[CathalD]

hi there I am 28 with a higher Diploma in Youth and Community work from Brunel University in England. I have been working as a youth and community worker in Co. Clare for the last 4 years so have plenty of experience.

I want to find out if I can use my HDIP to further educate myself and am interested in primary teaching as a future career option, can you help me and let me know my options?

Cathal

[Miriam]

Hi CathalD. Higher Diplomas over here are postgraduate qualifications. Is yours postgraduate or was it a two year course? You would have to either apply from scratch as a mature student for one of the BEd Honours degrees in one of the Colleges of Education (Go to www.cao.ie and do a course search) or if you have an honours degree you could apply for the 18 month conversion course for Primary Education. However, whichever way you go, you would have to have Irish at higher Level Grade C from the Irish Leaving Cert or GCE A Level Grade C. You would also have to meet minimum requirements with English and Maths. Would you be able to "up-grade" your HDip to an honours degree with one of our colleges over here? It may be worth checking out. Miriam

[CathalD]

Hi Miriam,

The course I did was Higher Diploma in Youth and Community Work and it was a 3 year course that I completed through Distance Learning. I got a C2 in honours irish for my Leaving Cert, a C3 in Pass English and got a B1 in Pass Maths too. Do you think that this would qualify me for the conversion course. Is there a website where I can get a print off of the criteria needed and would you have a contact number for somewhere in Ireland that I could ring to talk through my options?

Thanks again,

Cathal

[Miriam]

Hi again, Cathal. You meet the Irish, English and Maths requirements fine but unfortunately you would need to have an honours degree (Level 8 NFQ over here) in order to be eligible to apply for the conversion course for Primary Education. Have a look at the website of Hibernia College who offer the 18 month conversion course and you will see the entry requirements. It is at www.hiberniacollege.net. If you want to talk to someone about getting qualifications that are appropriate for Primary Education, please contact the Teaching Council. Their website is www.teachingcouncil.ie and you will find their contact numbers there also. Maybe you could get an honours degree through the Open University as they would probably allow you exemptions for your Higher Dip? See www3.open.ac.uk/near-you/ireland and give them a call too. Good luck! Miriam