Adult literacy teacher training

emilymemily

Hi
I have been interested in upskilling and gaining an extra qualification to help me gain employment. I was interested in completing the teacher training in Adult literacy, its a ten week course that is run in most Etbs and adult learning centers.
My local ETB runs this course twice a year, ive applied to do it twice after I was advised to do it by staff in the ETB.
The first time I applied I got no response, the second time I asked about it in the ETB and gave them my number, they rang me a few weeks later and told me they will put my name down for the course and they will contact me when the course is starting but they never got back to me about it.
I know the course is also run in Dublin in Nala but id prefer to do it closer to home as the Dublin course runs late in the evening, with travel times and expenses it just doesn't suit me currently.
Im a bit confused as to why the local ETB never got back to me about it as im a qualified teacher with experience teaching adults.
How would I get onto this course? Would I need to know someone directly connected to it to get a place? Im unsure how it works.
Thanks.

spurious

Did the course run locally?

If it did, I would ask them straight out why you were not contacted, having expressed interest. Do you perhaps need to be 'recommended' by an Adult Literacy group/coordinator?

emilymemily

spurious wrote: »

Did the course run locally?

If it did, I would ask them straight out why you were not contacted, having expressed interest. Do you perhaps need to be 'recommended' by an Adult Literacy group/coordinator?

Yes it runs locally twice a year.
Im not sure who to ask as the only person I can speak to in the ETB is the receptionist, she passes on messages and phone numbers, has occasionally given me numbers for ETB coordinators but they never answer the phone.
Im not sure how to get on the course, I assume it is through recommendation as the course is never advertised, I only found out about it through the guidance counselor who worked there who advised me to put my name down, she passed my number on to whoever runs it but I was never contacted, the second time I went down myself to ask the receptionist and she passed my number on, that time I was contacted once to say my name was put down for the course.
I was told that after completing the course I would be expected to stay on for a year as a volunteer literacy tutor within the ETB,

spurious

Ask to speak to a Director of Adult Education.

Blaizes

emilymemily wrote: »

Yes it runs locally twice a year.
Im not sure who to ask as the only person I can speak to in the ETB is the receptionist, she passes on messages and phone numbers, has occasionally given me numbers for ETB coordinators but they never answer the phone.
Im not sure how to get on the course, I assume it is through recommendation as the course is never advertised, I only found out about it through the guidance counselor who worked there who advised me to put my name down, she passed my number on to whoever runs it but I was never contacted, the second time I went down myself to ask the receptionist and she passed my number on, that time I was contacted once to say my name was put down for the course.
I was told that after completing the course I would be expected to stay on for a year as a volunteer literacy tutor within the ETB,

If you’re not getting anywhere along this route, could you just volunteer to be a literacy tutor now and then maybe they will put you on the course. I know in the area I live a year or two a go they were looking for volunteers with no mention of having to have this course done. Maybe it varies from ETB to ETB, something I don’t know. I did think there was a big demand for volunteer tutors and with you already being a teacher you’d imagine they’d be delighted to have you.I don't think the volunteering schedule would be too heavy maybe a couple of hours a week, so it wouldn’t interfere with your own teaching or subbing.

emilymemily

spurious wrote: »

Ask to speak to a Director of Adult Education.

Ive tried, they either take my number and say someone will call back - they never do, or they give me a number but nobody answers, ive had someone answer the phone once, it was a secretary of the director, she said id get a call back but I never did, called back a few times after that, either no answer or same response. Its impossible to talk to anyone in the ETB

emilymemily

Blaizes wrote: »

If you’re not getting anywhere along this route, could you just volunteer to be a literacy tutor now and then maybe they will put you on the course. I know in the area I live a year or two a go they were looking for volunteers with no mention of having to have this course done. Maybe it varies from ETB to ETB, something I don’t know. I did think there was a big demand for volunteer tutors and with you already being a teacher you’d imagine they’d be delighted to have you.I don't think the volunteering schedule would be too heavy maybe a couple of hours a week, so it wouldn’t interfere with your own teaching or subbing.

I dont know anywhere locally that I can volunteer to do this

bobbyss

I did the NALA course a long time ago. I can't remember if I got a certificate of or anything like that. I enjoyed the course I have to say. There were many people there not from a teaching background which I was impressed with.

I volunteered for a while after that with them but I gave it up shortly afterwards simply as I was just exhausted from my own job by the time I got to them in the evening. I felt a bit sheepish about that as I am sure they felt it was only the qualification that I was after. But they did say at the start that there was a big attrition rate. It was exactly what I didn't need ie-another classroom environment where I had to use my brain which was fried by then. What I needed in fact was just physical exercise.

I'm surprised there seems to be some kind of obligatory volunteering aspect to the ETB course. Do you get a certificate when you finish the course or all volunteering? What happens if you can't complete it?

emilymemily

bobbyss wrote: »

I did the NALA course a long time ago. I can't remember if I got a certificate of or anything like that. I enjoyed the course I have to say. There were many people there not from a teaching background which I was impressed with.

I volunteered for a while after that with them but I gave it up shortly afterwards simply as I was just exhausted from my own job by the time I got to them in the evening. I felt a bit sheepish about that as I am sure they felt it was only the qualification that I was after. But they did say at the start that there was a big attrition rate. It was exactly what I didn't need ie-another classroom environment where I had to use my brain which was fried by then. What I needed in fact was just physical exercise.

I'm surprised there seems to be some kind of obligatory volunteering aspect to the ETB course. Do you get a certificate when you finish the course or all volunteering? What happens if you can't complete it?

Yeah I think that its strange too, to do the course I will have to pay for it, its not very expensive but it seems odd that we'd then be required to volunteer with them for an entire year especially considering how adult literacy tutoring is a job that people are paid to do and considering there is a lack of employment in FE, these are jobs that could go to qualified to teachers - even if its just a handful of hours every week, paid work is paid work. Seems a bit exploitative imo. I assume there is a certificate after completion of the course, I dont know what happens if you dont complete the volunteer work.

Blaizes

emilymemily wrote: »

I dont know anywhere locally that I can volunteer to do this

There is a website that covers volunteering opportunities in Ireland, I can’t remember the name of it but I will dig it out for you.

Blaizes

Site is called volunteer.ie

Had a quick look for you under the education category FET in Limerick are looking for volunteers and an education centre / teacher centre in Mullingar I think. You could also search under other categories.Keep trying emilymemily if this is something you want to do. I don’t know of any other sites except NALA.