Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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326. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason qualified teachers who teach abroad, for example, in Australia, do not have this recognised for the purposes of pay scales when they return to Ireland; her views on whether this failure to recognise prior experience hinders the recruitment of teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5607/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The criteria for the award of incremental credit are set out in the Department of Education’s Circulars 10/2001 for Primary teachers, and 29/2007 and 29/2010 for Post-Primary teachers. The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognised teachers was agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC).

These circulars provide for the award of incremental credit in respect of overseas teaching service, both within, and outside, the EU. Where a school satisfies the criteria set out in the circulars to have service at that school recognised for incremental credit, an award of incremental credit can be made.

Criteria such as whether the school is subject to state funding, which can be of particular relevance when examining claims relating to private teaching schools, and the length of time the school has been in existence, must be satisfied in order for service at that school to be recognised for incremental credit.

Where schools do not satisfy the required criteria, then service at that school cannot be considered towards incremental credit. Teachers must be on the Department of Education’s teacher payroll or teaching in an Education and Training Board school before an application can be processed.

The criteria for the award of incremental credit for teachers are subject to review by way of an incremental credit committee, which is a sub-committee of the Teachers Conciliation Council, and which meets on an ongoing basis.

Through the Teachers Conciliation Council, the teacher unions have lodged a claim concerning the recognition of private post primary teaching service outside the EU towards the award of incremental credit.

The department is continuing to examine ways in which the matter may be progressed in the future.

Some teachers, as indeed is the case for many other individuals in many other professions, will decide to seek employment abroad for a number of different reasons, such as personal, family, professional or financial reasons. And they may also decide to return to Ireland for such a variety of reasons.

While amending the terms of the incremental credit scheme may act as factor, along with other factors, for a teacher to seek to return to Ireland, it may also act as a factor in a teacher deciding to leave Ireland to teach abroad, or indeed to stay abroad teaching for longer than they may otherwise have done.