PME Primary

nenakenny

Hi everyone, I am hoping to become a primary teacher and am currently applying to various PME courses.

I was wondering if anyone would recommend to go through the undergrad route as a mature student instead of going into the PME, or is it much difference?

Thanks

mtoutlemonde

nenakenny wrote: »

Hi everyone, I am hoping to become a primary teacher and am currently applying to various PME courses.

I was wondering if anyone would recommend to go through the undergrad route as a mature student instead of going into the PME, or is it much difference?

Thanks

Have you got a degree?

nenakenny

Yeah, a 2:1 Bachelor of Social Science. A small bit of experience working with children but it was years ago back in school where I volunteered with a school

mtoutlemonde

nenakenny wrote: »

Yeah, a 2:1 Bachelor of Social Science. A small bit of experience working with children but it was years ago back in school where I volunteered with a school

Well it all depends on yourself - going back to undergrad will take five/six years whereas with Hibernia - it's a two year programme AFAIK. Get on to Hibernia and see what they tell you. I'm secondary so I don't know if requirements are the same i.e. certain degrees allow you teach certain subjects so I don't know if you can teach primary with any degree. I do know you have to have at least a C in higher level Irish at Leaving Certificate.

nenakenny

I reach the requirements anyways I think, unless my experience isn't enough. I have this mindset that four years seems like a long time, even though I know it isn't. I just want to get things moving.

tootyflutty

nenakenny wrote: »

Hi everyone, I am hoping to become a primary teacher and am currently applying to various PME courses.

I was wondering if anyone would recommend to go through the undergrad route as a mature student instead of going into the PME, or is it much difference?

Thanks

I looked into this last year. The benefit of doing the Undergrad is that you may be eligible for funding, but on the downside it's another 4 years for you, which to me felt more daunting than 5 years of debt 😂

The benefit of doing a PME is that it's two years, but on the downside not all courses offer funding i.e. Hibernia, but in saying that you could still hold down a part time job - if your employer was flexible when it came to the TP!


It's all personal preference really, but you may be too late to apply for September 2017 as an Undergrad? But I could be wrong.

nenakenny

Yeah CAO closes 1st February and only just realised. I think the panic of it being so soon made me reconsider the PME and I thought maybe I should get in before it ends. But I would rather the PME, four years just seems daunting to me too as you said. Thanks

damemcd

with hibernia youd need to have a serious wedge of cash...... they love the money !!

nenakenny

I noticed haha but the PME isn't far away from them either!

Just another question, I'm also applying to places in Scotland but they're only a year long. Do you reckon that'd be sufficient time for someone who hasn't a relevant degree or should I do the PME for two years?

damemcd

know quite a few teachwrs who went down that road in the uk....in England theyve recently tried to tie grads into working locally.

damemcd

Also with the chronic shortage of subs etc at the moment, if youre good and capable ,length of training wouldnt be an issue.Inability to spell teachers as above is a different issue!

nenakenny

Shortage of subs? hadn't realised! are you a teacher yourself? haha, if you hadn't pointed it out to me I probably wouldn't have noticed

damemcd

yes,schools are using third year students at the moment to cover sick leave ,good luck on your studies

mtoutlemonde

damemcd wrote: »

yes,schools are using third year students at the moment to cover sick leave ,good luck on your studies

It could be happening but they're obviously paying the students out of school funds which I find unbelievable or they're covering three days max without Teaching Council registration.

damemcd

Yes, it is happening .third years are covering for five days , but must stop then on the fifth day . It's prevalent in south Dublin because there are no subs available at the moment

damemcd

Im sure also that the schools aren't paying them from their own funds

mtoutlemonde

damemcd wrote: »

Im sure also that the schools aren't paying them from their own funds

That's what I assumed as well but they are covered for first five days unqualified. I had a 'discussion' with someone in another thread a while back who thought it was OK to hire someone without a teaching qualification for a maternity because 'they were a good teacher' - they couldn't see the problem with it.

damemcd

Without being dogmatic you're 100 per cent right that no one should employ unqualified subs.....it's one of the few saving graces of the teaching c. That it's stopped Joe soap stepping into the classroom unqualified which always added to the impression that anyone could do the job irrespective of qualifications.

mtoutlemonde

damemcd wrote: »

Without being dogmatic you're 100 per cent right that no one should employ unqualified subs.....it's one of the few saving graces of the teaching c. That it's stopped Joe soap stepping into the classroom unqualified which always added to the impression that anyone could do the job irrespective of qualifications.

