Warning: Your browser doesn't support all of the features in this Web site. Please view our accessibility page for more details.

Quick Search [?]WHAT IS THIS?
Searches this and other areas of the Web site as you type. Results appear on this page.
Also searches the entire Web site (with results on a new page) if you press enter or click on 'Go'.

Your Path to Teaching

This page aims to help you find out about training to be teacher in Secondary, Primary, Further Education, Special Needs.

If you are a teacher who qualified outside of Ireland and wish to teach in a recognised school in Ireland, you must apply for recognition of your qualifications prior to registration.First, you must be fully qualified in the country in which you did your training - more from The Teaching Council. Once your qualifications have been recognised (forms available from Teaching Council), you then apply for registration. Important Notice for those commencing a teaching qualification outside Ireland from 1 January, 2014

How do you become a PE teacher?

...........................................

Secondary Teacher Training

IRELAND

ASTI have produced a booklet Thinking of a Career as a Second-Level Teacher?, downloadable from their website. Aimed at undergraduates who are interested in second level teaching as their career choice.

For details on the Irish Language Certificate (and exemptions) see the State Examinations Commission's website.

All teachers are required by law to register with the Teaching Council in order to be employed in a recognised school.

Qualifications below are HETAC level 8.

Professional Diploma in Education in NUI Galway , NUI Maynooth, UCD or UCC apply before December 1st. Application and information online from September at The Professional Diploma in Education (NUI) Applications Centre

Trinity College Dublin also has a Postgraduate Diploma in Education. Application deadline usually December.
University of Limerick offer a Grad.Dip.Ed. in Business, Technology, Mathematics, PE, Languages or Music. Closing date is (usually) the first Friday of March in any calendar year for Business, Languages and Music. Check website for details.
Dublin City University offer a part-time Graduate Diploma in Education. Apply online at http://www.pac.ie/ (under DCU) - Check website for details.
Hibernia College offer an online 2-year HDip in Arts Post-Primary Teaching. Applications on a rolling basis.

Please note that from entry 2014, the PDE at NUI Galway, NUI Maynooth, UCC and UCD will be a 2 year programme with the 2013 entry PDE being the last 1 year programme.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Application forms and details of the entry requirements may be obtained from the Registrar/Admissions Office of each institution. Details of all courses and course links, tuition fees and funding available from Department of Education Northern Ireland.

ENGLAND

To apply for courses, use the GTTR system - you can choose up to 4 secondary teacher training courses. Late applicants: your form will be considered as long as there are vacancies. Applications are processed in order of the date they are received. The GTTR website hosts a database of courses with vacancies, searchable by teaching subject.

Teachers are fully qualified to teach in the UK on completion of an induction teaching year in a school after the teacher training course.

Alternative routes are available to graduates: see www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/teacher-training-options.aspx for options.

Funding: There are incentives for those studying in England. EU students who have residence status in an EU country are eligible for the incentives. From 2012, most applicants will need a 2.1 to be eligible to apply for a bursary. Funding awards and bursaries can change annually - we recommend that you check with the above websites for updates.

WALES

Application is the same as England (GTTR).

Entry requirements and funding information.

SCOTLAND

Application is the same as England (GTTR for all except University of West Scotland)

Entry requirements for secondary teacher training courses in Scotland

The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) provides funding for fees of eligible candidates.

...............................................................

Primary Teacher Training

IRELAND

Those that do not have the BEd, can apply to a Grad Dip after graduating with another degree.
All primary teachers serve a probationary period after their training.

Full admission criteria can be read online on the Department of Education & Skills website (e.g., Irish, Maths and English Leaving Certificate requirements).

Postgraduate courses - Deadline 3rd December 2012. Application forms are available from each of the Colleges listed below.

Mary Immaculate College, Limerick - Graduate Diploma in Education (Primary Teaching)

also have a useful Q&A section where you can post a question to the course administrators and read previous questions and answers.

St. Patrick's College of Education, Drumcondra - Graduate Diploma in Education (Primary Teaching)
Froebel College of Education, Co. Dublin - Higher Diploma in Education (Primary Teaching)
Coláiste Mhuire, Marino Institute of Education, Dublin - Higher Diploma in Education (Primary Teaching)
Hibernia College – Online course min 2 years duration.

NOTE: from 2014 all postgraduate teacher training in Ireland will be 2 years long.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Application forms and details of the entry requirements for admission to both Secondary and Primary teacher training courses in Northern Ireland may be obtained from the Registrar/Admissions Office of each institution.

Details of all courses and course links, tuition fees and funding available from Department of Education Northern Ireland.

ENGLAND

Applications are through GTTR – Graduate Teacher Training Registry . You can apply online. You can choose up to 2 primary teaching courses in your application. Your application cannot be sent until the reference has been received.

Application deadline for on-time applications to primary for 2013 entry is 18:00 on Thursday 6 December
(source: www.gttr.ac.uk).

Teachers are fully qualified to teach in the UK on completion of a probationary teaching year in a school after the teacher training course.

Alternative routes are available to graduates: see www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/teacher-training-options.aspx for options.

Funding: There are incentives for those studying in England. EU students who have residence status in an EU country are eligible for the incentives. From 2012, most applicants will need a 2.1 to be eligible to apply for a bursary. Funding awards and bursaries can change annually - we recommend that you check with the above websites for updates.

WALES

Application is the same as England (GTTR).

Entry requirements and funding information.

SCOTLAND

Application is the same as England (GTTR, for all except University of West Scotland)

Entry requirements for primary teacher training courses in Scotland.

The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) provides funding for fees of eligible candidates.

................................

Further Education Teacher Training

From 1 April 2013, applicants for registration to teach in the further education sector must have attained a Council approved teacher education qualification in addition to meeting degree qualification requirements.

Further details on registration and recognised courses are available from the Teaching Council website

................................

Special Needs Teaching

Generally speaking, to get work as a special needs teacher, you need:

A recognised teaching qualification.

Experience as a teacher as well as working with children with special needs (voluntary or paid).

A recognised course after doing the first two steps.

See Teaching Council regulations for details.

................................

Making the application

There is a lot of help online for writing teaching personal statements and attending interviews for the PGCE.

Good starting points are:

GTTR: tips on filling out the personal statement.
Applications Assistant (education.gov.uk)
FAQ - Going for a teacher training interview

For more links related to teaching please see our social bookmarking site at www.delicious.com/careersinfo

The Career Development Centre offers advice and information in good faith and based on the best information available to it. The Centre does not accept any responsibility for any decisions made by individuals based on such advice or information. The Career Development Centre does not take responsibility for the contents of any sites linked to from its pages.
As regulations are changing, we recommended that you check with the Teaching Council and carefully read their registration material (available at www.teachingcouncil.ie) before making any decisions to study abroad.

Career Development Centre
National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
Phone: +353 (0)91 493589, Fax: +353 (0)91 494570
This page was last updated Monday, April 29, 2013