Now you can study to be a fully qualified Irish primary school teacher on the Internet with Hibernia College. It only takes 18 months and the degree is recognised by the Irish government. If a company like Hibernia College with very few employees and no campus of its own can set up and offer courses leading to professional qualifications, then what hope is there for bloated universities and colleges, with thousands of staff and expensive buildings?
Aloha Antoin, I was curious what the reputation of this school is, if you have any knowledge. I noticed they are developing a BA program in Irish Studies, and am intrigued.
Mahalo and go raibh maith agat!
I don’t know what the reputation of it is. The background of the founder (Sean Rowland) is in Irish Studies, so that isn’t too surprising.
The most worrying thing is that the College does not appear to have full-time staff with knowledge of the courses they teach (i.e., primary school teaching) listed on the website. Neither do they have any details about their library facilities. Normally these things are required to get HETAC accreditation for a course, and I don’t know how this requirement has been fulfilled or circumvented in this case.
Mahalo (thanks)! Good to know.
HOW MUCH DOES THE PRIMARY TEACHING COURSE COST WHAT QUALIFICATIONS DO I NEED AND HOW DO I GO BOUT APPLYING
hmmmm this is very interesting. but i dont understand how this works.
THIS IS A LOAD OF CRAP! I DONT THINK THIS IS TRUE!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
What Qualifications do I need?
When does the course start?
How much does it cost?
is this too good to be true?wat qualifications are needed?do i need to have honours irish?how do i apply?
is this too good to be true?wat qualifications are needed?do i need to have honours irish?how do i apply?
This is definitely a great idea. How many points and how does this operate? thanks
Why don’t you try http://www.hiberniacollege.com/ ?
Antoin.
Most of the postgrads run for this course provide experience in schools teaching, which from my own experience is essential. Does this course offer this? Also when your finally qualified and apply for a job in a school are you going to be discriminated against because you haven’t gone to a recognised college.From what I’ve heard primary teachers are not one bit happy about this online thing, either are students who are currently studying to become teachers.If these are teachers are going to be your future collegues, where does that leave you?
Hibernia College’s web address is http://www.hiberniacollege.net NOT .COM. It wrong in all your links.
What do I need to apply and how and when can I apply? What is the cost?
Firstly, i would like to congratulate on the success of such a fantastic idea…..the introduction of an online professional qualification…….emphaises should not be placed on the irish language as much and more on the individual in question. I myself went for interview and unfortuently did not get a place. Hopefully this year will bring more luck?
I think Minister Dempsey has made a fundamental mistake in sanctioning this Hibernia course. I believe, that because of this course, the future quality of Primary School Teachers has been put in jeopardy. I am a qualified Primary School Teacher in the Republic Of Ireland.
This certainly sounds interesting, i’m not to sure about it though,do i need the same number of points(450-465) to apply for this course? Does this course offer work experience on the job like the colleges. more information needed!!!!
PLEASE TELL ME HOW DO I GO ABOUT APPLYING FOR THIS COURSE, ITS NOT FAIR I HAVE A FIRST CLASS HONOURS DIPLOMA IN MONTESSORI AND SOMEHOW i FEEL THIS HAS GOT ME NOWHERE. IS THERE ANYWAY I CAN CONTINUE TO GO ONTO A DEGREE PLEASE HELP.
