Re-Train as Secondary School Teacher

Just looking for some advice or feedback from anyone who have retrained as a secondary school teacher.

I'm currently considering going back to college in 2012 to do the H.Dip, I've missed the boat for 2011. I have a BSc and MSc in Microbiology and would love to teach Science and Biology with Maths as a 2nd subject.
I've worked in a number of roles since leaving college (now in my early 30s) and never felt that I was in the right role. I have a strong gut feeling that teaching is the right role for me. I also have alot of experience to bring to the role having worked for several years as a research scientist in a laboratory.

My questions are:

• Are there any financial supports to help me through the year?
• What are the job prospects like for maths/science teachers in the Dublin area? I know the prospects are pretty poor now but it surely can't stay this way forever.

You will probably get more responses to this if you post it on the message board at educationposts.ie. There is a section specifically for secondary teachers.

Have you inquired in DCU about doing the hdip part time, not sure if science is possible but worth looking into.
Doubt you'd get any financial support given that you have a higher qualification than a hdip in terms of having a masters.

From what I understand the DCU H Dip is geared more for people who are currently teaching full time but don;t have their teaching qualification.
Apparently it can be difficult to get into if you don't have any teaching experience. It might still be worth a go though.

Yes the part time option would certainly be more doable financially.

Id def apply anyway, a woman I know got into it two years ago without teaching experience, got a placement in a school to fulfill her course requirement. Id imagine that most people working in schools who were going to use it to get the qualification would have done so now as its been around for a few years.

I think that there's a course in maynooth as well either full time or part time I think? Think I heard that has different closing dates so might be still open for 2012. This is something Im considering looking into as well, but due to location, could only look at NUIG.

I'd get your degree assessed for Maths teaching by the Teaching Council () many science graduates don't have enough appropriate content and the whole scene seems to be being tightened up - unofficially i.e. science teachers teaching maths told to go away and get 'top up study'.

The PAC clearing house system is based on points for experience and qualifications - extremely competitive these days,so do your research and talk to PAC people in Galway.

http://www.pac.ie/