Career Breaks

1 February each year.

Any permanent or fixed-term teacher who has completed a full year of service with their current employer (or who will have completed a full year by the time the career break starts).

Submit the application at Appendix A from Chapter Seven of circular 54/2019 (PDF) to your school by the 1 February deadline.

Your employer should notify you by 1 March if your application has been approved.

No, this is a common misconception.

You are limited to taking ten years in total, and not more than five years’ consecutively, but within these limits, you may take career breaks on more than two occasions, subject to your employer’s approval.

The decision of your employer is final and there is no formal appeal process.

If there are exceptional circumstances, you could ask your employer to reconsider their decision, or if you believe they have not adhered to the terms of the circular or policy, you could consider seeking a resolution through the grievance procedures.

Up to 14 April, you can withdraw your application for a career break. After this, it is at the discretion of your employer to allow you to withdraw your application.

Yes. In exceptional circumstances, a school can consider a late application for a career break.

Yes. In exceptional circumstances, a school can approve an application for a career break to commence after 1 September. The career break must finish on 31 August.

Under the normal terms of circular 54/2019 (PDF), you can substitute teach for up to 90 days while on career break.

Information Note TC/IN 009/2024 (PDF) removes this restriction for the 2024/25 school year. In addition to covering substitute vacancies, teachers on career break may undertake New Entrant EAL hours, which are paid through the OLCS.

For the first forty days worked, you will be paid as a casual substitute. From day 41, you will receive your personal rate, reflecting your point on the salary scale.

There is more detailed information here about substitute rates of pay.

All your substitute work on career break will count toward your next increment.

You can take up employment outside the Republic of Ireland, without limit.

Yes, the only limit placed on teachers on career break is on taking up an Oireachtas-funded teaching or special needs assistant post.

You can take up any other employment while on career break, including teaching in private schools, third level education, or working in the public sector outside teaching.

Yes. The standard notice period for a permanent teacher resigning is three months, but your employer may accept a shorter notice period.

From 1 September each year, members on career break will be able to amend their membership through the portal on the INTO website. If you do not intend to teach while on career break, you can avail of Career Break Membership, at no cost. Alternatively, if you intend to substitute teach, you can select Subbing while on Career Break, and will continue to pay INTO subscriptions as a percentage of your pay. INTO correspondence will be sent to your home address during your career break.

Maintaining your INTO membership is particularly important if you wish to retain access to INTO endorsed schemes, such as salary protection.

If you allow your membership to lapse while you are on career break, your subscriptions and membership will restart automatically when you return to school.

You should contact the relevant providers to whom you’re paying these deductions and arrange an alternative means of payment.

INTO Salary Protection Scheme members should inform Cornmarket of the dates of their career break in advance. The insurer of the Scheme, Irish Life allows max 4 months from the start date of Career Break to inform Cornmarket.

All members can essentially “freeze” their policies during Career Break, provided they inform Cornmarket on time and maintain their union membership. Full benefits will resume upon return to work from Career Break

Some members may be eligible to pay a lump sum premium to receive partial cover during their Career Break for Specified Illness and Death Benefit only. (Provided they have not claimed for Specified Illness in the past already.) This option is only available to members who will not be traveling during their career break to a country that is on the insurers “unapproved territory” list. Please contact Cornmarket to discuss further.

Contact details
Email – spsadmin@cornmarket.ie
Phone – 01 4084195

Members on career break can amend their INTO membership through the portal on the INTO website. If you do not intend to teach while on career break, you can avail of Career Break Membership, at no cost. Alternatively, if you intend to substitute teach, you can select Subbing while on Career Break, and will continue to pay INTO subscriptions as a percentage of your pay. INTO correspondence will be sent to your home address during your career break.

You are still in employment while on a career break, so you will return to service on the same pension scheme.

However, you won’t make pension contributions while you’re not receiving a salary, so in order to address any shortfall when you return to service, you may consider buying Notional Service or Additional Retirement Benefit through DE Primary Pensions, or contributing to AVCs.

Cornmarket can provide financial planning advice to INTO members.

When you take a career break, you are off your DE salary until 31 August, and will not be entitled to paid leave from the DE until your career break ends.

You may be entitled to Maternity Benefit from the DSP, subject to their eligibility rules, details here.

Yes, from 1 September after your career break ends, you will have the same entitlement to paid maternity leave as any other teacher.
However, if you haven’t been paying PRSI during your career break, you may not be eligible to claim Maternity Benefit. (See rules for claims here.)
If your application for Maternity Benefit is refused, you should notify Primary Payroll, and they will not deduct the value of the Maternity Benefit from your salary during your maternity leave.

You need to be back in service for the duration of your last career break before you are eligible for a further career break. So, having been on career break three years, you would need to work for three years before you would be eligible to take another career break.

There are limited exceptions to this rule, set out at part 3.2 of Chapter Seven of circular 54/2019 (PDF).

Chapter Seven of circular 54/2019 (PDF), and on the INTO help and advice page here.