Post Primary Teacher Education - Gaeilge and French or German or Spanish
Join us for our next Undergraduate Open Day taking place on Tuesday 28 June 2022. Click here for details on our next Undergraduate Open Day and to register >>
The four-year Post Primary Teacher Education – Gaeilge and French or German or Spanish degree is a ‘concurrent’ teacher education course – meaning that the academic and professional formation of the teacher is integrated into all four years. It will fully qualify you to teach second-level Gaeilge and another language on completion of the course. You’ll gain valuable and extensive experience, including peer-teaching, team-teaching and school-based placement.
Currently, there is a shortage of language teachers in the post-primary schools so graduates of this course will be highly sought after. The unique approach taken in this course will enable you to reach a high level of ability in Gaeilge and your chosen language enabling you to be a confident and effective language teacher.
One of the most exciting and rewarding elements of the course is our hands-on approach to School Placement. Over the four years of the course students have an opportunity to gain valuable and extensive experience within a range of teaching and learning environments including engagement in observation of practice, micro-teaching, peer-teaching, team-teaching and school-based placement (in both primary and post-primary sectors). Students are supported throughout their professional development by experienced School Placement tutors and school-based cooperating teachers. School placement also enables students to learn about and involve themselves with the wider school community through engaging with activities, initiatives and work outside of their classroom teaching.
Over the course of the four years, students will develop their professional knowledge and practice in how to teach languages. They will also have opportunities to achieve a high level of language proficiency not just through the course itself but through Gaeltacht internships and an Erasmus placement where they will study at a university abroad for the second half of year three.
View the current course structure
Life on Campus
We have three academic campuses close to Dublin City centre - they are located in Glasnevin and Drumcondra, and can be reached by public transport (Dublin Bus).
Each campus has libraries, study spaces, restaurants, and on-campus residencies. Sports facilities are located on two of the academic campuses. We also have a dedicated sports campus in the form of St Claire’s.
Exceptional facilities
DCU students have access to exceptional teaching and learning facilities across our three academic campuses.
These include modern learning theatres, research centres, new media and TV studio, radio/podcast studios, classrooms, computer suites and advanced labs in the areas of languages, engineering, physics, chemistry and biotechnology, as well as a sports performance centre and training hospital ward. In 2021, we opened our first virtual reality ‘Leadership Lab’, which is located in our Business School.
Construction on our FutureTech building on the Glasnevin campus will get underway in 2022. Once completed, this facility will advance DCU’s international reputation for excellence in science and health, computing and engineering disciplines. It will have the capacity to accommodate an additional 3,000 STEM students on the university’s Glasnevin campus.
Campus life
DCU student facilities boast a fully equipped sports complex with a 25-metre pool, three libraries and The Helix, our renowned performing arts centre.
Our purpose built, state-of-the-art new student centre known as 'The U' serves the needs of a rapidly growing student body of 18,500. It is home to the Student Leadership and Lifeskills Centre, performing arts and cultural spaces for students and the wider community, and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hub.
DCU Students' Union and the Office of Student Life are also based in the U. The centre is a space for students where they can meet, with lots of charging points and isolation booths. Clubs and Socs avail of meeting rooms here and it's also home to DCUfm. NuBar, Londis and the Venue are also located here.
There are more than 140 clubs and societies for students in DCU, with ‘Clubs & Socs’ days taking place on both the Glasnevin and Drumcondra campuses at the start of the academic year.
Student Supports
We have a number of academic, professional and social supports for students.
Student Advice Centre: Offers a wide range of supports and services to students and advice
The Writing Centre - drop-in writing workshops for students through the academic year
Maths Learning Centre - provides maths support for students of all ability levels with maths modules
Student Learning: facilitate the transition from passive to active learning for students at DCU, by teaching study skills, nurturing critical thinking and building student confidence.
Careers work with students to help them on their professional journey into graduate employment.
Our student support team offers a comprehensive support programme, helping students make that all important transition into university life and focusing on building confidence and skills which are key to success at third level.
DCU's Post Primary Teacher Education - Gaeilge and French or German or Spanish course video
Your degree will be recognised by the Teaching Council of Ireland, allowing you to register as a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) and apply immediately for employment in second-level schools as a post primary teacher of Gaeilge and French, German or Spanish.
Requirements
In addition to the general entry requirements for admission to the university the following entry requirements apply
- Applicants must present at least H3 in Gaeilge and H3 in the modern language to be studied (French, German or Spanish).
In addition to the general entry requirements for admission to the university the following entry requirements apply: a minimum of GCE A level B in Gaeilge and A Level B in the modern language to be studied (French, German or Spanish).
No Entry Path
No Entry Path
International candidates are expected to have educational qualifications of a standard equivalent to those outlined above. In addition, where such candidates are non-native speakers of the English language they must satisfy the university of their competency in the English language. For further information on international applications click here.