teacher training in ireland

So now I need some teacher training, to become a teacher and all!

There are a few courses around Ireland that will train you to become a teacher. The main 4 are through the National University of Ireland. Cork (UCC), Galway (NUIG), Maynooth (NUIM) and Dublin (UCD). DCU and Trinity (TCD) also run courses and Limerick (UL) does a nice Business Teacher course too.

So to apply for one the NUI courses, you have to go through a similar process to that of the CAO, through PAC (Postgratuate Applications Centre). You apply for an application form pack and receive it in the post. No online applications here, these guys want to keep it old school!

Be warned, the closing date for entry into the 2009/10 course is December 1st 2008! A whole 9 months before hand.

Photo owned by germanium (cc)

I’m at this point now, just about to get everything together to send it into PAC. Lets just recap on what I’ve had to do... so far:

• Request a application pack from PAC.
  
• Paid a € 80 application fee through the bank (not online).
  
• Got an official copy of my results from CIT where I did my undergraduate degree (luckily I still have the originals I obtained from last year for my masters application. It cost me € 20 or something).
• Copied my degree results and masters parchment.
• Got those photocopies certified as true copies.
• Got a stamp for the confirmation post card.
• Now just go to the post office to get the evidence of postage page stamped.

This is only the tip of the iceberg with what I'm sure will be a bureaucrats dream. Next time I will tell you about the teaching council of Ireland!!