Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 July 2026
173. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Youth to urgently address an issue with the Teaching Council in relation to a teaching post (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50032/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder 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 Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2025. 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.
As a statutory body, the Teaching Council is mandated by law to properly determine and to authenticate the relevant standards and qualifications of all applicants for registration, including those who have qualified outside of Ireland. My department has no role in this process.
All applications from fully qualified teachers who gained their teaching qualifications outside of Ireland are processed in line with the EU Directive 2005/36/EC. In order for a person to be deemed a fully qualified post-primary teacher, they must have completed a recognised teacher education qualification aimed at the age group 12-18 and any post-qualification requirements in the country in which they qualified. They must provide an official letter from the relevant teacher registration body/Competent Authority or Ministry of Education confirming recognition as a fully qualified teacher in the State/country under the terms of EU Directive 2005/36. In the case of France, fully qualified post-primary teachers must hold a master’s in teaching (known as a MEEF, Métiers de l’Enseignement, de l’Education et de la Formation) and have passed a national competitive exam (CAPES – certificat d’Aptitude au Professorat de l’Enseignement du Second Degré)
The Recognition Department at the Teaching Council can provide more specific detail directly to the Deputy if requested.
Regarding specific teaching posts, the recruitment and appointment of teachers is a matter for the individual school authority or ETB, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). The terms and conditions of employment are outlined in Department circulars and recruitment and contracts issued by schools and ETBs must accord with those circulars.
In accordance with section 1.1 of Department Circular 31/2011, schools should ensure that people appointed to teach are registered teachers with qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post for which they are employed. In a post primary school teachers are required to be registered Route 2 with the Teaching Council and have qualifications in the subjects for the post they are appointed to.
