The BEd 4 Conference, “Together Towards Induction and Employment”, was hosted by the Education department on Wednesday, 7th December 2016. The introduction was provided by Professor Peter Finn of St Mary’s, and Laura Prior, from the British Council, presented valuable information on international opportunities for schools through the Council.

The primary and post-primary cohorts were addressed by a principal from the relevant sector who offered advice and guidance on issues surrounding employability. Later in the morning, each student attended a tutorial session with a school manager to discuss a range of issues including the principals’ expectations of newly-appointed teaching staff and substitute teachers. The school managers also offered advice on the completion of application forms and about successful interview performance.

In total, eight managers from our partner schools took part in the event with each sector (primary, post-primary, special school, Irish Medium and Nursery) represented. The input from so many professionals enabled the students to receive advice from a wide range of managers, and this undoubtedly added to the success of the day.

A post-lunch session showcasing a range of opportunities for teaching overseas was well attended by the students with school managers having travelled from as far away as England and Scotland to speak personally to prospective teachers.

The response of the students was overwhelmingly positive with the following comments being representative of the feedback offered by participants: