Advice on primary hdip

l_f

Hey
Just looking for some advice on the quickest route to get into postgrad primary ed diploma.

I have an arts degree and am currently studying to get C3 in leaving cert Irish, however I am uncertain as to how I can get into a course. Do I have to wait until January 2013 to apply when I hopefully have my Irish as I don't think I can now. It seems like an awful long time to wait.

I am aware of hibernia's online course which runs twice a year but just want to broaden my chances of entry sooner.

Also do people have any tips on how to improve my chances of gaining entry to these courses ? I don't have a particularly fantastic degree (2.2)

Thanks

macslash

Not 100% sure but I think you will have to wait until you have your Irish sorted. Personally, I applied for the postgrad in MaryI before Xmas and I have an interview in the coming weeks, but it was only confirmed that the course would be going ahead in early December, so I do not think you could apply before the course is confirmed for 2013-2014. I presume this would be the same for the Dublin colleges. Again, I am not certain on that. Best of luck anyway!

Seanie06

Hi L.F. I just did my Hibernia interview last week. All of the PostGrad courses require you to have Leaving Cert Irish, so that should be your first step. After that I would concentrate on getting comfortable with your conversational irish. The interviewers for Hibernia conduct their interview half in English and half in Irish, with the irish part being more focused on yourself, pastimes etc. As regards your degree, Hibernia only require you to have an Honours Degree and there is no extra credit given to the final grade achieved. Hope this helps and best of luck with the Irish :-)

Ulstergirl

Sorry to interrupt, but I am thinking of applying for Hibernia and would love to get an idea of the recent interview questions. I have discovered other threads with Hibernia interview questions but nothing that has been asked recently. Seanie would you mind posting up some of the questions you got asked? Thanks:)

Seanie06

Hi UlsterGirl,

No problem! The whole interview was fairly casual! It lasted about 25 minutes with about 10 minutes of it in Irish/Gaeilge. I am fluent so they did not really bother much with that end for me. I was only asked what I like to do on weekends, what I did during Christmas and what my pastimes are.
As for the English component I was asked why I wanted to be a Primary Teacher, what skills had I learnt so far that I could apply to Schools. I was also asked about technology in schools, was I comfortable with it? How to effectively use it, and did I think it would replace the teacher ( the answer is always no here.... but say that it will complement the teacher!!). I was also asked what are the most important things to do on my first day as a teacher. I said to make the class comfortable with me as a teacher but I also mentioned that I needed the Hibernia course to help educate me on the skills to be an effective teacher!! They love hearing how good you think the course is!! I know you have probably heard this before but the just be yourself, practice your irish if you don't have it already ( up to Leaving Cert Standard), and have a few questions ready about the course.

Hope this helps & let me know how you get on!!

Ulstergirl

Thanks a million for your swift reply Seanie. Those questions are a great guide! I plan on brushing up on my Irish a little before I apply! I'll let you know how I get on

Seanie06

Go h-iontach. Go n-eiri leat!! Too bad you didn't apply this time around! I would love to hear how other people got on with their interview. I had mine on the 12th and was informed that I was successful by the following Tuesday. I think that when they heard that I was fluent in Irish I was all set I'm sure you will do great. I was doing a bit of research with people who have done the course. The consensus seems to be that if you can get a part time job while doing the course it is alot easier. Anyone who had a full time job seemed to struggle with the course requirements, bearing in mind that every 2nd or 3rd saturday is taken up as well!

djpbarry

Moved from Postgraduates.

lawrose

Seanie your replies are very helpful. Was this your first time applying to Hibernia?

On reading previous threads a lot of people seem to miss out on their first application but get it second or third time around.

If you got it first time around, it looks like your Irish may have been that extra "something" that got you there!

Good luck with the course.

Seanie06

Hi LawRose,

Yes it was my first time applying. My Gaeilge labhartha is excellent since I speak it every day and it is the language I find most comfortable conversing in. That said the other major factor that I was asked about was technology, my proficiency with it, it's uses and how I would see it evolving in the learning experience in the future. My degree is a BA and it exposed me to a lot of technologies that could be used in schools.
Are you thinking of applying for the Hibernia course yourself?

