Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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582. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the campaigns her Department have undertaken to recruit teachers who qualified in Ireland and moved abroad; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23803/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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583. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the campaigns her Department have undertaken to recruit teachers who qualified in Ireland and moved abroad; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23804/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 582 and 583 together.

Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government.

Attracting qualified teachers, whether working overseas or not, is required to address teacher supply issues. As a result, several measures are already in place to support teachers who either qualified in the State or abroad and who are working abroad.

The criteria for the award of incremental credit are set out in the Department’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.

Following on from the Department’s Action Plan on Teacher Supply, the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) operates an online portal for the recruitment of teachers to long-term teaching positions. The portal facilitates the matching of demand and supply and provides an efficient and user-friendly recruitment process for both schools and teachers, including teachers working abroad who wish to apply for posts here.

Turas Abhaile is an initiative of the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools (ACCS) and the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) which has assisted teachers based abroad to return to teach in Ireland since September 2019. Turas Abhaile matches teachers with specific vacancies and participating schools facilitate online interviews to suit the preferences of candidates.

To assist with teacher supply challenges, the Teaching Council has proposed a provision that will enable eligible teachers who have qualified outside of Ireland to apply for registration and complete their induction requirement here. This measure seeks to enhance the supply of NQTs available to schools and is particularly relevant for Irish teachers who have studied and qualified abroad and who may wish to return to the Irish education sector.

In addition to the above measures, the Teaching Transforms campaign promotes the teaching profession and encourages students to follow a career in teaching. The campaign is supported by a dedicated webpage, which includes useful information for teachers seeking to return to work in Ireland or who have qualified outside the State (w.gov.ie/teachingtransforms).

I am committed to addressing teacher supply. I announced new teacher supply measures recently including to help teachers gain permanent roles more quickly. Measures introduced in recent budgets included a STEM bursary, a PME fee refund scheme and an expansion of upskilling programmes which are in addition to more flexible substitution measures and workforce planning for teachers and SNAs, reflect the commitment to ongoing investment in the education system to address teacher supply.

Teaching is an attractive career choice with 3,700 newly qualified teachers registered with the Teaching Council in 2024 and over 126,000 now on the register. An analysis of CAO applications spanning from 2017 to 2024 indicates a sustained and robust demand for undergraduate teaching programmes. On average, 6% of first preference applications during the period from 2017 to 2024 were for either primary or post-primary teaching programmes. First preference data from the CAO published recently showed increases in primary first preferences of 9% and in post-primary of 5%. The new pay deal will mean that teachers’ starting salary will increase to €46,000 rising to a maximum of €85,000 per year which compares well internationally.

My Department frequently consults and engages closely with stakeholders on issues such as teacher supply through industrial relations forums, sectoral meetings, and direct discussions with teacher unions.

I am considering further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce and ensure that schools have the support needed to provide an excellent education for every student.