Good news for B. Ed hopefuls!

hitchcock

This is quoted from an article on Career's Portal dated Wednesday, March 13th, 2013

"Courses in teaching and health saw significant falls in application numbers, with primary teaching down 8%. Publicity surrounding public sector pay cuts, recruitment embargoes and changes to working conditions may be contributory factors. The difficulty of gaining full-time employment in teaching has also been highlighted this year. NUI Maynooth bucked the trend with a 76% increase in applications for the Froebel BEd primary education degree which is moving to the main university campus this year."

Such a fall in applications (8%) will surely drop the points for B. Ed's overall (excluding NUIM), perhaps 5/10 points, seeing as the points are determined by the demand for the course? And the bonus 25 points in maths didn't affect the points for B. Eds last year, so presumably they won't have an effect this year either, well, fingers crossed anyway. How do other B. Ed hopefuls feel about this?

spurious

Why do you think demand fell?

hitchcock

I think the demand fell because of the recent cuts to the salaries of newly qualified teachers, and cuts to various allowances that teachers may receive, which makes the career look less appealing to leaving cert students. However, I think that when the 2013 entrants to the B. Ed come out in the summer of 2017, the economy will be in better shape, and perhaps some of the cuts put in place might be revoked because of the better economy and also because of the work that the into are doing for the benefit of the NQTs. Also, in 2017, the increased number of babies born during the past few years will be of school entrance age which will create more jobs for teachers coming out of college.

spurious

I hope so, there's an awful lot of teachers being churned out every year by the various colleges, online and other. It's disgraceful really.

I doubt the cuts will ever be revoked. They weren't during the boom times.

smcgiff

I don't think the decreased pay is a major factor. The collapse in available jobs per NQT should be the main reason.

That, and the open ended availability of matures to qualify through Hibernian means there's fierce competition for few jobs.

hitchcock

I see your point, but the Panel Rights system is helping a lot of unemployed teachers at the moment and will help a lot of NQTs in the future, so there is hope!

smcgiff

The panel rights is a good thing, but you have to get experience/work to build up your point scale. I know someone that was doing just that, but has found it very hard to get work in the last 6 months.

However, if you start your B.Ed in september it'll be three years before you qualify. Hopefully things will improve by then.

SeanyboyQPR

Will the points not be determined by the performance of those who do apply rather than the number who do?

hitchcock

Its quite complicated to explain but its in the cao handbook page 26. If there are less people applying to do a course, then people with lower points will have a better chance of getting in, regardless of how well others applicants may have done. But I mean you're right in saying that how well the applicants do is involved in it too. I suppose the two go hand in hand with one another. Bear with me here, it is rather confusing

randylonghorn

Both factors tend to contribute to the points cut-off.

The more people apply, the more likely it is statistically that there will be greater numbers of high performers who drive the points up

hitchcock

If only I could have written it in such a clear and concise manner as that!

randylonghorn

I've had a bit more practice, in fairness!