On the point of people not getting it in their first attempt, I would reckon that a lot of these people have not practised their conversational Irish since their Leaving Cert and taking into account the level they took then, and how long ago that was would mean that their levels are rusty at best. The interview itself is at the same level at the Leaving Cert Oral exam ( Higher Level). If you can converse comfortably at that level you won't have a problem.

Thanks for the Luck!! I'm a bit nervous about taking 18 months out but I think I have to do this!!

lawrose

Well done to you Seanie06!

I just find it hard to believe that so many people attend the Hibernia interview unprepared!

I'm a good way back from being able to try for Hibernia yet. I don't have the honours Irish, so I'm trying the new TEG B2 exam in April of this year.

I attend a course one night per week and I work at least an hour on my Irish at home once the kids are gone to bed. I can see some improvement in my ability to read and understand Irish - and even a small improvement in spoken Irish. But I am struggling desperately with grammar and actually composing written Irish - it's a long time since I did my LC but I genuinely don't remember even being taught that there are masc and fem nouns in Irish!!!! God help me!

When are you starting in Hibernia? Have you given up work completely to attend?

Best of luck anyway!

Seanie06

Hi Lawrose,

I know it can be very frustrating to have to learn something like Irish that you spent years in a class trying to learn already! If you are serious about going forward for the Hibernia course I would recommend the following;

Turn on TG4 for the Nuacht at 7pm every day. Even if it is on in the background you will be able to listen to it, and you will hear all of the different dialects that are in Ireland.

Have Radio na Life http://www.raidionalife.ie/ on the go whilst on the computer, or even Radio na Gaelteachta.

Buy the Independent on Wednesdays when Foinse is in there ( I think it's only once a month) and practice reading out loud!!

Don't worry about how long your LC was. I'm well into double digits on that myself

Are you based in Dublin? If so there are plenty of places to practice speaking Irish.

I am starting the course on the 31sh of March in Maynooth for Orientation.
Yes I gave up work to attend. I am looking for some part time work to help support my cost of living. I am currently living in Kerry but any jobs are hard to come by down here. I am considering moving to Dublin for more opportunity!!

Seanie06

GaelChultúr are starting up Irish Classes which would be highly recommended for anyone who is looking at brushing up on their Spoken Irish before applying for interview. Click the link below.
http://gaelchultur.com/index.php?list_courses=true&tid=4&lang=en&lang=ga&lang=en&lang=ga&lang=en

68508224

Hi I've a question that i'm hoping someone here might be able to answer. At the moment I’ve gone back to study Leaving cert Irish and am hoping to apply for the Hibernia course after the summer. I see on this thread that people are mentioning part time jobs, living costs etc. Does anyone know if you lose your job or have no work etc. while doing the Hibernia course can you qualify for Jobseekers allowance or similar?

l_f

Seanie06 wrote: »

Hi L.F. I just did my Hibernia interview last week. All of the PostGrad courses require you to have Leaving Cert Irish, so that should be your first step. After that I would concentrate on getting comfortable with your conversational irish. The interviewers for Hibernia conduct their interview half in English and half in Irish, with the irish part being more focused on yourself, pastimes etc. As regards your degree, Hibernia only require you to have an Honours Degree and there is no extra credit given to the final grade achieved. Hope this helps and best of luck with the Irish :-)

SEANIE...thanks for the great advice & congratulations on the successful interview, best of luck with the course !

l_f

68508224 wrote: »

Hi I've a question that i'm hoping someone here might be able to answer. At the moment I’ve gone back to study Leaving cert Irish and am hoping to apply for the Hibernia course after the summer. I see on this thread that people are mentioning part time jobs, living costs etc. Does anyone know if you lose your job or have no work etc. while doing the Hibernia course can you qualify for Jobseekers allowance or similar?

depending on your age, i'm certain you can apply for a "back to education" grant !!

