Overseas Trained Teachers

austeacher

Ok, HELP!.

I recently arrived in Ireland, with a BA Arts and a Masters of Education. I have 6+years of teaching experience.
The Teaching Council have knocked back my application due to not including a "list of all texts studied" during the English component of my BA. I have contacted my university (the University of Sydney) and they do not, and will not, issue such a document, due to the fact that the novels set are at the discretion of the lecturer.
I have studied over 16 English subjects over the course of my degree, perhaps 4-8 texts in each one.

Any thoughts on how I can get around this ridiculous requirement?

Surely someone from Australia has taught here in Ireland before!!

mtoutlemonde

austeacher wrote: »

Ok, HELP!.

I recently arrived in Ireland, with a BA Arts and a Masters of Education. I have 6+years of teaching experience.
The Teaching Council have knocked back my application due to not including a "list of all texts studied" during the English component of my BA. I have contacted my university (the University of Sydney) and they do not, and will not, issue such a document, due to the fact that the novels set are at the discretion of the lecturer.
I have studied over 16 English subjects over the course of my degree, perhaps 4-8 texts in each one.

Any thoughts on how I can get around this ridiculous requirement?

Surely someone from Australia has taught here in Ireland before!!

Could you contact the lecturer (providing that they are still there)?

Crazyteacher

Do you have a module descriptor from over the three years of your course? Perhaps you could make a list of the texts you remember studying , add it to your module descriptions and then ask your head of English at the university to sign off on it and for them put a university of Sydney stamp and your list and module descriptor on a headed piece of stationary to give them something official. There's no other way around it I'm afraid. Everybody has to do the same.

austeacher

Crazyteacher wrote: »

Do you have a module descriptor from over the three years of your course? Perhaps you could make a list of the texts you remember studying , add it to your module descriptions and then ask your head of English at the university to sign off on it and for them put a university of Sydney stamp and your list and module descriptor on a headed piece of stationary to give them something official. There's no other way around it I'm afraid. Everybody has to do the same.

Unfortunately I have done this, but without the specific texts (ie: every book, film, poem etc) I studied, the teaching council won't accept. And the Uni doesn't have such a list! I asked them if I compiled my own list, from a very dodgy memory, would they stamp it and the uni said no.

I've contacted literally everyone I can think of. Most of my lectures have retired and the ones still there can't issue a list (against Uni policy?)
Eeeek I am at a serious dead end.

Crazyteacher

austeacher wrote: »

Unfortunately I have done this, but without the specific texts (ie: every book, film, poem etc) I studied, the teaching council won't accept. And the Uni doesn't have such a list! I asked them if I compiled my own list, from a very dodgy memory, would they stamp it and the uni said no.

I've contacted literally everyone I can think of. Most of my lectures have retired and the ones still there can't issue a list (against Uni policy?)
Eeeek I am at a serious dead end.

The head must be able to do something surely? I'm sure they don't want a graduate to be able to do nothing with their degree just because they want to live in another country. Bad publicity for them.

austeacher

Argh I so hope so! I have emailed/left voice messages with literally every available person.

If anyone knows an Australian who has done this (and succeeded!!) please get in touch! I was warned it was incredibly difficult, but this is bordering on ridiculous.

I'd hate to imagine how hard it would be if you were more than 10-15yrs out of uni.

Crazyteacher wrote: »

The head must be able to do something surely? I'm sure they don't want a graduate to be able to do nothing with their degree just because they want to live in another country. Bad publicity for them.

evolving_doors

Any way of getting your hands on old exam papers, assignments, classmates (through facebook)?

Look, If they want a list, give them a list (to the best of your mature recollection). I doubt they are going to ring your old University/Lecturers/classmates to corroborate every single novel from every year on the list!

The most important thing is to have a look at a list of novels that Irish universities use to help you jog your memory. Any chance you did Ulysses?

austeacher

Absolutely see your point! Problem is they need it certified by the Uni.... Surely I can forge that though, right?! Haha.

Gebgbegb wrote: »

Any way of getting your hands on old exam papers, assignments, classmates (through facebook)?

Look, If they want a list, give them a list (to the best of your mature recollection). I doubt they are going to ring your old University/Lecturers/classmates to corroborate every single novel from every year on the list!

The most important thing is to have a look at a list of novels that Irish universities use to help you jog your memory. Any chance you did Ulysses?

evolving_doors

PM sent

ustazjoseph

This is a big problem . The council has a role as a gatekeeper but I fear presumes that its clients all graduated recently from an Irish university. I suspect that an equality case could be considered in that applicants from non Irish backgrounds have blocks put in their way which their Irish counterparts will not have to deal with. I have heard of people being allowed to provide an affidavit regarding transcripts no longer available. Although your probably not a member of a teaching Union here presumably you were a member in oz? Perhaps an appeal to the unions. .?

evolving_doors

ustazjoseph wrote: »

This is a big problem . The council has a role as a gatekeeper but I fear presumes that its clients all graduated recently from an Irish university. I suspect that an equality case could be considered in that applicants from non Irish backgrounds have blocks put in their way which their Irish counterparts will not have to deal with. I have heard of people being allowed to provide an affidavit regarding transcripts no longer available. Although your probably not a member of a teaching Union here presumably you were a member in oz? Perhaps an appeal to the unions. .?

I think the English degree course has to have a certain level of Irish literature on it!
Ulysses anyone!

Crazyteacher

Gebgbegb wrote: »

I think the English degree course has to have a certain level of Irish literature on it!
Ulysses anyone!

I read Dubliners instead for that module at college