Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with 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 in line with the requirements set out in the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016.
The Teaching Council registers teachers under four routes of registration: Primary, Post-primary, Further Education and Other. In order to be entered on the Register of Teachers, and depending on the route of registration, all registrants are required to hold, or attain within 3 years, an accredited initial teacher education qualification. Where a teachers holds qualifications in special education in addition to a teacher education qualification, such qualifications may be added to teachers record. Teachers who hold recognised Special Education Teaching qualifications obtained outside the State may continue to apply for registration with the Council under Route 4 and there is no intention to close-off this provision.
The Teaching Council as the professional standards body for the teaching profession, sets the standards for programmes of Initial Teacher Education. It reviews and accredits programmes provided by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the State, based on those standards. All programmes of ITE in Ireland that lead to registration must have professional accreditation from the Teaching Council. The standards for programmes of ITE have recently been revised and were published in Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education (2020) in October 2020. The standards set Inclusive Education as one of the seven core elements which must unpin all aspects of the programme of ITE. Where a HEI wishes to offer a programme of ITE leading to registration, the provider must in the first instance seek accreditation of the programme from the Council.