Ulstergirl

Hiya, I think you can apply for jobseekers because the course is technically part time. You could be spending the other half of your time searching for work. Im almost certain ive seen threads about this on here before so maybe do a quick search!:-)

amor26388

Best of luck to everyone applying to Hibernia! I am a year into it and it is very rewarding but also exhausting! Hopefully it will all be worth it though! What I would say though to the people applying is yes, the Gaeilge is very important but how you come across towards working in a primary school setting is also very important! So I'd definitely advise people to be familiar as possible with the Primary School Curriculum, and be prepared for questions like ''How would you deal with such and such a situation?'' etc.The interviewers want to see that you are suited to working with children! I know of plenty of people with excellent Gaeilge and did not get a place on the course! Definitely be as fluent and as comfortable as possible with it, but don't forget the rest of the interview too!!

amor26388

On the topic of Jobseekers allowance, it's not easy to get it, depends on living situations, if you're living with your parents, what their salary is etc! A few people in my class were not eligible for it as you are not actually available for fulltime work while completing the course and apparently this is a requirement to receive jobseekers!

Griffima

Have my interview this week for Hibernia for the March cohort. I believe the March intake may already be full, but they have to interview anyone who applied before the cut-off date of March 9th.
I'm really nervous about my cupla focail as Gaeilge as I am very rusty. Would I be best to defer the interview and let them know that I am more interested in the October cohort? This might buy me a little time to brush up on my Irish.

cooranig23

i was interested in doing Hibernia

but i know people who did it and now they can't even get into schools to do their diploma

so it's not too inviting

wackydotie

Hi am 24 years old and hold a BA(Hons) Degree in ECCE. I really want to attend St Pats but only hav lower level LC Irish. I am going to repeat my LC Irish this year and have to also attend the Gaeltaught for 3 weeks. My Irish isnt that great but i really want to suceed in getting a C3 of higher in Honours because i will prob giv up if i fail...any advice on the best way to go about doing the LC Irish without attending a secondry school??

amor26388

Hi Wackydotie,

I never went for the Pat's interview myself but have friends who did. I have heard it is quite tough and know people with degrees in Irish who didn't get in based on not passing the the test for the high level of Irish required. One of my friends got an A2 in LC Hons, and went for the postgrad in Pat's, she got it but said she couldn't get over how tough the Irish section was..this girl also has a degree in Irish from Pat's! So you do need to bear in mind that it is not easy. Going to the Gaeltacht will help of course though, as will constant cleachtadh agus cumarsáid yourself when you can. Display confidence and ability in your Gaeilge neamhfhoirmiúil and you will be set..the best advice I could give would be constant cleachtadh cleachtadh cleachtadh! You will be probably better off going to some sort of Gaeilge course in preparation for the LC exam as they will cover in depth what will be needed to get the honour! Best of luck!

amor26388

Cooranig 23,

Very broad generalisation you're making there and one that's not true. Yes many people are finding it hard to get the dip year sorted, but this goes for teachers from all training colleges. I know lots of people who did Hibernia and got the dip year done the first year they came out, I actually know way more people who got it done than those who didn't. I also know people from my intake of Feb 2011 who have dip years already sorted starting in September!

RealJohn

wackydotie wrote: »

Hi am 24 years old and hold a BA(Hons) Degree in ECCE. I really want to attend St Pats but only hav lower level LC Irish. I am going to repeat my LC Irish this year and have to also attend the Gaeltaught for 3 weeks. My Irish isnt that great but i really want to suceed in getting a C3 of higher in Honours because i will prob giv up if i fail...any advice on the best way to go about doing the LC Irish without attending a secondry school??

Go to the Gaeltacht and live there for as long as you can afford to and resist the temptation to speak english while you're there.

In my opinion, the level of Irish among primary teachers in general in this country is shameful and a national embarassment. If you only get a C3, your Irish isn't good enough. Frankly, with how easy the leaving cert Irish has gotten, if you don't get an A, your Irish isn't good enough.

We need to get away from this attitude of "I need to get my C3 so I can be a primary teacher." If you got a C3 in higher level leaving cert French, would you feel confident teaching a first year French class? If not, why do people think that a C3 in higher level Irish is good enough to teach any primary school class beyond maybe infants?

