Where Can a Degree in Inclusive Education Practice Take your Career?

If you’re working as a Special Needs Assistant (SNA), you already know the impact of your role. Every day, you’re supporting children with additional needs in ways that truly matter.

But you may also be starting to think about your own future.

What’s the next step?
How do you move forward in your career?
And how can you build on your experience in a way that brings greater recognition, responsibility, and opportunity?

The BA (Hons) Inclusive Education Practice at Portobello Institute is designed to help you take that next step - with clear, achievable pathways forward.

From Experience to Opportunity

This degree builds on the work you’re already doing and helps you turn that experience into:

• A recognised qualification
• Broader career opportunities
• A pathway into more specialised or leadership roles

It doesn’t take you away from the sector - it helps you grow within it.

Two Clear Career Pathways

Graduates of the programme typically follow one of two routes:

1. Progressing directly into new roles

For many SNAs, the first goal is clear: to move into a more advanced, better-paid, and more recognised role.

This degree is designed to help you do exactly that.

Moving beyond the SNA role

Graduates often progress into roles such as:

• Inclusion Support Worker
• Early Intervention Specialist
• Inclusion Coordinator

These roles allow you to take on more responsibility in planning, supporting, and leading inclusive practices—moving from a support position into a more specialised and autonomous role.

Working across different settings

Your qualification opens doors across a wide range of environments:

Education

• Primary and secondary schools
• Early years settings
• Specialist and additional needs environments

Community and social care

• Family support services
• Advocacy organisations
• Community education programmes
• Residential care settings

Opportunities in established programmes and organisations

There is growing demand for qualified professionals in inclusive education across Ireland.

Graduates may work in:

• Programmes like Better Start, supporting early years inclusion (AIM)
• Organisations supporting children and families in the community
• Bodies such as the National Council for Special Education (NCSE)

Pathways into leadership and policy

With experience, this can also lead to opportunities within:

• The Irish Civil Service
• Education and inclusion policy development
• Government-supported initiatives

This allows you to move from frontline support into roles that shape how inclusive education is delivered nationally.

2. Progressing to Postgraduate Studies

For some graduates, once they have progressed in their careers, the next step is to specialise further through postgraduate study.

You could progress into:

Speech and Language Therapy
Supporting children with communication needs across schools, clinics, and private practice.

Teaching (via the PME)
Moving into primary or post-primary teaching, building on your experience in inclusive education.

Play Therapy and therapeutic supports
Working more deeply with children’s emotional wellbeing and development.

Other postgraduate pathways
Including Masters in:

• Inclusive Education
• Special Educational Needs (SEN)
• Early Childhood Studies
• Related areas in education, social care, and child development

A Career that Can Grow in Different Directions

One of the strengths of this field is its flexibility.

With this degree, you can choose to:

• Continue working closely with children
• Move into family or community support roles
• Progress into leadership or coordination positions
• Pursue further study and specialise

There isn’t one fixed outcome - there are multiple ways to build a meaningful career.

Why this Matters Now

Inclusive education continues to be a growing priority across Ireland, with increased focus on:

• Early intervention
• Disability supports
• Access to education for all learners

This is creating real demand for professionals who are not only experienced - but qualified and confident in their practice.

Taking the Next Step

You already bring experience, understanding, and commitment to your role. What this degree offers is the opportunity to build on that, and to move forward with clarity, confidence, and recognised expertise.

The BA (Hons) Inclusive Education Practice is designed specifically for those working in support roles who are ready to progress. It combines practical, real-world learning with academic development, equipping you with the skills to step into more specialised, leadership, or postgraduate pathways within inclusive education.

If you’re starting to think about what comes next, this is more than just a qualification - it’s a clear and supported route to advancing your career in a way that reflects the impact you already make every day.

Find out more