Region: NI

Student Recruitment Fairs

Are you starting your teacher training course this September? Come along to the INTO stall at Fresher’s Day and register for FREE student membership of the INTO. Our friendly representatives will be there to meet you and give you your free INTO Student Pack.

Student Recruitment Fairs are scheduled for the following dates:

• University of Ulster at Coleraine - Thursday 5 September 2024
• Queen’s University Belfast - Thursday 5 September 2024
• Stranmillis University College - Wednesday 2 October 2024
• St Mary’s University - Wednesday 2 October 2024

If you are unable to visit us on Fresher’s Day JOIN ONLINE HERE

Student Career Days

Each year the INTO attend your Student Career Days. Come along and talk to our representatives who will be happy to answer any questions you may have relating to your future in teaching:

• Stranmillis University College - TBC
• Queen's University Belfast - TBC
• St Mary's University College - TBC

Student Seminars

INTO run a series of seminars and workshops aimed at our student members:

• INTO Seminar 1: Finding Your First Teaching Post
• INTO Seminar 2: Teachers and the Law
• INTO Seminar 3: Teaching in the Republic of Ireland
• INTO Seminar 4: Managing Challenging Behaviour
• INTO Seminar 5: Interview Techniques / Mock Interviews
• INTO Seminar 6: NQTs – Your First Day at School

Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for further details.

Welcome to our student teachers - we invite you to join us!

Watch a joint INTO-NEU-UTU video of young teachers sharing their views on the importance and benefits of union membership:

Join all three unions FOR FREE by completing one Online Student Application Form

(PLEASE NOTE: our student membership is applicable to student teachers studying
and/or undertaking School Placements in Northern Ireland).

Welcome to the INTO

Welcome to the teaching profession and welcome to the INTO. As a student teacher you have embarked upon a career that is both rewarding and challenging. The INTO are here to help you through all stages of your career.

As a student teacher you will be encouraged to join as many teaching unions as possible but at the end of your course you will need to pick just one. Read on to find out why you need to be a member of the INTO:

What is the INTO?

The INTO is the largest teachers’ trade union in Ireland representing over 47000 members. In Northern Ireland INTO represents almost 8000 teacher and student members across all education sectors.

What is a Trade Union?

A trade union is an organised group of workers who collectively use their strength to have a stronger voice in their workplace. One of a trade union’s main aims is to protect and advance the interests of its members in the workplace.

Why do I need a Trade Union?

As a student teacher being a member of the INTO offers you protection and security while you are on teaching practice and gives you access to our extensive advice and support network. We are here to help you if you need it – all in the strictest of confidence.

Why should I join the INTO?

• As a student teacher you can join INTO for FREE;
• As a Newly Qualified Teacher you get your FIRST YEAR OF MEMBERSHIP for FREE;
• After that you ONLY PAY for the DAYS YOU WORK: we won’t charge you when you aren’t working;
• We are a LOCAL UNION based in Belfast offering LOCAL SOLUTIONS to LOCAL PROBLEMS;
• INTO SUPPORTS OUR STUDENT MEMBERS by working closely with your students' union, attending the annual Freshers' Fairs and Careers Days, through sponsorship of your Student Executive and your Clubs and Societies and by hosting student seminars and workshops throughout the year;
• We are not just a TRADE UNION but a PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATION too.
• Follow us on TWITTER or FACEBOOK or check out our WEBSITE to see what we get up to on behalf of our members.

St Mary's Ladies GAA Team: Sponsored by INTO

How do I join the INTO?

In less than 2 minutes complete an Online Student Application Form

Hear from one of our student members

“I have friends and family who are teachers and they have told me about the importance of being part of a union. The INTO is the union that I am most familiar with and it’s the one I will be signing up to when I graduate. I’m not fully sure yet why it is important to be in a union, but I know that it is.”

Daniel Coogan, Final year student 2020-21, St Mary’s UCB

Terms and conditions of membership for voluntary deductions from salary and direct debit deductions:

Membership Terms and Conditions: Voluntary Deductions from Salary (PDF)

Membership Terms and Conditions: Direct Debit Deductions (PDF)

Membership Terms and Conditions: Direct Debit Rates WEF September 2024 (PDF)

Creating Experiencing Connecting

2025

The Brendan Harron INTO Art Competition is open to all active members in the North.

An overall winner will be identified by a panel of judges, and if appropriate, a highly commended piece also.

To help with ease of participation there are two simple steps to entering:

1. EMAIL a clear digital image of your submission/s to infoni@into.ie remembering to include your name, TR number and the title of your work.

