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Teacher - Secondary School - Gaelic

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Career outlook for teacher - secondary school - gaelic

UK Salary Ranges

Entry-level

£28,000

Experienced

£43,685

Currently employed in Scotland

28,900

Salary information is provided by the "National Careers Service". "Oxford Economics" supplies job forecasts and employment figures. Due to COVID-19 the jobs market is constantly changing. Some of the information may not reflect the current situation.

What's it like?

As a Gaelic language secondary teacher, you’d educate and inspire the next generation of Gaelic speakers. Gaelic education has experienced growth each year since it began in the 1980s and you’d play a vital role in teaching young people about this important part of Scottish culture.

You would teach young people from 11 to 18 years old, in public and private schools. Preparing and giving lessons in Gaelic you’d develop their skills in talking, listening, reading and writing in the Gaelic language. You’d teach and support students with different abilities and prepare them for their National Qualifications and Highers in this subject.

There is national guidance for Curriculum for Excellence Modern Languages and National Qualifications, which you would use when planning your teaching.

As well as teaching, you’d also attend meetings and regular in-service training courses as part of your professional development. You’d work closely with colleagues to plan the school’s timetables, and work with other professionals, such as education psychologists and social workers.

What you might do

  • Prepare lesson plans
  • Assess students’ progress and mark their work
  • Set homework
  • Manage behaviour in the classroom
  • Discuss students’ progress with parents and carers
  • Organise study trips, social activities and sports events 

 

Working conditions

Hours

Teachers work 39 weeks a year, usually from 9am to 3.30pm or 4pm. You’re likely to spend some hours outside of this planning lessons, marking pupils' work and taking part in training and parent evenings.

Environment

Secondary school teachers may be based classroom but from time to time may have to carry books and equipment between rooms.

Travel

You could do supply teaching where you work in different schools to cover the absences of permanent teachers, which would involve some travel.

UK employment status

Full-time

72%

Part-time

26%

Self employed

2%

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  • Positive attitude
  • Mediating
  • Verbal communication
  • Written communication
  • Creative
  • Social conscience
  • Developing a plan
  • Time management
  • Ethical
  • Mentoring

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Getting in

Entry requirements for courses can change. Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.

Qualifications

Entry requirements for courses can change. Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you’ll need.

To qualify as a secondary school teacher of Gaelic, you must have a degree in Gaelic or Celtic (specialising in Scottish Gaelic) plus a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE)

OR

BA (Honours) degree in Gaelic with Education offered by the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) at Sabhal Mor Ostaig and Lews Castle College UHI.

Your degree must contain 80 SCQF points in Gaelic or in Celtic (specialising in Scottish Gaelic), and 40 of these points must have been studied at SCQF Level 8 (second year undergraduate level) or above.

For qualified teachers who already have an intermediate level of Gaelic, such as Higher Gaelic, the University of Strathclyde run a course called ‘Gaelic Immersion for Teachers’ – It has been designed to help teachers transfer to Gaelic-medium classrooms.  For entry, you would be selected by your local authority and attend a week-long taster session. You should already be qualified to teach in Scotland (full GTCS registration), and have intermediate level Gaelic such as Higher Gaelic or equivalent.

Useful subjects

Many colleges and universities will have subjects that you must have for entry.  In addition, they may also highlight additional subjects that they would value. See individual institutions websites for specific entry information. 

Useful subjects would be:

  • Higher English (required) 
  • National 5 Maths (required) - National 5 Applications of Maths is accepted in place of Maths at all universities except University of Edinburgh
  • Higher Gaelic or to be able to demonstrate you are a fluent speaker

Helpful to have

While not all employers list specific qualification requirements they do ask for relevant (usually work based) experience that demonstrates a range of transferable skills.

Qualifications and experience that demonstrate the ability to work with children or young people would also be helpful.