Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Ceist:430. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth if assistance can be provided regarding a teacher registration (details supplied). [32943/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 6 May 2026
Ceisteanna (430)
Freagraí scríofa
Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State.
The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the www.teachingcouncil.ie/assets/uploads/2025/10/SI.2025.0482_TC_Registration_Regulations.pdf As set out in the Schedule of the Regulations, the Council registers teachers under five routes of registration: Route 1 - Primary, Route 2 - Post-primary, Route 3 - Further Education, Route 4 - Other and Route 5 - Student Teacher. The qualification requirements for each route are set down in the Schedule of the Regulations.
The Teaching Council is the regulator of the teaching profession in Ireland. Its role is to protect the public by promoting and regulating professional standards in teaching. This is done through the statutory registration of teachers, ensuring a highly qualified teaching profession, whose members meet an uphold high standards of professional competence and conduct. As such, the Department has no role in the registration of individual teachers.
The Teaching Council has informed me that, as stipulated in the Schedule, the qualification requirements for Route 2 post-primary include the completion of a post-primary Teacher Education Qualification and a qualification which meets the requirements for at least one post -primary curricular subject. The requirements for each subject are set out in the Council’s document Curricular Subject Requirements (post-primary)., published on its website.
Teachers who have qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland may apply for registration with the Teaching Council. The Council assesses the qualification to ensure it is of a comparable standard to those achieved by graduates of accredited programmes in the Republic of Ireland. If there are significant differences, the condition of qualification shortfalls is applied to their registration.
All applications from teachers who qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland are processed in line with the EU Directive 2005/36/EU (recognition of professional qualifications) and are assessed under its general system in the same manner, regardless of whether the applicant qualified within or outside of the EU. Further details on this process can be found on the Teaching Council website.
The person that the Deputy is referring to in this query, currently has registration with the Teaching Council under Route 2 post- primary with the subject of Politics and Society. To date, this individual has not submitted evidence of meeting the registration requirements for the subject of French, therefore this subject has not been added to their registration details. Should this teacher meet the curricular subject requirements for French as set out on page 15 of the Curricular Subject Requirements (post-primary) they may apply to add French as an additional subject. Details on how to apply to add a subject can be found [here] on the Council’s website.
It is also noteworthy that once an individual is registered with the Teaching Council, they are eligible to apply for employment as a teacher. The Council has no remit in respect of employment. Employment matters such as deployment in schools are a matter for employers and the relevant management body.
The Council is independent in their registration function and therefore they are best placed to deal with any further queries that this individual has in relation to their registration.