming the above is correct, i plan on taking another course after this one, which is this one http://www.cmit.ie/courses-psychology-health-distance-learning/fetac-supervision-in-childcare-certificate-level6.html

The qualification at the end of this course is a fetac level 6 supervision in childcare certificate. Assuming i obtain this cert and the montessori diploma, im assuming i will then be qualified to teach in the montessori the 3 to 6 year olds and also look after the children of any other ages and also be able to work in a creche/pre-school too?

Any advice/help/clarification would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Further Ed.

Ignore the word Diploma in the title - that seems to be a marketing ploy. It is the level (ie 6) and whether it is a full/major award or a minor award (a single module). A component certificate is a single module or subject and that is what is on offer at Portobello. It is also very expensive for a module that you can do at your local VEC or via your local Childcare Committee for a fraction of the cost

To get a job at management level in any aspect of childcare you would be best advised to have a full FETAC Level 6 award which is what CMIT is offering but once again the price is very high in comparsion to what a FE college or VEC centre would charge. However do bear in mind that many students are now completing degrees (Level 7 and 8).

11amie11

thanks futher ed.

i get what your saying about the price, its just that the montessori course is starting in feb and ur qualified by august, assuming you pass. so its just very handy.

also it just says that the 6 modules are level 6 and that you get a diploma in montessori teaching 3-6. I dont completely get what your saying, if i do this will my montessori qualification not be recognised as a required level?

11amie11

busterjw wrote: »

hi 11amie11,

Further Ed. is right on all the points. Also the Diploma you get from Portobello and is virtually worthless. They are selling a FETAC award course and offering their own Diploma to make it look important which when it comes to it will provide you with nothing better. There are cheaper options out there then both of what you are looking at.
If you want to do Montesorri level 5 and 6 courses then look for colleges that only offer that and especially FETAC awards. Do not be conned by Diplomas from any college or body other then recognised third level institutes. Only they can offer diplomas or degress that are reputable and recognised.As Further Ed said - Level 7 & 8 institutes or third level colleges.

Hope this helps.

Hi Busterjw, and thank you. I get what you are both saying. Basically the diploma does nothing for me. thats fine. In relation to the montessori course, what i really just want to know though is would i be fully qualified to teach in a montessori? Like any other montessori courses i could do will just give me the same qualifications, won't they?? I just want to make sure that if i went for a job interview that i wouldnt be picked just because someone has a different sort of qualification than me? Forget about the diploma or how much the course is, all i really do want to know is will i be a qualified montessori teacher?

Further Ed.

You could contact some of the colleges that offer degrees in the area of early childhood education including NUI Maynooth with Froebel College of Education.

Froebel are at
They are at;
Sion Hill, Cross Avenue
Blackrock, Co. Dublin
Tel: 01 288 8520
Fax: 01 288 0618
admissions@froebel.ie
www.froebel.ie

or St. Nicholas Montessori College, 16 Adelaide Street, Dun Laoghaire
Co. Dublin who offer a Level 7 degree in Montessori Education

Postgrad10

Hi ,

From an employers perspective you will be a qualified Montessori teacher with a Montessori diploma from Portebello . The FETAC 6 Supervision modules they have added on are to ensure you have a full FETAC level 6 award and thus be eligible for the ECCE (free preschool scheme). Hope that helps You could work anywhere in a crèche with these qualifications.

AilishM21

hi, sorry to barge in on your conversation but iv also completed the level six montessori teaching course with portobello and now people are saying i must have another add on course done before december? what happens if i dont have it done, does it mean i can no longer work in a childcare facility even tho i have my montessori diploma?? any help is greatly needed as im seriously panicking!!

implausible

AilishM21 wrote: »

hi, sorry to barge in on your conversation but iv also completed the level six montessori teaching course with portobello and now people are saying i must have another add on course done before december? what happens if i dont have it done, does it mean i can no longer work in a childcare facility even tho i have my montessori diploma?? any help is greatly needed as im seriously panicking!!

This thread is a few months old. You have only done one component of a Level 6 course. In order to be fully qualified as a supervisor, you would need a full Level 6 qualification. I cannot 100% say what individual creches require, but according to this Level 5 is sufficient to be a pre-school leader.

Yvob

hi there

sorry to hijack thread but I got new info on this portobelo course over last few days which i know will help some people. basically up to now there was the montessori teaching diploma with 6 x level 6 fetac components, this WAS and still IS enough of a qualification to teach in montessori under the ECCE scheme, i have had this confirmed with Meath County Childcare and Dept children and youth affairs. But for people who wish to get the full major 6 award, they up to now needed to do the Upskill course in child supervision, another €1300, then you have your full major in fetac 6.

BUT..... now with the common awards system coming into play from december the course is changing for this year (2012/13). It is still a montessori diploma but will only have 4 modules (previous year was 6), and upon completetion of this, you will no longer have component certificates but instead you will have 60/120 credits towards a full major in the new fetac course called "Early Years Care and Education", so once you have this your half way there. You then go on to do "Blended learning" (4 modules) to achieve the other 60 credits to make the full award. These 60 credits would previously have been the upskill advanced child supervision course. The blended learning is basically 4 modules done mainly at your own at home, via distance learning and workshops etc.

The previous upskill course is still available in Portobello but for those who have previously (before now Sept 2012) completed the diploma course and wish to get their full major.

Once you have your full major in Early years care & Education you can go on to work in not just a montessori but also creche/palyschool/preschool etc etc), so opens doors slightly wider.

Hope this helps someone, as iv been doing a lot of research myself on this the last while before i made up my mind if i wanted to spend 3k on a course, but having gotten all this information I am happy with my decision.

yv22

I have been looking at doing an online montessori course
i have found one on chevron training but was wondering what the fetac level 6 qualifies me for depending on completition:
can I be a montessori teacher or is it just a montessori assisstant!?!
(I already hold a fetac level 5 a cache diploma and a fetac level 6 major award in supervision in childcare)

what are these credits that you are talking about??

missnerd

yv22 wrote: »

what are these credits that you are talking about??

Credits are essentially a systematic way of describing a course by giving the components or modules an amount of credits. These are based on different parameters such as student workload, learning outcomes and contact hours. Usually a full, one year training course is 60 credits .... hope this helps