P.D.E 2013-2014

gavo32

Hi,

Just wondering will the points for the P.D.E go up for this year, I am aware that this is the final year it is a 1 year course and demand is high. Right now I have 42 points which would have been accepted for NUIG, UCD with 42 and UCC at 41 (although not all were offered who obtained these points.

I am just looking for peoples opinions and I know the points system is purely unpredictable.

djpbarry

Moved from Postgraduates.

Powerhouse

My opinion, for what it's worth, would be that points are unlikely to change. I would be surprised if there is such a pent-up demand likely to be unleashed this year to avoid doing the two-year course in the future. I can understand why people would prefer to do a one-year course rather than a two-year one for the same qualification but I can't see where all the extra people will emerge from to drive the points up. Especially with the prospects (in all senses) in teaching right now. The points generally have shown very little fluctuation in the last six or seven years. I'd be surprised if that changed.

spurious

I'm amazed the points haven't gone right down, given the startling lack of jobs in teaching now and the even worse situation ahead. It's almost criminal that the PDE courses are enrolling so many.

gavo32

I'm in final year within my Arts degree and there are loads of people who were going to do a masters in say English but when they found out this was the final year that the P.D.E is a year, they all applied and try and do it within the year. Reason being, the 2 year course will cost near 8,500-10,000 and also since its an extra year in college, that's an extra years rent and living costs. Another is the postgraduate grant completely gone. I know at least 30 people who changed their mind and applied for the PDE when they found out it was the final year.

Powerhouse

gavo32 wrote: »

I'm in final year within my Arts degree and there are loads of people who were going to do a masters in say English but when they found out this was the final year that the P.D.E is a year, they all applied and try and do it within the year. Reason being, the 2 year course will cost near 8,500-10,000 and also since its an extra year in college, that's an extra years rent and living costs. Another is the postgraduate grant completely gone. I know at least 30 people who changed their mind and applied for the PDE when they found out it was the final year.

I'm not sure if they thought the economics of it through if they were trying to avoid doing the PDE in two years but were going to do a Masters and then the one-year PDE which would incur all the same living and tutoring costs as the two-year PDE.

But anyway, I suspect that many of these people will not have the grades to significantly change the standard which is already fairly high because of the numbers who do random Masters to get their points up. I also imagine there is at this stage a significant drop in the numbers that were already teaching unqualified that would have been in the mix a few years back and drove the points up. Plus there is a number who will look at teaching prospects and decide against it these days that would not have done so in the past. Not all will be driven primarily by financial considerations.

Ultimately time will tell. Make sure you get a high 2.1 at least and you'll be grand.