Teaching in Ireland

Competent Authority

The Teaching Council of Ireland is the competent authority for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland.

Application Process

To work as a teacher in schools funded by the Department of Education & Skills in Ireland, you are required to be registered with the Teaching Council and have your qualifications approved by the authority.

The application process involves submitting a completed Application Form, together with academic transcripts, proof of identity, evidence of character, the application fee and other documentary evidence. All applicants must also undergo the Garda Vetting process which can be completed at the same time as an application for registration. Each application is assessed according to set criteria regarding qualifications and teaching experience as well as evidence of character. Registration may be granted in full, or with conditions, or refused. Applicants have the right to request a review of the decision if they are unhappy with the outcome of the application process.

There are 4 routes of registration

Route 1 - Primary
Route 2 - Post Primary
Route 3 - Further Education
Route 4 - Other

Qualified in the Republic of Ireland

Route 1 & 2 - Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) fast-track registration for Primary & Post Primary

If you are a newly qualified teacher (NQT) in the Republic of Ireland and gave consent to your university to transfer your final results to the Teaching Council, you can use the Teaching Council’s fast–track process to register.

Follow these steps:

Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) in Ireland

Qualified in Previous Years

Applicants who qualified in Ireland, who are not new graduates, and who wish to begin or return to teaching after a period of absence (e.g. a career break) may apply to the Teaching Council for registration.

Route 3 - Further Education

Registration requirements

There are three main requirements for registration with the Teaching Council –

Qualifications
Evidence of character – including vetting (mandatory)
English language requirement (if you qualified as a teacher outside of the Republic of Ireland)

To register as a Further Education teacher, you must have both 1 and 2 below.

1. An Honours Bachelor’s Degree at Level 8 or higher on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) which has a ECTS credit weighting of at least 180 credits
or
An Ordinary Bachelor’s Degree at Level 7 on the NFQ which has a ECTS credit weighting of at least 180 credits 
and either

An appropriate additional qualification,

A minimum of three years’ experience in a workplace or instructional setting which is relevant to the qualification(s)

2. A Teaching Council accredited Further Education teacher education qualification (TEQ).

Relevant legislation

This process for applying for registration for Further Education is in line with:

Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016 [Revised]

Route 4 - Other

There are two main requirements for registration with the Teaching Council.

Qualifications
Evidence of character – including vetting (mandatory)

What qualifications you need to register under Route 4 - Other

In order to be eligible to register under Route 4 – Other, you must meet one of the following requirements:

Hold a special education teaching qualification obtained outside the State. Or
Have previously been registered with the Teaching Council under Regulation Three or Route 4 Other.

Applicants who gain registration under this route can work in restricted school settings such as:

Certain categories of special schools
Certain classes in mainstream schools where Irish is not a curricular requirement

Vetting

Vetting involves a 2-stage application process. Please see guide to applying for vetting here.

Application Process

Teachers should apply for registration here.

Completed application forms must be submitted with:

Photos or scans of academic transcripts. You may also need your module descriptors where transcripts are not sufficiently detailed
Photos or scans of acceptable proof of ID and proof of address
Employment contact details
Employment history
Completed Fit and Proper Person assessment form
The registration fee of €90

Applicants are advised to ensure the form is fully completed prior to submission. When an application is received, it is examined by Teaching Council staff to ensure that it is complete and accompanied by all necessary documentation. Where this is not the case, the applicant is contacted and requested to forward any missing documentation or fill in any incomplete sections of the form.

European Qualification Recognition

Fully qualified teachers who have qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland are eligible to apply for registration with the Teaching Council. All applications from teachers who qualified abroad are processed in line with EU Directive 2005/36/EC and are assessed in the same manner, regardless of whether they qualified within or outside the EU. All applications are individually assessed.

A person deemed to be a fully qualified teacher has completed a recognised teacher education qualification and programme of induction in the country in which they qualified and can 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.

In accordance with the EU Directive 2005/36/EC, the qualifications of teachers who qualified outside of the ROI are assessed to ensure they are of a comparable standard to those achieved by graduates of accredited programmes in Ireland. Where significant differences arise, conditions (qualification shortfalls) will be applied to the teacher's registration.

There are three stages to the assessment process:

Application
Assessment
Registration

Primary

The application form for Route 1: Primary (PRQA-01) is available here. Accompanying guidance notes are available here.

Post-primary

The application form for Route 2: Post-primary (PPQA-01) is available here. Accompanying guidance notes are available here.
Applicants who qualified outside of Ireland, applying for Physical Education, must also complete the form here. (PE1)
In order to register under Route 2 Post-primary and in addition to holding the relevant teacher education qualification, applicants must meet the requirements for at least one Post-primary curricular subject. Applicants must consult the Council's Post-primary Curricular Subject Requirements before determining which subject(s) to apply for. The requirements are available here.

Register as a Further Education teacher.

There are three main requirements for registration with the Teaching Council –

Qualifications
Evidence of character – including vetting (mandatory)
English language requirement (if you qualified as a teacher outside of the Republic of Ireland)

Registration process for teachers qualified in Ukraine.

If you are a teacher who qualified in Ukraine and have been granted EU Temporary Protection, you can apply to register as a teacher in the Republic of Ireland with our process for Ukrainian teachers.

Further information

Teaching Council homepage

Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016

Contact details

The Teaching Council, Block A, Maynooth Business Campus, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, W23 Y7X0, Ireland

Telephone: +353 1 651 7900

Email: info@teachingcouncil.ie

_{The above is for general information- please see the Teaching Council homepage for further details.}

_{Last updated: 23 August 2024}