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.

The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015. There are five routes of registration with the Teaching Council which are namely Route 1: Primary, Route 2: Post-primary, Route 3: Further Education, Route 4: Other and Route 5: Student Teacher. The registration requirements for each route is set out in the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016.

I refer to the Teaching Council (Registration)(Amendment) Regulations, 2023. This amendment was introduced as a temporary measure until 1 February 2024 and has now closed to applications. It enabled teachers who had not completed induction in the country in which they qualified, but who met particular criteria, to obtain registration here. This in turn gave them an opportunity to complete induction here. Normally this is not permitted and teachers have to complete induction in the country in which they obtained their qualification.

As the Teaching Council (Registration) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 has now closed, applications for registration under Route 2 (Post Primary) should be made via the standard pathway for registration for teachers who are awarded their teaching qualification outside of the Republic of Ireland. To be eligible for registration under the standard pathway, applicants must be fully qualified, i.e., have been awarded a teaching qualification, have a licence to teach (QTS in England) and have completed a period of induction in the country where they qualified.

All applications from teachers who qualified abroad are processed in line with EU Directive 2005/36/EC and the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016.

The Council is considering any further amendment in the context of its legislative framework, including relevant EU legislation. Any updates in this regard will be published on the Teaching Council website www.teachingcouncil.ie.