I am currently taking part in the second intake of this Hibernia course. You apply by going to the college’s web site and filling out a form. There are approx. 200 students on each course. I began in Feb ‘O4 and will hopefully qualify in Aug ’05. Leaving cert points are not an issue as this is a post-graduate course. You must have a primary degree and have leaving cert honours Irish, similar to the St. Patrick’s 18-month post-grad. The cost of the course is about 5,500 euro, which is also similar to the St. Pats course, and as with that course, previous teaching experience is a major advantage for being accepted. You are interviewed in English and Irish. During the 18 months you go on three practical Teaching Practice blocks of 4wks, 5wks, and 5wks, also, as it is part-time, most students are constantly doing sub work if they dont already work as full-time teachers. You also spend 3 weeks in the Gaeltacht during the summer. All the curricular subjects are covered and then some. This course, like the Pats course, is very intensive because of its brevity and needs a lot of commitment. Because it is part-time, Saturdays and evenings are often taken up with onsite days, held in Education Centres around the country and online tutorials (using headphones and microphone). I understand why the other teacher training colleges would be opposed to this course, and of course it will have initial teething problems and have to prove itself, reputations only come with time, but I dont see how the quality of primary teaching will be downgraded. If we are not good enough, in a competitive market, we will not get jobs. I personally achieved 560 points in my Leaving (some people seem to think that we are doing this course as a back door because we didnt get the points initially). I have a BA and an MA and have worked for 3 years in publishing. Most of the people doing the course are similar, coming from a wide spectrum of backgrounds from which they will bring valuable life experience to the teaching profession. Many have families, mortgages, etc. and have moved on from a time when they could attend a full-time course in Dublin or Limerick. We have all chosen to do this course after time spent in college and in the world of work, not simply because we got the points. Most of the people on the first two intakes of the course are already working full time as teachers, some for a number of years, so it is not true to say, as the colleges are, that we will add greatly to the number of teachers looking for work next year. Some traditional colleges are protesting that we will be taking their jobs. No one is entitled to any job. Its a free market. What are they afraid of? If we are as poorly qualified as they say we are then they have nothing to fear, the best person, surely, will get the job. I think the huge number of applications Hibernia has received has shown how popular this innovative course is. There was obviously a niche waiting to be filled. If you think that this course involves paying the money, sending off a few e-mails, and being handed a certificate after 18 months, as the traditional teaching colleges would have you think, dont bother to apply. Sorry for the rant, and I know some lovely people from the other colleges, so I dont mean to paint them all with the same brush, but I and my fellow students are working extremely hard to gain a qualification in a profession we are all committed to, so it is hard to watch protests on the streets of Dublin, as there was this week, looking for Hibernia to close.
Can you tell me excatly how this course works and what qualifications are needed?
Like they’ve all said, is this to good to be true? Please let me know where to go from here to apply and how much it costs!!!
I have a degree in business studies I have completed the ECDL successfully. I really want to become a primary school teacher please let me know what i have to do. I want to start this year.
Jenny, I agree with you. There are alot of people who want to do Primary School teaching in this country and it is very competitive. I have looked into the Hibernia course and think it looks excellent. I have an honours degree in Irish, as well as a masters and I just wouldnt be able to take another 18 months off work to study. And I agree that so much emphasis should be placed on Irish – have you people no national pride?! If Irish isnt thought in priamry school then it will disappear forever. I would be interested in hearing from people who have completed the course to see if they have found employment
Caoimhe,
Sorry to say this but hopefully you will not get a position as a primary school teacher. You can’t spell English words, our first language, never mind Irish….(Please see your note – If Irish isn’t thought! Should be – taught!!!) English, both spoken and written, is very important in our day to day lives and if you can’t provide that in primary school then what chance do these children have?
Regards,
Joanne
Hey, I have heard so much about this course and I’m eager to learn more. I had planned to apply for Primary school teaching as soon as I finished travelling (taking 18 months to travel around the world starting in January). I just turned 24 and by the time I come back I will be close to 26, is this too late to start a new career? I completed my primary degree in Recreational Management and then went on to do a H-Dip (business studies being my primary subject). I found it close to impossible to find a teaching job when i finished in UCC, so I chose to work with children with special needs instead. I currently tutor children with Autism. Is my backround sufficient for this course? I didnt do honours Irish for my leaving cert. Where can I complete an Irish course?
what are the requirements to becoming a primary school teacher. i would like to work in AUS but i need to know what course to take.
hi my name is chris and i am a year ten student at corby community college. i am writing this note in hope to recieve a reply as i lpea for information on what it takes to be a primary school teacher as it has been my life long ambition to do this. can you please e-mail me on clm31791@myway.com if you would like too help me. thankyou very much
chris macinnes
Can you please let me know how do i apply for this course, what qualifications do i need and how much it costs. thanks.
Can you please let me know how I can apply for this course, which qualifications I need and how much it costs. Thank you.
Hello,
I am interested in finding out more about this course. Could you please tell me what level Irish i need, what level of a degree i need, what the recommended hours per week are, could I complete it in a year if I wanted to? How much are the fees? Also any other relevant information would be much appreciated,
Hi there catriona, all.
Check
http://www.hiberniacollege.net/Default.aspx?tabid=382
for details about this course.
Be interested to hear how you all get on!
Best,
Antoin.
I have done my leaving cert in 1989. I do not have honours Irish. I haven’t got a degree. I was wondering how long it would take to become a national school teacher.
Would it be possible to do it by correspondence. I would attend an Honours Irish class here. Thanks
Hi there, can anyone tell me how much Irish is required in the interview, what type of questions were asked & how long did it take?
