John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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328. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the current recognition process for overseas teaching experience, particularly in cases where experienced teachers from the UK are being denied recognition due to technicalities, such as having taught in primary rather than secondary settings, despite having taught age-equivalent cohorts and holding decades of relevant experience; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31353/25]

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.

Please note that second level schools in the UK are assessed under the terms of eligibility laid out in Circular 29/2007 and Circular 29/2010 using the same criteria as post-primary schools in Europe. Circular 29/2010 outlines the terms of the scheme for teaching service in private post-primary schools within the EU, including the UK.

Please be advised that to receive the qualified rate of pay, a post primary teacher must be registered with the Teaching Council and have the qualifications appropriate to the post primary sector for which they are employed. As outlined in circular 29/2007, all teaching service given in a member state of the EU, including the UK, must be equivalent to approved teaching service as determined by the department or ETB.

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 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016. As set out in the Schedule of the Regulations, the Council registers teachers under five routes of registration. The minimum registration requirements for each route are set out in the Regulations. The department has no role in the registration of individual teachers.

Teaching qualifications are recognised differently in national contexts, jurisdictions, and educational sectors around the world, therefore persons completing teacher education qualifications outside the State and seeking to register with the Teaching Council must have their qualifications assessed to determine that they are comparable to accredited qualifications in Ireland.

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.