With the number of people trying to get into the "cushy number" that teaching is perceived to be, it's time to demand more from our prospective teachers. An A in leaving cert Irish isn't exactly a difficult thing to achieve for anyone who has a decent grasp of the language.

Please don't take this as an attack on you personally by the way wackydotie, it's not meant to be. It's just that when students spend 8 years in primary school supposedly learning Irish, I find it apalling that so many of them reach secondary without being able to have a basic conversation. Primary teachers across the country need to take a look at themselves (and the system in fairness) and ask themselves why that is.

seavill

So do they need an A in higher level maths, science, english, Irish, etc. etc. etc. to be able to teach at primary.

There are secondary teachers out there that didn't get and A in their subject never mind primary teachers.

The problem with Irish is the curriculum not the teachers at both primary and secondary.

I'm half thinking that you are only looking to start something with that post to be honest.

RealJohn

seavill wrote: »

So do they need an A in higher level maths, science, english, Irish, etc. etc. etc. to be able to teach at primary.

There are secondary teachers out there that didn't get and A in their subject never mind primary teachers.

The problem with Irish is the curriculum not the teachers at both primary and secondary.

I'm half thinking that you are only looking to start something with that post to be honest.

Leaving cert english and maths (in spite of the dumbing down exercise that is project maths) are at a significantly higher level than leaving cert Irish, so requiring an A in Irish is not as big an ask as As in english and maths. The core is key. You're right to say that the curriculum is a problem. There's far too much on the primary curriculum and this isn't helping the problem but surely you can't argue that a primary teacher who can't hold a conversation in Irish (which is common in my experience) is competent to teach it, can you?

And secondary teachers don't need As in their subject at leaving cert level because they need degrees in their subject (or they're supposed to) but you knew that, didn't you?

seavill

RealJohn wrote: »

Leaving cert english and maths (in spite of the dumbing down exercise that is project maths) are at a significantly higher level than leaving cert Irish, so requiring an A in Irish is not as big an ask as As in english and maths. The core is key. You're right to say that the curriculum is a problem. There's far too much on the primary curriculum and this isn't helping the problem but surely you can't argue that a primary teacher who can't hold a conversation in Irish (which is common in my experience) is competent to teach it, can you?

And secondary teachers don't need As in their subject at leaving cert level because they need degrees in their subject (or they're supposed to) but you knew that, didn't you?

I was going to respond but to be honest there is no point. You contradicted yourself within your own post along with your argument having no logic. So I won't be continuing this discussion.

I really havn't a clue what point you were trying to make there at the end.

RealJohn

I really don't want to start a bitching match but there's nothing contradictory in my post but I'll simplify it for you anyway.

1. The average primary teacher doesn't have a high enough level of Irish to do their job competently.

2. Secondary teachers' leaving cert grades are largely irrellevent because they need to have a degree in their subject in order to teach it.

byhookorbycrook

RealJohn wrote: »

I really don't want to start a bitching match but there's nothing contradictory in my post but I'll simplify it for you anyway.

1. The average primary teacher doesn't have a high enough level of Irish to do their job competently.

2. Secondary teachers' leaving cert grades are largely irrellevent because they need to have a degree in their subject in order to teach it.

And you know this how?

RealJohn

I assume you mean the first part.
I know it because of the number of students who turn up in the Gaeltacht every summer with 8 years of primary school behind them and still can't do more than ask to go to the toilet and from the fact that every primary teacher I meet freely admits to me that they're not comfortable teaching Irish (aside from those who teach in Gaelscoileanna obviously).

It's not exactly a secret but it is shameful.

byhookorbycrook

You must move in different teaching circles to me. All of my teaching friends would be more than comfortable teaching Irish.We often converse in Irish when we meet.

Bus Boy

Hi Guys,

I have a friend considering the hDip course. They are coming home from the US. They have an honours degree but no Honours Irish. Can anyone point me in the right direction as to how she can enroll in a class for Honours Irish, is it too late for next years LC?. She's a northsider so anywhere local would be ideal. any other advice would be much appreciated.

Kind Regards,

BB