Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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205. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the pathway that is available to registration with the Teaching Council for a person (details supplied) that has completed a masters in teaching English to speakers of other languages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53960/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State.

It is a function of the Council under the Teaching Council Acts (s7(2)) to act as the competent authority for recognition of qualifications obtained by a person who has applied under this Act for registration as a teacher. The Council registers teachers in accordance with the Teaching Council Acts and the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016.

As set out in the Schedule of the Regulations, the Council registers teachers under five routes of registration: Route 1 - Primary, Route 2 - Post-primary, Route 3 - Further Education, Route 4 - Other and Route 5 - Student Teacher. 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.

Since 25 July 2016, in accordance with Route Three of the Registration Regulations, 2016, applicants for registration for the further education sector, must attain a Council approved further education teacher education qualification. The minimum registration requirements for Route 3 – Further Education as set down in the schedule are as follows:

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

i. An appropriate additional qualification, or

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

AND

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

Applicants who meet the degree qualification requirements set out above and who have not completed an accredited TEQ will be eligible for conditional registration for a period of three years in which time this requirement must be completed. If applicants have not addressed this condition of TEQ within the three years, they can apply for an extension of time to meet the condition. Details on how to apply for an extension are available on the Teaching Council website: www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/registration/forms-and-fees/forms/.

A Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages is not an accredited teacher education qualification.

The list of accredited Further Education TEQs are listed on the Teaching Council website: www.teachingcouncil.ie/website/en/teacher-education/initial-teacher-education/providers-of-initial-teacher-education/

In order to receive grant funding under the Student Universal Support Scheme Ireland (SUSI), you must be progressing in your education (increasing your NFQ level).