SECONDARY SCHOOL

TEACHING
By Luke Rock
Method of Research and Presentation
I went online to websites such as
www.gotocollege.com and www.qualifax.ie to
get general information about courses and
colleges and also went to individual websites
or colleges such as UCD to find entry
requirements for courses.
I also asked my brother about what he knew
about how to get into certain courses as he is
currently studying in NUI Maynooth.
Introduction
Teaching in secondary school is a career which
involves teaching young people and helping them to
prepare for their junior and leaving cert exams.
Becoming a secondary school teacher and the
requirements of a secondary school teacher are
slightly different to that of a primary school teacher
as secondary school teachers will specialise in a
few subjects rather than covering the syllabus in all
subjects.



Teachers Jobs and Roles
Teachers in secondary school have lots of
different jobs and these jobs may vary depending
on what subjects they teach and what year group
they are teaching. Some of these include:
-Planning lessons for each class
-Conducting lessons and controlling a class
-Planning and giving assignments to their class
-Correcting work handed in by students
-Supervising extra curricular activities and working
with other teachers to accommodate their needs.
Teachers Jobs and Roles
Planning lessons: Teachers have to plan what
they are going to do with their class each
lesson in order to make sure they have
everything covered for exams. They may have
to adapt these plans also if they fall behind or
work faster than expected.
Conducting lessons: Teachers have to put their
plans into action and try to stick to them and
not fall behind. They have to make sure
individual students also dont fall behind.
How To Become a Teacher
In order to become a secondary school
teacher a person must usually get a primary
degree in one or two subjects, then take a post
graduate course
In certain subjects like art, music , pe and
science you can take a course that removes
the need to take a post-graduate course in
education.
In order for a person to become a teacher in
certain subjects they will have to show that
they have a certain level of skill or interest in
that area such as music or physical education.
How To Become a Teacher
Route 1 (music): Take the bachelor in
music in education in DIT for 4 years to
become a teacher straight out of college.
Route 2 (Physical Education): Take the
Bachelor of science in physical education
degree in UL which qualifies you to teach
PE along with one other subject (english,
irish, science or geography).

How To Become a Teacher
Alternate route (music): Take the three year BA
in music in NUI maynooth then take a one year
post-grad course in UCD in education. This
would mean it will take 4 years to become a
teacher involving three years in an arts degree
followed by one year in a post-grad course.
Entry requirements
To get a BA in most arts but specifically music
in NUI Maynooth you need a pass in irish,
english and another language however the
point varies every year.
For the bachelor in music education you need
6 subjects (2 honours) And receive a pass in
maths english and irish. You also need to
attend a performance audition prior to being
accepted.
*As these courses are arts courses the points
are likely to change each year depending on
interest.
My Findings
I found that in order to become a secondary
school teacher their are two parts of a degree
or two degrees you must receive. You must
specialise in a specific subject then get a
bachelors degree in education or take a
course that combines both of these parts.
These courses together usually amount to
either 4 or 5 years depending on the course.
Self- evaluation
I think becoming a secondary school teacher in
either PE (combined with geography) or Music
would suit me and I think that a course in the
University of Limerick would be best for PE and a
combination of NUI Maynooth and a post grad-
degree in education in UCD for music.
Before this project I had not come to any
concluions about what subjects I would like to
teach and this helped me to do that. I think being
a teacher will be a good match for me because
the roles a teacher takes on are things that I think
I would enjoy.
Thanks for Listening