Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 March 2024
502. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education if she intends to review the apparent anomaly that sees first and second-year teaching students carry out unpaid work within schools during breaks in their studies, while their third-year colleagues are paid by her Department for similar work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12760/24]
View answerThe Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015. There are five routes of registration with the Teaching Council which are namely Route 1: Primary, Route 2: Post-primary, Route 3: Further Education, Route 4: Other and Route 5: Student Teacher. The registration requirements for each route is set out in the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016.
Route 5 provides for student teachers who have successfully completed the first two years of an accredited undergraduate primary or post-primary programme of initial teacher education, to apply to register with the Teaching Council as a student teacher.
This is only for substitute work and students must fully complete and participate in a programme of initial teacher education, at which point they can apply for registration under Routes 1 or 2.
