Gaelic or nursing?

Firstly I apologise if I posted this in the wrong place but I couldn't figure out where else to put it :smile:

. I really don't know what I want to do with my life. As you might have gathered I am scottish and would love to learn Gaelic. I currently study French but Gaelic teaching is something I would love to do. I don't have any prior experience of Gaelic but I know I could learn it even if it took some time. However I don't want all the student debt I would acquire and it would take quite some time as i want to be a teacher. That's where nursing comes in as it is funded by the saas. It is a career I would definitely enjoy but my passion is for Scotland and I would love to learn Gaelic. I would probably be looked down upon by my mother who thinks Gaelic is a dead language and she wants me to be an accountant which I would hate(she hates the idea of nursing as it is). I was just wondering what you think I should do?

Thank you :smile:

Reply 1

Whey aye Cabaye

Nursing aint easy hun, if you go for it you gotta be prepared for some hard work and some short holidays (meaning less chance to earn money). I'm on placement till end of August and then I have an exam and start 2nd year in September lol. Any questions about being a student nurse, ask me :smile:

Reply 2

gingermitch

1

what made you interested in gaelic in particular? and how in demand are teachers of gaelic? [unfortunately] you've got to consider job prospects of a degree, although you never know, you could end up working on de a nis or something :biggrin:

Reply 3

theblackparade

OP

2

Original post by gingermitch

what made you interested in gaelic in particular? and how in demand are teachers of gaelic? [unfortunately] you've got to consider job prospects of a degree, although you never know, you could end up working on de a nis or something :biggrin:

I have always been fascinated by scottish culture and history. I want to immerse my self in the traditions and history of Scotland but I did work experience at a school and loved it hence I would love to be a Gaelic teacher. As for demand there aren't an awful lot of jobs out there but I know the scottish government is ploughing a lot of money into preserving the future of Gaelic

Reply 4

theblackparade

OP

2

Original post by Whey aye Cabaye

Nursing aint easy hun, if you go for it you gotta be prepared for some hard work and some short holidays (meaning less chance to earn money). I'm on placement till end of August and then I have an exam and start 2nd year in September lol. Any questions about being a student nurse, ask me :smile:

The thing about nursing is I love to help people but I know it is a difficult career. Pay isn't an issue as teachers and nurses have roughly the same pay scale. I was just wondering about nursing how practical the courses and whether you feel thrown in at the deep end so to speak?

Reply 5

Gnome :)

2

PLEASE don't go into nursing just "because it's funded". It's damn hard work, and has one of the highest drop out rates for precisely that reason.

Reply 6

Ceiti

2

A lot of courses at Glasgow are flexible (I'm currently doing first year biology, Gaelic and chemistry), but the nursing one is prescribed so although I'm sure the Gaelic department would love to take you on but you wouldn't be able to attend classes during placements and the lectures would clash.

There are lots of evening classes and lots of Gaelic speaking events organised by the university though so if you're committed you could do nursing and pick up Gaelic along the way.

For teaching with no background in Gaelic the SMO would probably be the best place to start, although you require a basic level of Gaelic to get in and live on Skye for 4 years (a bit more expensive than Glasgow). They do a 4 year degree which gets you straight into teaching.

Unfortunately it's a bit of a one or the other. There is a shortage of Gaelic speaking teachers so you will find work if the Government continues to fund it but most likely only in Scotland - nursing on the other hand has a bit more scope for working in other areas of the UK or abroad.

Would you be applying next year? If you are, it might be an idea to obtain some Gaelic learning books and explore the language a little, have you done any teaching/nursing work experience?

Hope that helps :smile:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 7

Gnome :)

2

Original post by theblackparade

The thing about nursing is I love to help people but I know it is a difficult career. Pay isn't an issue as teachers and nurses have roughly the same pay scale. I was just wondering about nursing how practical the courses and whether you feel thrown in at the deep end so to speak?

50% of the course is on placement; that is, working on a ward or in the community days, nights and weekends. Because of the placements, annual holiday is usually less than 10 weeks whereas most students get longer than that just for summer.

As for feeling thrown in at the deep end, most people have some related experience, and the uni are supposed to help you to feel confident when you start placement.

Reply 8

IlexBlue

2

I'd go for Gaelic. It sounds like that's where your heart really is, you enjoy it, have a passion for it, and already have a career planned out for it, and you've already seen what it'd be like to teach and know you'd like it. Nursing can be extremely difficult and draining and I wouldn't recommend doing it unless you were completely committed to it. It's about more than "helping people", and there are other ways you can do that. Choosing something based on financial reasons is never a good idea.

Reply 9

theblackparade

OP

2

I really have a passion for Gaelic but I don't know if I can get a job out of it :/

Reply 10

Whey aye Cabaye

Original post by theblackparade

The thing about nursing is I love to help people but I know it is a difficult career. Pay isn't an issue as teachers and nurses have roughly the same pay scale. I was just wondering about nursing how practical the courses and whether you feel thrown in at the deep end so to speak?

I mean pay as in whilst your studying you won't have as much opportunity to earn whilst at uni. Felt thrown in the deep end once on placement but you get a lot support from uni and RCN.

Reply 11

theblackparade

OP

2

Original post by Whey aye Cabaye

I mean pay as in whilst your studying you won't have as much opportunity to earn whilst at uni. Felt thrown in the deep end once on placement but you get a lot support from uni and RCN.

Thanks I never realised how difficult nursing can be but now I know it can be a challenging career choice :smile:

Reply 12

Stanners95

8

Don't go for a course just because your mum will dislike it. At the end of the day, it's your choice... and if it turns out you dislike Gaelic, is there a way you could go back to nursing? Also, if you're unsure about the worth of a gaelic degree, see if you can combine it with French or something else you're interested in.

Reply 13

TheStudent1289

5

Gaelic is a nice language. To be honest not many people speak it, apart from the west of Ireland where my family's from! :wink:

(Mind you, i'm sure many other places do too). :smile:

Reply 14

theblackparade

OP

2

Original post by TheStudent1289

Gaelic is a nice language. To be honest not many people speak it, apart from the west of Ireland where my family's from! :wink:

(Mind you, i'm sure many other places do too). :smile:

The highlands and western isles of Scotland speak Gaelic but i think it is a little bit different to Irish Gaelic :smile:

Reply 15

mackers_ire

13

You culd do the undergrad degree in gaelic, then the post-grad diploma in nursing (some unis require any degree subject, not just a science bachelors). It desn't solve the gaelic degree debt issue, but would allow you to study both subjects

Reply 16

translation

7

Do some serious research on the job prospects with gaelic before you make any decisions.

Gaelic or nursing?

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