Teaching in Further Education - Waterford

The Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching in Further Education is a professional teaching qualification and is accredited by the Teaching Council of Ireland. The programme is designed to provide participants with the skills, knowledge and competencies required to teach in a variety of settings in the Further Education sector. No prior experience of teaching is required. Graduates of the programme are entitled to register with the Teaching Council of Ireland as Further Education teachers, provided they meet the criteria set down in Regulation 5, Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2009.



As a participant on this NFQ Level 9 programme you will complete a number of taught modules which focus on both on the practical skills and the theoretical frameworks that underpin the practice of teaching in post-compulsory education. Alongside these modules, you will also complete 100 hours of Practice Placement in authentic Further or Adult education settings, allowing you to apply the learning from the taught modules in real world teaching settings.

The full time programme will run over one calendar year. Students will be required to attend SETU Waterford for one and a half to two full days per week during the two academic semesters in the year as well as to complete the required Practice Placements hours in their placement setting. There are no exams on the programme. A range of methods, including essays, portfolios of work, presentations, participation in online discussions and others, is used to assess the achievement of the learning outcomes in the taught modules. For the Teaching Practice modules, students are observed as they teach (at least once per module) and are also required to submit a Practice Placement Portfolio as part of the assessment process.



Semester 1 (30 credits)

Introduction to Professional Practice

Foundations of Effective Teaching in Further Education

Sociology of Adult Education

Philosophy and Critical Education Theory

Educational Psychology for Further Education

Teaching Practice 1



Semester 2 (30 credits)

Curriculum and Assessment

Developing Effective Teaching in Further Education

Policy and Perspectives of Further Education

Teaching Practice 2

Teaching Practice 3



Teaching Practice

Practice Placement (PP) is a core part of all teacher education programmes and enables the student teacher to practice teaching in authentic settings. It involves student teachers, Practice Placement Tutors, the Practice Placement Co-ordinator, the The Practice Placement Academic Lead and workplace Mentors in Further Education settings. PP provides student teachers with the opportunity to plan and prepare lessons in a professional manner, teach effectively, reflect on their teaching and evaluate how successful this was for their students’ learning.



There are three periods of Practice Placement to be completed on the full time programme, one in the period between September and December and two in the period between January and August. The duration of each Teaching Practice Placement is between 4 and 10 weeks and student teachers will carry out a total 100 hours of Practice Practice over the course of the programme (usually 40 hours in the September to December period and 60 hours in total in the January to August period). 80 of the 100 hours must be delivered as solo teaching hours, while the remaining 20 can include observation of teaching, co-teaching and other activities.



To satisfy the Teaching Council’s registration requirements, placements must meet a number of criteria: they must be completed within recognised Further Education settings (which include Colleges of Further Education, Adult Education Centres etc); they must involve working with groups of six or more learners; and they must be on accredited programmes leading to awards at NFQ Levels 1 to 6.



Student teachers are responsible for arranging their own Practice Placements p. This generally involves contacting the management of likely partner institutions within the Further Education sector. Applicants who are currently engaged in a teaching or tutoring capacity within the further education sector may wish to nominate some of their existing classes for their Practice Placements provided they meet the criteria below and provided the placement is approved by their appropriate line manager.



A dedicated Practice Placement Co-ordinator liaises with the student teachers to ensure the practice placement setting meets the programme requirements. Support documents to assist in arranging placement are provided to applicants once they have successfully completed their interviews. Proof of access to placement is required before an applicant can officially be offered a place on the programme, but access to placement does not have to be in place at the time of application and interview.

Applicants for this programme normally require an NFQ Level 8 qualification in an area that is currently taught in Further and / or Adult Education in Ireland. Those who meet this requirement are interviewed to assess their overall suitability for the programme.



In order to be offered a place on the programme, applicants must provide proof that they have access to 100 hours of Practice Placement in appropriate Further Education settings. Practice Placement must be completed within recognised Further Education settings (which include Colleges of Further Education, Adult Education Centre's etc.) and with groups of six or more learners taking accredited programmes leading to awards at NFQ Levels 1 to 6.



Applicants whose first language is not English must submit evidence of competency in English. Please see the English Language Requirements (for details.



All applicants require Garda clearance and will therefore be expected to complete the necessary Garda Vetting forms at the beginning of the programme.

12 months full-time



This full-time programme is delivered on campus on Thursdays and Fridays. In addition, students are required to complete online and self-directed study.

NEXT INTAKE September 2024

The Irish Further Education and Training sector provides graduates of this programme with a wide range of contexts in which to pursue their teaching careers. Opportunities for qualified further education teachers are to be found in a variety of settings from Colleges of Further Education to Adult Education Centre's, Adult Literacy Services and other settings. Graduates of this programme have gone on to work on a range of different further education programmes, including Post Leaving Certificate programmes, Youth reach programmes, programmes that are run under the Back to Education Initiative (BTEI) and the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS), as well as in community education contexts and on both accredited and non-accredited adult education programmes. A number of graduates have also gone on to further study, including at doctoral level in Education.