Pros and Cons

Ireland’s Colleges of Education have a long history and vast experience in training teachers for work in Irish primary schools. They provide a supportive, inclusive environment for third level study, where the student’s academic, social, and personal development is encouraged. If you are sure that you want to be a primary school teacher, then applying to a College of Education is the obvious option. If you want to be a Home Economics or Religious teacher at post primary level, then the simplest route is to take a course at the relevant College of Education. Students who might not want to become a teacher, but wish to study other education related subjects, can also choose to take advantage of the educational ethos and experience of a College of Education. The colleges’ associations with universities mean that a degree from a College of Education can be just as useful or prestigious as a qualification from the partner university. Courses at Colleges of Education include useful teaching practice and school experience, both of which play a core role in the education courses. The courses are specifically tailored toward teaching in an Irish post primary school, meaning that graduates usually have little trouble finding a position, as schools recognise they are trained and prepared for a career as a teacher. This means that an education course offers a career security at a level that third level qualifications in many other arts and humanities cannot match. This also means, however, that students should be sure that they want to become a teacher, as transferring to other courses can be difficult. The Department of Education is trying to attract more men into primary teaching at present, but students should be aware that females greatly outnumber males at the Colleges of Education. As the education provided is so specialised, class sizes tend to be smaller than in some university courses, and there is a quite close working relationship between the staff and the students. As education systems differ from country to country, there are fewer opportunities for teachers to use their qualifications to work abroad than for graduates of some other subjects such as science or languages. There is still a religious element to primary school teacher training in Ireland, something that agrees with some more than others. Colleges of Education have to adapt to this reality, but they still have some links to religious orders and most operate with a specific religious ethos, which is something that potential students should bear in mind. After weighing up all these pros and cons, many Irish school leavers decide to apply to a College of Education to enrol in the Bachelor of Education degree, and become a primary teacher in an Irish school.