A man training to be a primary school teacher in Ireland through online learning has spoken positively of the experience to the Irish Times.

Paudie O'Neill, 30, embarked on an 18-month course with Hibernia College, fitting 25 hours worth of studying a week around his full-time job in construction.

He was forced to go online as a result of not being able to afford to attend his local college and he suggested he feels far from a 'yellow-pack teacher', revealing his training to be intense and well-rounded.

Mr O'Neill sits for eight hours a week watching online lectures and takes part in seminars and face-to-face sessions with his tutor as well.

Every fortnight he spends a full day with an expert on a specific subject and detailed lesson plans need to be submitted before each class, which he admitted can keep him up into the middle of the night to finish.

The Irish Independent reported last year on Hibernia College's growth in popularity, particularly among men, with the proportion of males signing up to its courses almost doubling to 20 per cent within five years.

Written by Donal Walsh

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