2. SUBMIT your application form online HERE

Your photographs and form must be with INTO Northern Office by 5pm, Friday, 30th May, 2025

Members may submit up to a maximum of three original paintings, these need not be framed but if chosen as the winning piece will become part of the growing Northern Office art collection.

Members have found the choice of a theme to be helpful when creating or choosing a painting to enter and we hope those listed are as varied and engaging as possible (further suggestions welcome):

• People
• Animals
• Landscape
• Seascape
• Cityscape
• Abstract
• Still Life

While this Art Competition produces a winner each year, we hope members find the opportunity to bring an idea to completion, to share their work with fellow members and support the continued growth of an entirely INTO member produced display of art to be an appealing and inspiring one.

The Brendan Harron INTO Art Competition is as much about creating art works as it is about experiencing art. Through this competition INTO hopes to offer members another way to connect with each other and to a part of their creative lives that may get side-lined in a busy life. Maybe during the coming months work on your entry for this year’s competition could provide a welcome element to work-life balance. We hope as well as INTO enjoying the artistic work of its members, that importantly, you enjoy the benefits that come with creating pieces of art.

If you have not entered before we hope the diversity of past years will encourage you to do so this year!

Benefit Funds Committee:

Who are we?

We are an INTO committee made up of 5 Division Reps plus the General Treasurer and General Secretary. The purpose of the Committee is to give help and advice to INTO members who fall into financial difficulty. The Benefit Funds Committee (BFC) is seen as the Big Friendly Committee.

What do we do?

• Meet members to establish if help can be given or just to give advice
• Meet on a regular basis to discuss cases
• Attend joint CEC/BFC meetings that give authority for the INTO to spend money on legal cases
• Sign off Death Grants and Christmas Grants

How do we work?

Hardship cases and advice:

The BFC member is contacted by member. The BFC member arranges to meet the member to discuss the issue and complete paperwork
The case is then discussed confidentiality within the committee. A consensus is reached after discussion. The outcome may be favourable or unfavourable. On occasions the Rep is asked to go and seek more information so that the Committee can have a clear view of the difficulty and the commitment that the Committee may be taking on. The BFC Rep will usually then contacts the member to pass on the decision. A letter often follows from Head Office to the member.

Death Grant:

The BFC oversees death grants for INTO members and their spouses. A 4,000 Euro is available to help with funeral costs in the event of a member’s death. A 2,000 Euro grant is payable in the event of the death of a member’s spouse. To claim the grant a form is requested from and returned to the BFC Rep for authorisation.

Attendance at meetings:

BFC attend District meetings but only attend Branch at the Branch Request. Division I Rep is also member of NC.

What financial help can be given?

• A small emergency grant (if specific conditions are met).
• One off grant to help resolve a situation
• Long term grants on occasions that are reviewed regularly
• A grant that will be paid back when maybe a lump sum comes through (Ill health)

Is there a stereotypical member who needs help?

Each case is individual, and it is important to stress that but in a broad way there could be 2 stereotypes:

• Members who fall into ill health and financial difficulties follow
• Members who get into debt by a partner who leaves a financial mess before a breakup

Specific Examples

A teacher who had to leave home because the home couldn’t be heated. A grant for oil was given.
A teacher who had retired due to mental health issues and was officially homeless was given a small grant to cover something that needed paid for. A grant was given to a member who was about to lose the house due to a marital breakup. The member’s partner was refusing to co-operate to resolve financial difficulties. A recurring grant was given to a teacher for a limited period while the teacher got their finances sorted after a breakup with childcare the main issue. A terminally ill member was given a grant to make up shortfall in salary for a couple of
months.

How can INTO members help?

• Ask the Branch Secretary to action a death grant if they hear a member has died.
• Get members in need to give me a ring to discuss the issue. If they don’t ask, they won’t get and the worst thing that can happen is that the BFC will say no. The result won’t be passed onto the NC Rep by the BFC though the member may share it with the NC Rep.

Your BFC Representative is Paddy McAllister
Email: pmcallister@into.ie

INTO Fire & Theft Insurance

Under the terms of a special INTO scheme, a members’ personal property up to £100 (subject to a £5 excess) and personal cash up to £30 is insured whilst on the school premises against loss or damage by fire or theft. Conditions apply.

