Some Jargon help

KevinK

Hello

I am hoping to get a job in the Irish education system but am not quite sure what I am looking for. I have worked in England as a "Learning support assistant" which involved working alongside a teacher with specific responsibility for one or more specific students with various learning or behavioural difficulties.

Ideally I would like to do something similar back home in Ireland and have been looking on sites such as educationposts.ie but don't quite understand all the terms used here.

The closest job titles I have seen are "Special Needs Assistant" and "Learning support/resource teaching". With a Master in Psychology but no specific teaching/assisting qualification do I meet the minimum standards for either of these roles? and can anyone explain in more detail what each involves?

Also many of the jobs I have seen they require sending "teaching council registration" with the application. Am I eligible for teaching council registration?

If anyone could help with any of my question I would be extremely grateful.

Kevin

byhookorbycrook

Special needs assistants (SNAs) are care workers, assigned say to help with toileting ,helping children who might be in a wheelchair and so on, it's not a teaching role.

Learning Support or Resource teachers are fully qualified primary teachers. Time was you might get some hours as a resource teacher but as there is a massive oversupply of fully qualified teachers at primary level,it's most unlikely.

Learning support teachers work with children who need extra support in maths or literacy either in small withdrawn groups or in in-class support with the class teacher.These children will generally have socred on or below the 10th percentile in standardised tests.Children with dyslexia also fall into this grouping.

Resource teachers work with children with low incidence special needs such as those on the autistic spectrum,those with dyspraxia .The child may be withdrawn individually, or in a small group for say, motor skills,social skills etc. They may also be supported in the mainstream classes.Children with diagnoses must have hours allocated by the local special needs education co-ordinator, they do not automatically qualify, just because their report says they do.Hours have been cut over the last two years for these children.

KevinK

Thank You,

Do you know if formal qualification are needed for SNA jobs?

byhookorbycrook

The minimum would be a Junior Cert, but most people now have FETAC courses and also completed some training in the needs of the child for things like lifting,catheter use and so on.The job follows the child, so when the child leaves primary there is no promise they will get an SNA in secondary-if they do, there is nothing to say the primary SNA gets first dibs on the secondary job.

Have a look here:
http://www.sess.ie/professional-development/professional-development-relevant-special-needs-assistants-snas