Teachers in primary and second level schools are employed by the managerial authorities of the schools.
The managerial authorities were advised by Circular Letter in May 2010 of the teacher registration and qualification requirements for appointment to primary and second level schools.
The terms of the Circular (Circular Letter 40/2010) provide that school authorities, as employers, ensure that teachers proposed for appointment to teaching posts for which salary grant is being sought must be—
1. Registered with the Teaching Council in accordance with Section 31 of the Teaching Council Act, 2001 and
2. Have qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post for which s/he is proposed.
The Circular allows for two exceptions to apply:
a) Where an employer can satisfactorily demonstrate that every reasonable effort has been made to recruit an appropriately qualified and registered teacher, an unqualified and/or unregistered person may be recruited pending the recruitment of an appropriately qualified and registered teacher and this provision must be inserted in the employment contract. The employer shall repeat the process to recruit an appropriately qualified and registered teacher within the period of any such contract and in any event within the school year. The person recruited will be remunerated at the unqualified rate.
b) In the case of an appointee who has applied to the Teaching Council, remuneration will be at the rate for unqualified persons pending the decision of the Council. This provision must be inserted in the employment contract. When registration for the sector and recognition of qualifications for the purpose of the post is achieved then incremental salary will be allowed from the date of registration. Otherwise the employer shall repeat the recruitment process within the school year. (A copy of the full Circular Letter is set out for the information of the Deputy).
Information for the current school year on the number of unqualified personnel employed is not yet available as Boards of Management are continuing to make appointments and they are being processed by my Department at present.
Circular 0040/2010
To: The Managerial Authorities of Recognised Primary, Secondary, Community, and Comprehensive Schools
and
The Chief Executive Officers of Vocational Education Committees
Teacher Recruitment
Registration and Qualifications
The Minister for Education and Skills, in accordance with the authority conferred by section 24 of the Education Act 1998, directs that school authorities, as employers, ensure that teachers proposed for appointment to teaching posts for which salary grant is being sought must be:
1. Registered with the Teaching Council in accordance with Section 31 of the Teaching Council Act, 2001
And
2. Have qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post for which s/he is proposed
The following exceptions will apply:
a) Where an employer can satisfactorily demonstrate that every reasonable effort has been made to recruit an appropriately qualified and registered teacher, an unqualified and/or unregistered person may be recruited pending the recruitment of an appropriately qualified and registered teacher and this provision must be inserted in the employment contract. The employer shall repeat the process to recruit an appropriately qualified and registered teacher within the period of any such contract and in any event within the school year. The person recruited will be remunerated at the unqualified rate.
b) In the case of an appointee who has applied to the Teaching Council, remuneration will be at the rate for unqualified persons pending the decision of the Council. This provision must be inserted in the employment contract. When registration for the sector and recognition of qualifications for the purpose of the post is achieved then incremental salary will be allowed from the date of registration. Otherwise the employer shall repeat the recruitment process within the school year.
Special Schools
The position remains that special schools must recruit teachers qualified to teach in primary schools except in the case of special schools that cater for pupils of post-primary age where it is sanctioned by this Department as being appropriate to appoint teachers with other qualifications.
Conditional Registration
A teacher conditionally registered with the Teaching Council will be remunerated on the teachers incremental salary scale. This is conditional on continued compliance with the terms of registration within the period prescribed by the Teaching Council and this condition must be inserted in the employment contract. In the event that conditional registration lapses then from that date, remuneration will be at the rate for unqualified persons and the employer shall repeat the recruitment process within the school year.
Application
The terms of this circular are applicable to all new appointments from 1st September, 2010.
This circular supersedes all previous circulars, memoranda, rules and regulations in relation to this area including Circular 24/00.
Matters relating to registration of teachers are appropriate to the Teaching Council, Block A, Maynooth Business Campus, Maynooth, Co. Kildare. Email: info@teachingcouncil.ie
Please ensure that copies of this circular are provided to all members of the Board of Management/Vocational Education Committee and its contents are brought to the attention of all teachers in your employment including those on leave of absence.
This circular can be accessed on the Department's website underwww.education.ie Home — Education Personnel — Post-Primary/Primary — Circulars and Information Booklets — Recruitment Policies.
All enquiries regarding this circular should be e-mailed to:teachersna@education.gov.ie
D. Tattan
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P. Maloney
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Principal Officer
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Principal Officer
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Schools Division
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Payroll Division
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May, 2010
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May, 2010.
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