The Department of Education and Skills Circular 0063/2010 sets out the recruitment procedures and the requirement for Garda vetting. This Circular came into effect on 1 January 2011.
Circular 0063/2010 may be downloaded here.
Regular Queries about DES Circular 0063/2010
As the authorised body to seek vetting for new teachers, the Teaching Council is receiving a significant number of queries regarding the Department of Education and Skills Circular 0063/2010, “Recruitment procedures – requirements for Garda Vetting”, which came into effect on 1 January 2011.
These queries fall into three categories as follows:
- Registered teachers who are signing new contracts for a new school authority.
- Registered teachers who are signing new contracts while continuing to work for the same VEC or same school authority and have been previously Garda vetted by The Teaching Council.
- Registered teachers who have applied for Garda Vetting and are awaiting the result of the vet.
1. Registered teachers who are signing new contracts for a new school authority
- Who must be vetted? (Page 5 of the Circular)
All persons being appointed to teaching positions must be vetted prior to commencing employment unless they have already been vetted during the same or previous calendar year. The requirement for vetting applies in respect of all types of appointment of any duration including full-time, part-time and substitute positions.
This requirement to be vetted applies at the time a teacher is commencing employment of any duration and includes those teachers who are changing employments, e.g. moving between schools on transfer, redeployment etc.
Although not changing employer, teachers who are returning to work after a leave of absence of 2 or more years must also be vetted.
Registered teachers who are signing new contracts for a new school authority must have a Teaching Council Garda Vetting result which was carried out in 2012 or 20123 as per the circular above.
2. Registered teachers who are signing new contracts while continuing to work for the same VEC or same school authority and have been previously Garda vetted
- Who must be vetted? (Page 5 of the Circular)
The requirement to be vetted does not apply in the case of:
a) a teacher who transfers between schools that are part of the same VEC, or
b) a teacher who is being re-employed by the same school authority provided there is no gap (other than school holidays) immediately prior to the re-employment and the teacher has been previously vetted for the initial employment with that school authority.
Registered teachers who have been previously vetted through The Teaching Council during (e.g. 2008 or 2009) and are continuing to work for the same VEC or are remaining with the same school authority do not need to reapply for Garda Vetting as per the circular above.
3. Registered teachers who have applied for Garda Vetting and are awaiting the result of the vet
- What happens if an appointment to a teaching or non-teaching position needs to be made and the vetting process is not fully completed? (Page 7 of the Circular)
Every effort must be made to complete the vetting process in advance of appointments being made. However, in certain circumstances, it may be the case that even though the vetting application has been submitted at the earliest stage, it may not be possible (for reasons outside the control of the school authority) to have the vetting process completed in advance of an appointment being made. In such cases, the prospective employee must be informed in the letter of appointment or separately in writing that his/her appointment is subject to the satisfactory outcome of the vetting process. The prospective employee must confirm in writing his/her acceptance of this condition prior to commencing employment.
If you wish to request a Garda Vetting application form, please email vetting@teachingcouncil.ie and provide your full name, postal address and confirm that you are a teacher.
All queries relating to the Circular 0063/2010 and forms contained therein should be addressed to schoolgovernance@education.gov.ie