For further details and to make a claim our Fire and Theft Claims Form can be downloaded below:

INTO Insurance Claims Form (1) (PDF)
Fire & Theft Claims Form

INTO Malicious Damage to Members' Car Insurance

Under the terms of a special INTO scheme, a members’ car is insured against malicious damage when parked on school premises while the member is engaged in school business during any period of teaching or directed time. Conditions apply.

For further information and to make a claim our Malicious Damage to Members' Cars Claims Form can be downloaded below:

INTO Insurance Claims Form (2) (PDF)
Malicious Damage to Members' Cars Claim Form

INTO members contribute to the INTO Solidarity Fund through their membership subscriptions. Your money is used to support the development of educational facilities in developing countries and ensures that the most vulnerable children in these countries receive an education. There are 113 million children of primary school age not enrolled in schools worldwide, millions more are taught by untrained and underpaid teachers in overcrowded, unhealthy and ill-equipped classrooms.

Aims and Objectives

The INTO Solidarity Fund is committed to funding pre-primary or primary school related projects which are part of a recognised Charity, Development Agency or Missionary, Society or Trade Union Group. The aim of the INTO Solidarity Fund is to improve the livelihoods of
extremely poor women, men and children and one of the most effective ways of doing this is by increasing access to quality education.
The solidarity fund provides capital expenditure for the construction of schools, classrooms, libraries, school toilets. The provision of school furniture, equipment and textbooks, the training and professional development of teachers and payment of their salaries and curriculum development projects. As a minimum standard, education results in sufficient levels of literacy and numeracy enables people to lift themselves out of absolute poverty and continue to improve their lives.

Apply for Funding

The INTO work with a range of agencies and charities to achieve carefully devised development plans to benefit some of the world’s poorest children. There are rigorous controls and safeguards in place to ensure the money is used to meet the objectives of the fund.
You can apply for funding by downloading the application form below or contact Georgina Glackin at (01) 804 7745, and send it to: The General Treasurer, INTO Head Office, 35 Parnell Square, Dublin 1.
A sub-committee of the Central Executive Committee assess each application at their monthly meetings and are responsible for decisions on grants from the solidarity fund.

Feedback to INTO

It is a standard INTO requirement to seek a report from applicants detailing the expenditure and feedback in relation to the progress of their projects. Details of grants from the solidarity fund will be highlighted on the INTO website shortly and articles and photographs will be published in InTouch.

INTO Global Solidarity Network

Sign up today by simply emailing the following information to INTO Head Office Official, John O’Brien at jobrien@into.ie: Name; Email Address; School and Branch; Mobile number (optional).

Anyone who has done or is interested in doing volunteer work in developing countries or if you have an interest in education, trade, development and justice issues in the developing world, you can keep up to date with news on these matters. You will be able to get general updates on the range of activities your colleagues are pursuing within the aegis of the INTO Solidarity Fund, and also get involved in  campaigns which INTO will occasionally be involved in.

Visit the Global Solidarity website for more information.

INTO Member’s Solidarity Fund Application Form (PDF)

Bursary Scheme 2020/2021

Deadline for applications is Friday 25 September 2020

The INTO Bursary Scheme for members will be continued for 2020. Up to six bursaries will be awarded with awards of €3,000 for doctorate level and €1,500 for master’s level/other. Bursaries are open to all INTO members, North and South. Any project which has been approved as a research endeavour by a recognised third level institute will be considered for grant purposes.

CEC have decided that one of the INTO Bursaries in 2020 will be ring-fenced for research into Educational Disadvantage in honour of Vere Foster, INTO’s first President, who was born just over 200 years ago and who was particularly active in addressing educational disadvantage. Therefore, one of the six bursaries will be awarded to a teacher undertaking research on a topic relevant to educational disadvantage.

All applications received by the closing date of 5pm Friday, 25 September 2020 will be examined by an independent assessor who will make recommendations on the applications. Bursaries will be awarded at a ceremony at this year’s INTO Consultative Conference on Education, which is taking place on Friday 13 and Saturday, 14 November 2020 at the Mullingar Park Hotel.

Application forms should be returned to: Education Section (Bursary Scheme), INTO, 35 Parnell Square, Dublin 1 or via email to education@into.ie.

Terms and conditions and application forms can be found here

Benefits exclusive to INTO members include INTO grants for educational research enabling up to six bursaries to be awarded to members carrying out Doctorate and Masters level research; the INTO Solidarity Fund which funds members to participate in programmes to support the development of educational facilities in developing countries; INTO fire & theft and malicious damage to members’ cars insurance and the INTO Benevolent Fund which is there to assist members who fall into financial difficulty.