They didn't get that I despise the Teaching Council but this is their one (and maybe only) positive.

SheldonC17

Just on the above - Is it possible to register for sub teaching unqualified. I have a science degree. I have heard of a few people doing it recently.

mtoutlemonde

SheldonC17 wrote: »

Just on the above - Is it possible to register for sub teaching unqualified. I have a science degree. I have heard of a few people doing it recently.

No thankfully - leave the subbing to the people who trained to be a teacher who are finding it hard enough to find work. Just because people have degrees doesn't make them teachers - subbing is a lot more difficult that people think.

r93kaey5p2izun

I see no evidence that the TC have stopped unqualified people working in schools. The fact you can register for FE then get paid the unqualified rate at second level makes the whole thing meaningless. There's a hairdresser, a beautician and a dog groomer getting near full time second level subbing in my school. They have a couple of timetabled hours in their own course but get all the subbing available for just €6 less than the education masters graduates alongside them.

mtoutlemonde

Melany Proud Concrete wrote: »

I see no evidence that the TC have stopped unqualified people working in schools. The fact you can register for FE then get paid the unqualified rate at second level makes the whole thing meaningless. There's a hairdresser, a beautician and a dog groomer getting near full time second level subbing in my school. They have a couple of timetabled hours in their own course but get all the subbing available for just €6 less than the education masters graduates alongside them.

They may be able to sub in ETB schools but I don't think they should be teaching or can teach in voluntary secondary schools. Any school that I knew of who had an unqualified person - I would have no problem ringing and reporting them. It is very unfair to have 'unqualifieds' teaching and poor PME students not getting any subbing and paying huge fees every year.

r93kaey5p2izun

mtoutlemonde wrote: »

They may be able to sub in ETB schools but I don't think they should be teaching or can teach in voluntary secondary schools. Any school that I knew of who had an unqualified person - I would have no problem ringing and reporting them. It is very unfair to have 'unqualifieds' teaching and poor PME students not getting any subbing and paying huge fees every year.

There is no difference in the rules between ETBs and voluntary schools now other than the legacy of those registered under the VEC Only category who have an approved degree but no teaching qualification. Those registered for FE can sub unqualified and be paid the unqualified rate (which is ridiculously close to the qualified rate) in any school. They can't receive a contract for their own hours any more but other than that they can sub no problem - the 5-day restriction applies only to those who are unregistered (category of registration does not matter for subbing). The wide variety of qualifications accepted for FE registration mean a dog groomer can end up subbing no problem. There is no rule being broken so nobody to report to.

mtoutlemonde

Melany Proud Concrete wrote: »

There is no difference in the rules between ETBs and voluntary schools now other than the legacy of those registered under the VEC Only category who have an approved degree but no teaching qualification. Those registered for FE can sub unqualified and be paid the unqualified rate (which is ridiculously close to the qualified rate) in any school. They can't receive a contract for their own hours any more but other than that they can sub no problem - the 5-day restriction applies only to those who are unregistered (category of registration does not matter for subbing). The wide variety of qualifications accepted for FE registration mean a dog groomer can end up subbing no problem. There is no rule being broken so nobody to report to.

Thanks for the info - I thought things had been tightened up a lot. So any Tom, Dick and Harry can register for FE and sub without a teaching qualification - ridiculous. Does the ETB still have to stamp it to say that the person is working for them?