Teachers who Qualified Overseas

The EU Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive (2013/55/EC) seeks to facilitate the free movement of professionals within the EU. In accordance with the Directive, people who are deemed fully qualified as teachers in one EU member state are entitled to have their qualifications recognised in all other member states. This recognition may be granted subject to conditions to ensure that the qualifications are of a comparable standard to those achieved by graduates of accredited programmes in Ireland.

You must provide evidence to the Teaching Council from the country where you are a recognised teacher.

This evidence must be:

Documents from the relevant competent authority in this country, (their equivalent of the Irish Teaching Council) showing that-

• You are a fully registered teacher there – (teacher status/license)
• You have completed any induction required there (post-qualification experience).

In some countries you will be required to complete a period of induction/post-qualification experience before you can be given full registration status by the competent authority.

This is any workshop or teaching experience that is required after qualification to ensure you are a fully qualified recognised/registered/licensed teacher in that country.

Recognised teacher status means that you are a fully qualified teacher in the country where you studied to be a teacher. You have met all of the requirements of that country’s relevant competent authority to be a recognised teacher.

A relevant competent authority is the authority which grants full registration/recognition/licensing status for teachers.

For example:

 - In Ireland, the relevant competent authority is the Teaching Council.

- In Scotland it is the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).

Depending on the country in which you qualified, the competent authority may be the Department of Education or Ministry of Education equivalent.

The minimum is one.

For consideration under Route 2 – Post-primary, only one curricular subject is required for registration purposes.

As part of the application you will be required to complete a Subject Declaration Form for the curricular subject(s) you are qualified to teach in their country.

If the Competent Authority in your country does not name the subject(s) you are qualified to teach, the Council will consider your qualifications for recognition in the subject you are closest to meeting the requirements for.

Only when you have submitted all requested documentation to the Council.

It does not start from the date which you submit your first application to the Council.

Our staff will contact you if you have failed to submit particular documentation. It is only when all documents have been received that the file is ready to begin assessment. The assessment will take approximately twelve weeks from receipt of all requested documentation.

You can speed up registration by submitting all relevant documents, completed correctly, at the start of your application.

You should also apply for Garda vetting and provide any overseas clearances required as soon as you apply for registration. Please make sure you correctly complete both stages of the online vetting process.

In order to assist applicants and minimise the costs associated with translation, applicants can provide summary information of the modules identified on their transcripts. Please highlight the sections of the course handbook that have been translated and attach the relevant translations.

Please refer to the table below for further information:

Standard Registration fee:   €90

Fee for assessment of your teacher education qualification:   €200

Fee for assessment of Post-Primary subjects:  €100 per subject

Review of Decision:   €50 (appeal only, refundable if successful)

Initially, an application for registration will be assessed by Teaching Council staff. If you meet the requirements, you will be recommended for conditional registration.

If it is unclear whether or not your qualification meets the requirements it will be sent to an advisor for assessment. Advisors are external experts in Education and/or Subject requirements. Advisors may request additional information from you in order to complete their assessment. If you do not supply this information, your application will be delayed.

After the advisor’s assessment, your application and the advisors reports will be brought to the Council’s Qualification Panel for consideration who may decide to grant you registration subject to conditions/shortfalls.

Qualification shortfalls may be identified in undergraduate and/or teacher education qualifications.

They may include shortfalls in curricular subject knowledge; foundation studies; professional studies or school placement.

You can do this by aptitude test or adaptation period.

An aptitude test is the completion of an examination that addresses the shortfalls identified.

An adaptation period is a period of teaching practice in the identified areas of shortfall under the supervision of a registered member of the profession.

If you are granted conditional registration, the Council will write to you to inform you of the qualification shortfalls on your registration.

For the Irish Language Requirement (ILR) you can find more information at http://www.ilrweb.ie

For the History & Structure (H&S) exam. The aptitude test is held twice a year by the Council. Teachers may apply to sit the examination by emailing historyandstructure@teachingcouncil.ie

For other shortfalls, you must approach colleges yourself to find appropriate courses.

https://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=hei

http://www.openuniversity.edu/

You have three years from the date of your registration to fulfil any shortfalls attached to your registration either via aptitude test or adaptation period.

An aptitude test is the completion of an examination that addresses the shortfalls identified.

