Two years and NO work..

nwo4life25

I was wondering if anyone is in the same boat as me...

I qualified with History and CSPE in 2010. I then went on a cv blitz around Dublin and applied for anything I could. I got a good Dip, have a lot of extra cuirricular activities that I think would appeal to a school. However, after two years of this I have gotten nothing.Not a bit of subbing or anything. I've since got into TEFL and have gotten good hours. This is the first summer (as I have been working full time) not to look as extensively as I have. Is it time to give up on teaching?

Also.... Am i wrong in just applying to jobs that I am only qualified in?EG I won't apply for a job looking for a history and french teacher.Should I be applying for these anyway?

Is there any point applying for sna positions?

Any feedback would be really really appreciated.:)

Miss Lockhart

You need to add another subject to your qualifications. History on its own is really limiting your chances.

thefasteriwalk

I'm registered with English, History and RE. I've never gotten any history work - there simply is none there. Most of my jobs have been teaching English. As CSPE is treated as a filler in most schools I doubt you're at much of an advantage there either. If I were you I would add another subject. Parhaps do the English modules with Oscail or a different subject with the Open University.

dory

Agreed. You need more subjects. I'm Irish and CSPE and when I tell people they say "So just Irish then really". As said, CSPE is a filler and History is not popular an LC level.

gaeilgebeo

nwo4life25 wrote: »

I was wondering if anyone is in the same boat as me...

I qualified with History and CSPE in 2010. I then went on a cv blitz around Dublin and applied for anything I could. I got a good Dip, have a lot of extra cuirricular activities that I think would appeal to a school. However, after two years of this I have gotten nothing.Not a bit of subbing or anything. I've since got into TEFL and have gotten good hours. This is the first summer (as I have been working full time) not to look as extensively as I have. Is it time to give up on teaching?

Also.... Am i wrong in just applying to jobs that I am only qualified in?EG I won't apply for a job looking for a history and french teacher.Should I be applying for these anyway?

Is there any point applying for sna positions?

Any feedback would be really really appreciated.:)

Principals will see you as a teacher with only one subject.
It is better for them to hire a history teacher with Irish/English/Maths etc...
CSPE is given to any teacher in the school as a timetable "filler" and will most likely be scrapped with the new Junior Cert in 2014.
Realistically you will need to get another subject if you ever want full0time employment.

nwo4life25

thanks for all the advice!I've been hesitant about adding other subjects due to the financial strain. paying for the pgde was bad enough!

what subjects would people recommend?I've seen plenty of posts about how there are countless History and English teachers. Also how long does it take to get an extra subject through oscail??

Thanks again!!!!:)

thefasteriwalk

nwo4life25 wrote: »

thanks for all the advice!I've been hesitant about adding other subjects due to the financial strain. paying for the pgde was bad enough!

what subjects would people recommend?I've seen plenty of posts about how there are countless History and English teachers. Also how long does it take to get an extra subject through oscail??

Thanks again!!!!:)

Yeah, English and History is a fairly dismal combination in this climate. I never anything through Oscail, but I believe you can take single modules for the purpose of TC registration, as opposed to a full degree. That said, they only offer English/History/CSPE and you're probably better off with a more competitive subject.

Seanchai

nwo4life25 wrote: »

thanks for all the advice!I've been hesitant about adding other subjects due to the financial strain. paying for the pgde was bad enough!

what subjects would people recommend?I've seen plenty of posts about how there are countless History and English teachers. Also how long does it take to get an extra subject through oscail??

Thanks again!!!!:)

Agree with everybody else: without a second real subject, you're not in a good place. You need to sort that out asap. History, a subject I have great grá for, was even dropped for LC in my school recently.

I know the evening degrees are starting in UCD next week. I surmise the other universities are the same. The deadline for applications was 1 July 2012. If you contact the Admissions office, they will confirm this and say try again next year. However, if you contact the School directly, they will be much more open to making an exception for you even at this late stage. The reality is that they need the fees, and "application deadlines" are secondary to that in the eyes of the people who matter in the relevant university School/Department.

Here is a thread I started on this topic earlier this summer.

1) You need 54 degree credits in order to be registered as a teacher of a subject with the Teaching Council.

2) I don't know about Oscail. However, if you do the HDA (Higher Diploma in Arts) in an NUI university, you will be doing 30 degree credits per year for two years, usually attending classes on two nights a week for 3 hours each time. It is possible to do it quicker, although probably unreasonably stressful.

3) If you want to be in a more secure position as a teacher, you're going to have to spend that money on getting at least a second real subject. I honestly cannot see a way around that for you. I was in almost precisely the same situation as you and had to return and do a second real subject. It was clear when I did the PDE that I would have to do that and I would be just fooling myself if I kept my head in the sand about my career reality.

4) It costs, if I'm not mistaken, c. €480 for each 5 credit module in an NUI college. C. €2900 for 30 credits/1 year. You get 20% back in tax, after the first €1000 - i.e. 20% of €1900 = €380 refunded. Cost per year = c. €2500. €5000 to add a subject. When you complete it, there's a little-known fund run by Marino College which refunds additional money to teachers upon application. There are other sources of funding. Your local credit union will also have a loan for education purposes available at 6% interest. Additionally, all universities are more lenient on fee payment deadlines these days. Basically, anybody could sit there making excuses about why they can't add a subject but when they accept that they have to, finances should not really impede them.

5) Good subjects might include Irish, Maths and certain languages. But see the 'They're crying out for Irish Teachers' thread for warnings about the work required in order to secure a post in Irish at any rate. If you're willing to work your socks off, go for one of these subjects. Don't bother if you just want to get over the bar because, as that thread makes clear, they'll test your oral skills in interview. The waffly subjects like English, History, Religion and the like are ridiculously oversubscribed because there's far too many people looking for the easy way out. I do not by any means direct this at you at all, but rather I'm thinking of the enormous number of people who did English and History on the PDE when there was no shortage of such teachers (because they're easier), while more difficult degrees had a shortage of teachers.

Best of luck.

nwo4life25

Thanks so much for your detailed reply. I would probably feel more confident in teaching a more artsy subject as I havent spoken Irish or French in six years and I only did pass maths for my leaving.Therefore I'm a bit uneasy about adding another subject...5000 is a lot for a maybe chance of a job....but again thanks for the info. Seanchai may I ask what subject did you take on?

pontia

you could have done tefl or grinds,barwork ect,jobs dont knock on the door

nwo4life25

pontia wrote: »

you could have done tefl or grinds,barwork ect,jobs dont knock on the door

thank you pontia...but if you had read my initial post I clearly stated that I am working in full time TEFL.I did the CELT last year. I'm not just sitting on my arse!And I DO know that jobs don't knock on the door. Hence why I am looking for advice.

pontia

fair enough,only saying because my wife is a teacher,hard to get subjects you want,had to take jobs to get in door,teachings a closed shop from what i make out,corrupt

seavill

pontia wrote: »

fair enough,only saying because my wife is a teacher,hard to get subjects you want,had to take jobs to get in door,teachings a closed shop from what i make out,corrupt

Ridiculous comment

aunt aggie

pontia wrote: »

fair enough,only saying because my wife is a teacher,hard to get subjects you want,had to take jobs to get in door,teachings a closed shop from what i make out,corrupt

Are you saying that your wife got jobs teaching subjects she wasnt qualified in??

Thats not allowed anymore and it would never happen with the number of unemployed and qualified teachers otu there. All posts have to be advertised so the teaching profession has changed a lot in the last ten years... I have heard people say things about people getting work because of who they know bt this doesnt happen as often as non-teachers seem to think it does.....

bdoo

pontia wrote: »

fair enough,only saying because my wife is a teacher,hard to get subjects you want,had to take jobs to get in door,teachings a closed shop from what i make out,corrupt

I'm reading this drivel all summer. Yawn.