How important is experience to be accepted on a teaching course?

Denerick

I think they aren't as strict in the UK for this, which is where I would like to do it (Most likely in 2014, as I'm a little tight for the 2013 deadline at this point)

But from what I can read on GTTR the basic requirement for most course is 'experience of a secondary school history/english department'. What if, say, you had experience in teaching english as a foreign language to both adults and to teenagers? Most normal people have a limited amount of time off from their normal jobs and don't have the opportunity to attain the necessary experience. I've said it before, but it is an absurd glass ceiling that privileges the moneyed classes and those families that indulge their children as they go off to an internship or whatever. Most normal people can't afford to work for free.

I really didn't mean to turn this into a rant but as you can see, I'm rather frustrated by this.

Miss Lockhart

Applications for the secondary PDE in Ireland are mostly done by a points system. Teaching experience does not count for points anymore, so teaching experience is not at all important - just the marks you got in your degree and/or Masters.

Trinity and DCU have interviews so experience probably counts for something there, though i know many who have been accepted to Trinity with no experience.