Did the leaving cert in 1989 have an honour in Irish. Also have a diploma from DIT. Would I be eligible
Hi,
I am interested in getting into primary school teaching and I would like to know details regarding requirements, time the course takes and the fees involved. Is it accepted to get into primary school teaching all over Ireland. I have a chemistry backround from U.C.C.
Regards.
Eamonn
hi all,
just a quick note, am actually enrolled in the course at the moment and love it. It is incredibly time consuming though and if you teach while you study( as most people do) be prepared for an exhausting 18 months!
having said that it is really rewarding and a progressive way to study- the standard of irish expected is leaving cert honours irish oral level -to the grade of a c and upwards ,so quite high.
Good luck to everyone, the last round had over 1,000 applicants and approx 200 were accepted, so study,listen to radio na g,tg4,read irish newspapers, do whatever you can!
Good Luck!
Hi guys
Was just wondering if your irish initially needs to be up to scratch or if they would accept you on the condition that you study irish along the way.
Would really love to know what i would have to do as I am desperate to become a primary school teacher.
Thanks
It is obvious to anybody with even a fragment of common sense that this course was given the go-ahead by a man who did more damage to the primary education system than good. Teaching is a profession that requires intensive training and supervision, and it is a well known fact amongst schools who have had Hibernia students that their level of supervision is way below the standards set by other teacher training colleges. Where I come from in the East Clare, many of the principals there refuse to allow Hibernia students to do teaching practice in their schools, mainly due to the faulty principles from which this course is structured upon. The supervision is not organised in a way which would give a clear indication of how adept the teacher trainee actually is. Grades are given generously, and when you consider the difficulty in obtaining a similar qualification from Mary Immaculate College for instance, it is obvious that this so called teacher “training” programme should be stopped before it damages the already fragile primary school system. If the medical or law profession were to experience a similar programme, an national outcry would occur. Regardless of what people say about this course, it is fundamentally wrong for it to exist in the first place, and I hope that Noel Dempsey realises the damage he will have on generations of young children for years to come.
I have heard about this site from my friends. I am confused in how it works though. What qualifications are needed, whats the cost and can you attend straight after your leaving cert at 17 years of age???????? Is honours irish necessary?
The course is for graduates so you need to have a degree already. There is also the requirement, as for all primary teachers, to have an Honour in Leaving Cert Irish.
I’m doing the Hibernia Course at the moment and have a close friend doing the Mary I course so can compare the two. Both courses have similar core subjects and course outlines although we, in Hibernia, seem to have more emphasis on Gaeilge and a lot more emphasis on ET – Educational Technology (using technology for education). Both courses are very intensive, both have Irish College as compulsary during the summer, both need a lot of time and dedication, but essentially both courses turn out excellant teachers of our children.
Hi there, im thinkin of doin the online hibernia course. i have a degree in marketing but am currently doin some substitute work in a primary school, also have a C1 in hons irish leaving cert. just wondering if anybody knows wat would b my chances of gettin into the course and when the closing date is for the next applications? Thanks!!
a C1 in hons irish leaving cert. just wondering if anybody knows wat would b my chances of gettin into the course and when the closing date is for the next applications? Thanks!!
Is this course recognised by the irish education system?? Wht do i need to qulalify for the course? When does it start and how much does it cost??
I am disgusted at this course, which undermines the teaching preaching profession. I have never heard of doctors training online or being allowed to work as doctors and get paid for it during their training. I have experience of Hibernia teaching practice-3 lessons/day and about a weeks notice prior to inspectors visit, and getting to pick what subject to be seen.What a joke!
I have a first class honours diploma in Montessori teaching.Where do I go from here?, How can I do this course what do I need? Please help me?
Hi
I am 27 years old and have a primary degree in french and sociology… I have a B in pass Irish in my Leaving Cert but am going back next year to sit the hons exam and then hopefully do the 18 months in Hiberbia… My question is I am working full-time at the mo but would like to start primary school teaching in Sept (obv unqualified at the mo but with a view to being qual), where do I begin to look for work as a sub/ full time teacher… Is this possible?
Thanks
I am currently doing a 3year degree in Montessori Education. Can you do this course with a pass degree or will i have to do the 4th year to get my honours degree. please advise me
Hi.
I dont have Irish, what qualifications do i need, how much does it cost & when does it start?
Thanks.
I dont have Irish, but would like to become a primary school teachers, what qualifications are needed? Could you please forward me more info on this course.
Thanks.
I have been onto the hibernia site but it doesn’t give alot of information. What qualifications do you need. Could you send me information with more detail on how to go about applying.
Many thanks
Sheena