An adaptation period is a period of teaching practice, normally three years, which gives you the opportunity to teach in the identified shortfall areas, under the supervision of a registered member of the profession. In some circumstances, the adaptation period can be subject to examination.

Where qualification shortfalls are attached to your registration by the Council’s Qualifications Panel, you have the option of applying to the Council’s Registration Committee Review Group for a review of the Panel’s decision.  This does not apply to the mandatory conditions of Irish Language Requirement and History & Structure exam.

You also have the right of appeal to the High Court.

Since 2014, all applicants under the EU Directive are required to have completed their induction in their country of qualification.

In exceptional circumstances induction may not be a requirement in your country. If so, this condition can be addressed completing induction in Ireland through:

• Droichead - the new integrated induction process

Or

• Traditional processes of Probation (Primary) or Post-Qualification Employment (PQE) (Post-Primary) and the Induction Workshop Programme.

Further information and support can be found here http://teacherinduction.ie/en/

Once all required documents have been submitted to the Teaching Council, the registration process is carried out within a 12 week timeframe.

It is important to note that the 12 week timeframe is from when all documentation is received. The most common delay is when applicants do not submit all required documentation. Therefore, it is important to check that all required information and documents are included with the application form.

A completed application form along with a photocopy of the following documents*;

> A letter from the relevant teacher registration body/Ministry of Education confirming that you are a fully qualified teacher

> Transcript of results

> Description of the modules studied.

* Post-primary teachers may also need to submit other documents depending on their subject area.

You need to submit a letter evidencing that you are a fully qualified teacher from either the relevant teacher registration body or the Ministry of Education in the country in which you qualified.

The letter should state the status of your teacher registration/ licence in that country and confirm that you have completed any programme of induction (post-qualification experience) required in that country.

A transcript of results is a document that shows the modules you studied in each year of your qualification and the grades that were awarded to you.

The Teaching Council requires a transcript for each year of your qualification.

Module descriptors are documents or booklets that describe the content of the modules/ units of study you completed during your qualification in some detail.

The single most common error which applicants make when submitting their application is that they do not include module descriptors. We are aware that different countries use different terms for module descriptors. If you are unsure of what to look for, please contact us in advance of submitting the application form.

See here for information on the English Language Requirement.

Fully qualified teachers* who have qualified outside of the ROI are eligible to apply for registration with the Teaching Council.

*A person deemed to be a fully qualified teacher has completed a recognised teacher education qualification and programme of induction in the country in which they qualified and can evidence this with a letter from the relevant teacher registration body or Ministry of Education.

All applications from teachers who qualified abroad are processed in the same manner, regardless of whether they qualified within or outside the EU.

This means that the exit of the UK from the EU will not affect the processing of applications for registration by the Council.

Yes. The Teaching Council has a responsibility to safeguard entry to the profession in a way that supports quality teaching and learning.

Therefore the qualifications of teachers who qualified outside of the ROI are assessed to ensure that are of a comparable standard to those achieved by graduates of accredited programmes in Ireland. Where significant differences arise, conditions will be applied to the teacher's registration.

Once all required documents have been submitted to the Teaching Council, the registration process is carried out within a 12 week timeframe.

It is important to note that the 12 week timeframe is from when all documentation is received. The most common delay is when applicants do not submit all required documentation. Therefore it is important to check that all required information and documents are included with the application form.

A completed application form along with a photocopy of the following documents*;

> A letter from the relevant teacher registration body/ Ministry of Education confirming that you are a fully qualified teacher

> Transcript of results

> Description of the modules studied.

*Post-primary teachers may also need to submit other documents depending on their subject area.

You need to submit a letter evidencing that you are a fully qualified teacher from either the relevant teacher registration body or the Ministry of Education in the country in which you qualified.

The letter should state the status of your teacher registration/ licence in that country and confirm that you have completed any programme of induction (post-qualification experience) required in that country.

A transcript of results is a document that shows the modules you studied in each year of your qualification and the grades that were awarded to you.

The Teaching Council requires a transcript for each year of your qualification.

Module descriptors are documents or booklets that describe the content of the modules/ units of study you completed during your qualification in some detail.

The single most common error which applicants make when submitting their application is that they do not include module descriptors. We are aware that different countries use different terms for module descriptors. If you are unsure of what to look for, please contact us in advance of submitting the application form.