Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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415. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the Teaching Council’s current policy regarding the recognition of teaching qualifications obtained through online programmes from UK universities; if she will ensure that such qualifications are treated equitably in the registration process, particularly where professional placement was completed in an Irish school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57087/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2025. 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. The qualification requirements for each route are set down in the Schedule to the Regulations.

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 Department has no role in the registration of individual teachers.

Registration of Fully Qualified Teachers from Outside ROI

Fully qualified teachers who have qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland (ROI) are eligible to apply for registration with the Teaching Council. A person deemed to be a fully qualified teacher has completed a recognised teacher education qualification and programme of induction in the country in which they qualified and can provide a letter confirming that status from the relevant teacher registration body or Ministry of Education.

Given the importance and impact of teaching which affects the lives of learners, the Teaching Council has a responsibility to safeguard entry to the profession in a way that supports quality teaching and learning. The Council also has a responsibility to ensure that all teachers entering the profession have met the same standards. The standards for Initial Teacher Education in Ireland are set out in the Council's policy ‘Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education’. All teacher education programmes in Ireland must be aligned with Céim to gain professional accreditation with the Teaching Council. Therefore, the qualifications of teachers who qualified out-of-state are assessed to ensure they are of a comparable standard to those achieved by graduates of accredited initial teacher education programmes in Ireland. All applications from teachers who qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland are processed in line with the EU Directive 2005/36/EU and are assessed under its general system in the same manner, regardless of whether the applicant qualified within or outside of the EU. Further details on this process can be found on the Teaching Council website.

All applications are assessed on an individual, case by case basis. The assessments are holistic and include the individual combination of relevant qualifications, teaching experience, and lifelong learning.

Teachers not fully qualified from Outside of ROI

To assist with teacher supply challenges, in the Teaching Council’s recently revised Registration Regulations, 2025, which were effected on 16 October 2025, a Timebound Provision has been created which provides for teachers who completed a teacher education qualification in another country, but have not completed the necessary induction there, to apply for registration to the Teaching Council and to complete Droichead (induction) here in the Republic of Ireland. Specific eligibility and qualification requirement apply to this timebound provision. This timebound provision is open to receipt of applications until 30 December 2027. Anyone wishing to avail of this must complete their programme of study and submit a complete application before this date. They must also meet the specific eligibility and qualification requirements. Further information in relation to the timebound provision including the eligibility criteria can be located here: www.teachingcouncil.ie/qualified-outside-of-ireland-induction-not-complete/#eligibility-requirements.

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.

International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS) is not a direct alternative to an initial teacher education (ITE) qualification from a provider accredited with the Teaching Council e.g. students in Ireland must complete an undergraduate ITE programme which generally takes four years or a postgraduate degree, called the Professional Master of Education (PME) which takes two years after a Level 8 undergraduate degree in a curricular subject area.

The Teaching Council has carried out assessments of various types of qualifications to determine if they meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for registration. Based on these assessments the Council has found that traditional College / University-based programmes, for example Postgraduate Certificates in Education, are the most closely aligned with initial teacher education qualifications in Ireland and were, therefore, most likely to meet the requirements for registration under the Regulation. On the basis of applications assessed, the Council has found that models such as international variations of traditional College/University-based programmes were less likely to meet the eligibility requirements and outside the scope of the Regulation. This ensures equity and parity of treatment for graduates from ITE programmes within the state, and graduates from outside of the state.