Frequently Asked Questions

The Teaching Council is introducing a range of interventions to support teaching and school communities as they prepare for re-opening from August 2020 (see here). The measures form part of the wider approach for the reopening of schools being co-ordinated by the Department of Education in consultation with stakeholders in education.

The measures being introduced by the Teaching Council are focused on increasing the supply of registered teachers who are available to fill supervision and substitution roles to support the re-opening of schools for the 2020/21 academic term.

The Teaching Council, with the consent of the Minister for Education, has made regulations which will allow, on an exceptional and once-off basis, teachers who have qualified as teachers outside the State but who have not fulfilled their induction requirements to apply to the Council for registration and complete their induction in an Irish school setting.

There are 106,000 teachers registered with the Teaching Council. It is estimated that up to 6,000 of these teachers are not fully deployed in schools (e.g. part-time working, a career break, recent retirement etc.) and may be available for supervision and substitution. The Teaching Council will be contacting this potential grouping directly to encourage their participation in supporting the return to school.

The Teaching Council has also consulted with the Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to identify mechanisms which will facilitate the availability of second year post-primary PME students, who are already registered under an alternative route, to be available to schools as an additional resource to undertake paid supervision and substitution duties. The HEIs will enable this in a number of innovative ways, including adjusting times of course delivery and tutorials for student teachers, including online course delivery.

Universities and colleges providing the Professional Master of Education (PME) post-primary programme of initial teacher education have also introduced flexibility in their course delivery to increase the amount of time which registered teachers on school placement can provide for supervision and substitution, outside of their placement hours.

Each year the Council registers summer graduate teachers using a fast-track priority registration system. After the exam boards the HEIs transfer the final year results to the Council where the permissions have been provided.

This year due to the delays in exam boards and in anticipation of other issues related to Covid-19 restrictions, the Council has developed and implemented an online system. Once the results transfer, the Council will issue an email with the appropriate instructions to the relevant teachers. NQTs are asked to follow the instructions. Please note that vetting can be completed in advance of receipt of results and all graduating teachers are encouraged to complete that process without delay. In order to expedite applications for vetting, graduating teachers may submit the required vetting documentation including a scanned copy of the signed consent form by email.

Qualified in Ireland

Applicants who qualified in Ireland, who are not new graduates, and who wish to begin or return to teaching after a period of absence (e.g. a career break) may apply to the Teaching Council for registration. For further details, please click on the link below:

https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/Registration/How-do-I-register-/Qualified-in-Ireland/

Qualified outside of Ireland (Induction Completed)

Fully qualified teachers who have qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland are eligible to apply for registration with the Teaching Council. For further details, please click on the link below:

https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/Registration/How-do-I-register-/Qualified-Outside-of-Ireland-Induction-Completed-/Qualified-Outside-of-Ireland-Induction-Completed-.html

Qualified outside of Ireland (Induction not Completed)

Teachers who have qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland but have not completed the required period of induction in their country of qualification are eligible to apply for registration with the Teaching Council on an exceptional and once-off basis. Applications open on Monday 10 August and may be submitted by 5pm on 30 October 2020. For further details, please click on the link below:

https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/Registration/How-do-I-register-/Qualified-Outside-of-Ireland-Induction-not-Completed-/ 

Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) in Ireland

For further details, please click on the link below:

https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/Registration/How-do-I-register-/Qualifications/NQTs-in-Ireland/Newly-Qualified-Teachers-NQTs-in-Ireland.html

How do I get Garda Vetting?

The Teaching Council liaises with the National Vetting Bureau on behalf of teachers in Ireland for criminal record disclosures. Please follow each step carefully set out in the link below, in order to ensure that the application is processed smoothly. Registration cannot be finalised without vetting via the Teaching Council. Third party vetting cannot count.

https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/Website/en/Vetting-Re-vetting/Guide-to-applying-for-Vetting-or-Re-vetting/Guide-to-applying-for-Vetting-or-Re-vetting.html

Graduating teachers have been asked to commence Garda vetting with the Teaching Council and to submit an application for registration with the relevant documents immediately. Please note that where teachers were previously registered with the Council that vetting documentation including a scanned copy of the signed consent form may be submitted by email.

The Teaching Council registers teachers to enable them to apply for a teaching post once registration and vetting has been completed.

The recruitment and employment of teachers will continue to be handled in the normal way by school management and their related patron bodies, subject, as usual, to the necessary registration and vetting processes in line with the professional standards regulations of the Teaching Council.

Any teachers who register with the Teaching Council who wish to make themselves available for substitute positions are asked to register their availability on the Sub Seeker portal, hosted on www.educationposts.ie.

Further information for anyone thinking of becoming a teacher or working as a teacher in Ireland (including on recruitment and salary) is available on the Teaching Transforms website.

The following links/websites will also assist you in applying for employment. However this is not an exhaustive list: