Qualifications Awarded in Ireland
The following is taken from www.teachingcouncil.ie
There are two main entry routes for persons wishing to register on the basis of qualifications in primary school teaching (Junior Infants to Sixth Class) awarded in Ireland:
- A recognised three year full-time programme, leading to a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree.
- A recognised Graduate/Higher Diploma in Education (Primary) in combination with a primary degree at level 8 or a qualification at level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications.
The colleges which provide these qualifications are:
Church of Ireland College of Education, Upper Rathmines Road, Dublin 6
Telephone: (01) 497 0033
Email: info@cice.ie
Website: www.cice.ie
Coláiste Mhuire, Marino Institute of Education, Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9
Telephone: (01) 805 7700
Email: info@mie.ie
Website: www.mie.ie
Froebel College of Education, Sion Hill, Blackrock, Co. Dublin
Telephone: (01) 288 8520
Email: admin@froebel.ie
Website: www.froebel.ie
Hibernia College (Higher Diploma only), 2 Clare Street, Dublin 2
Telephone: (01) 661 0168
Email: academicaffairs@hiberniacollege.net
Website: www.hiberniacollege.net
Mary Immaculate College, South Circular Road, Limerick
Telephone: (061) 204 300
Email: admissions@mic.ul.ie
Website: www.mic.ul.ie
St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin 9
Telephone: (01) 884 2000
Email: admissions.office@spd.dcu.ie
Website: www.spd.dcu.ie
Newly Qualified Teachers
The Council has developed a streamlined application process for final year teacher education students who wish to register with the Council. It operates as follows:
1. Teaching Council Visits Colleges and Universities
A representative of the Teaching Council visits final year teacher education students at their college or university and briefs them on the Council's registration requirements. On the day of the visit, students are required to return completed forms as follows:
i. Student Consent Form
The consent form authorises the college or university to transfer student contact details and exam results to the Teaching Council. This form should be completed and returned to the Registrar's or Education Department's office in the college or university.
Where final year students do not complete this student consent form, their details will not be transferred to the Teaching Council and the registration process will not commence.
ii. Garda Vetting Application Forms
For both registration and employment purposes, all newly qualified teachers must be vetted by An Garda Síochána. The Teaching Council cannot process an application for registration until the applicant has completed the vetting process. It is important to note that the vetting process can take up to 10 weeks to complete.
iii. Certification of Fitness to Teach Form
Under the Teaching Council Act, 2001, one of the requirements for admission to the register is satisfactory evidence of character. It is advised that the Certification of Fitness to Teach Form is:
- completed prior to the sitting of final exams
- retained and submitted along with the application for registration which is issued to new graduates in July.
It must be signed by a professional person in a position of scholastic/academic responsibility, specifically:
1. School Principal or the member of the Board of Management of a school. Your post-primary school or the school in which you completed your Teaching Practice will suffice.
OR
2. The College President, Head of Education, Head of Teaching Practice, Registrar, or Faculty/Department /Subject Head from the teacher education programme completed by the applicant.
The person signing the form should know the applicant for one academic year within the past five years. The signature should be witnessed by a third party, i.e. any person other than the applicant.
2. Students Apply for Registration
The Teaching Council sends a personalised application form to newly qualified teachers whose details were transferred by the college or university. This form must be correctly completed and returned to the Teaching Council by 31 July.
Newly qualified primary teachers are granted registration with conditions pending the successful completion of probation.
Teachers Not Newly Qualified (Qualifications Awarded in Ireland)
Applicants who were awarded qualifications in Ireland, who are not new graduates, and who wish to begin or return to teaching after a prolonged period of absence (e.g. career breaks) may apply to the Teaching Council for registration. All such applications will be assessed on an individual basis.
Teachers with a Montessori Qualification
Applicants wishing to be registered as a teacher on the basis of qualifications as a Montessori teacher must meet the qualifications requirements set out in DES Circular Letter 25/00. These are:
- The three year full-time course in the Association Montessori lnternational (AMI) College, Mount St Mary's, Milltown, Dublin 14; or
- The National Diploma or Degree in Humanities in Montessori Education from St Nicholas Montessori College, Dun Laoghaire, which is accredited by the HETAC.
Under Department of Education and Skills regulations, such teachers are eligible for employment as teachers in restricted settings, i.e. in certain categories of special schools and in certain classes in mainstream schools where Irish is not a curricular requirement, and in resource posts for children with special needs in mainstream schools. Teachers who are granted restricted recognition are not entitled to apply for or to accept posts as learning support teachers in mainstream schools.