About
Teaching careers span a wide range of settings and the work can vary depending on the ages being worked with, working with pre-schoolers is a very different kind of teaching to that undertaken by a university academic, juggling in depth teaching with their own research and writing. You can find yourself teaching adults too, such as workplace training or those going back to education to help them switch careers.
Skills
Key Facts
students in primary schools in 2017/2018
second level students in 2017/2018
enrolled in higher education in 2017/2018
million Irish people are under 15
Labour Market Information
With 167,600 persons employed in the 4th quarter of 2017 the education sector made up 7.5% of national employment. Employment rose by 20.6% between 2012 to 2017, meaning an additional 11,400 persons employed in the sector.
The National Skills Bulletin 2018 notes it is proving difficult to source qualified secondary teachers for certain key subjects (e.g. foreign languages, science). Changes in government policy in relation to the introduction of other subjects (such as career guidance) will require the sourcing of teachers with the required skills. Demand for secondary teachers is expected to continue in the near future as the population grows.
In this Sector...
Pre-Primary Education
There are a variety of voluntary educational options for children before they enter primary school. Options for parents include crèches, nurseries, pre-schools, naíonraí and playgroups.
Primary School Education
Two routes to an appropriate teaching qualification are, taking a four-year Bachelor of Education course or, if you have taken a non-teaching undergraduate, you may pursue the Professional Master of Education in Primary Teaching.
Post Primary Education
In contrast to primary teaching, second level teachers will specialise in subjects, delivering classes on them to a variety of years. This demand to master a subject represent a different challenge to that facing primary school teachers, who must maintain a knowledge base across a number of subject areas.
Advice from Experts...
If you want to know more about working in the in the sector, hear what the experts have to say.
Education
- Career Opportunities
- Education and Training
- Career Advice
- About this Sector
.png "How Further Education and Training Can Close The Gap on Skill Shortages")
.png "Get a Head Start During Your Mid-Term Break")
.png "'Study Away' to bring International Universities to an Irish Audience")
.png "How a Degree in Arts and Humanities can translate to a Career")
