If you’re in transition year, or thinking about changing your career direction, have a look below at our recommendations for work experience with the Irish language.
Opportunities #
Work experience is a great opportunity to learn more about professional life — by getting a taste of the various work sectors that exist and gaining more experience working closely with your own interests.
There are many different opportunities to do your work experience through Irish. It doesn’t have to be in a primary school or with an educational organization, although that is an option as well. You could apply for work experience in your former school if you’re interested in getting a look at the life of a teacher.
Whatever work opportunity is available, most of the time, there is a chance to undertake it through Irish. There are excellent examples to be seen on our business and services directory of typical companies that are happy to provide services through Irish; if you see one that you’re interested in, it would be worthwhile to contact them to ask if they would take you on for a period of work experience.
In the media #
There is a wide range of media in Ireland available in Irish or operating in Irish.
TG4
TG4 is a fantastic station that has expanded beyond just producing television programs. They have various accounts across different platforms, focusing on a number of areas, from sports and community matters to youth content and much more. They now have online-only platforms like Molscéal and BLOC and are always on the lookout for people to do internships and work experience with them.
Raidió Rí-Rá
If you’re interested in becoming a radio presenter, or even just want to learn more about the day-to-day operations in a radio station, doing your work experience with Raidió Rí-Rá is highly recommended. The same applies to Raidió na Life and Raidió Fáilte, depending on where in the country you are!
Journalism
If journalism interests you, there is an opportunity to pursue it through Irish. Nowadays, there are plenty of magazines available in Irish, both in print and online formats.
There’s tuairisc.ie, which reports on the daily life of the Irish-speaking community, keeping up with current events both inside and outside the Gaeltacht.
Many other news outlets have emerged in recent years, and it is worth contacting them about work experience opportunities.
If you’re interested in writing about topics that are widely discussed, trending stories, or simply writing an article about something that interests you personally, doing your work experience with NÓS.ie would be worthwhile. NÓS takes a different approach compared to Tuairisc, targeting a particular audience.
If you’re interested in literature and politics, it’s worthwhile doing your work experience with Comhar, which has been publishing magazines for many years.
In the lead organisations #
If you’re someone interested in activism, campaigning, fighting for your passions, or someone with a deep interest in Irish and working with it generally, there are opportunities to find out more and participate in this type work in one or more of the 6 lead Irish-language organisations.
These organisations focus on a wide range of different topics and are all funded and supported by Foras na Gaeilge. Their main areas of interest are outlined below:
Conradh na Gaeilge – A democratic forum for the language. Advocating for Irish at the national level through campaigning and general promotion. Seachtain na Gaeilge, Raidió Rí-Rá, and many other recognized campaigns fall under their umbrella. If you’re interested in doing your work experience with the Conradh in Dublin, Galway or Belfast, please contact us at eolas@cnag.ie.
Gaeloideachas – supports and seeks to develop the Irish-medium education system both inside and outside the Gaeltacht.
For anyone living in the North, Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta is the equivalent organisation for the 6 counties.
Gael Linn –mainly focuses on secondary-level affairs, working closely with post-primary schools on various campaigns and running a national debating competition. The Gaelbhratach is also under their direction, as well as Scléip – a national music competition for young people.
Coláiste & Cumann na bhFiann – Irish-language youth clubs and Gaeltacht summer courses are run by Coláiste na bhFiann. They are based in the National Youth Centre, Droim Rí, Co. Meath.
An tOireachtas – is an annual festival in existence since 1897, involving a great many preparatory activites throughout the year.
Glór na nGael – focuses on facilitating Irish-speaking family life and generally normalizing Irish at the local level. They also work with businesses to develop or provide Irish-language services.
Other organisations #
There are other groups working with the Irish language that are not lead organizations but are engaged with Irish on a daily basis.
Údarás na Gaeltachta – carries out language planning work, focusing on developing the economic, social, and cultural affairs of the Gaeltacht areas, if you’re interested in those fields.
An Foras Pátrúnachta – work tirelessly supporting local communities to provide education through Irish in different areas across the country.
If you’re interested in teaching, it might be worth getting in touch with your former primary school to ask if they’re accepting people for work experience, or you could contact a local Gaelscoil to get a taste of a teacher’s life. Irish can take you around the world through teaching. So, why not do work experience in the sector to see if you like it?
At the end of the day, any job in Ireland can be done through Irish, but the points mentioned above refer to roles where Irish is central. It is a sector going from strength to strength – more and more opportunities to work with the Irish language are emerging all the time.
Additional information #
- What careers are possible with the Irish language
- Who are the top employers for Irish language jobs
- Prepare your CV in Irish
- Other companies producing television, radio and written materials in Irish
- For more information on career choices and more, have a look at our portal for young people
