Ann Graves (Dublin Fingal East, Sinn Fein)
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555. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has put in place a pathway for those qualified as primary school teachers with a recognised British teaching qualification, who have not completed the two-year induction period in that jurisdiction, to allow them to complete their induction in Ireland. [62112/25]

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 (www.teachingcouncil.ie/assets/uploads/2025/10/SI.2025.0482_TC_Registration_Regulations.pdf). As set out in the Schedule to 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.

As a statutory body, the Teaching Council is mandated by law to properly determine and to authenticate the relevant standards and qualifications of all applicants for registration, including those who have qualified outside of Ireland.

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 (ITE) in Ireland are set out in the Council's policy ‘ (www.teachingcouncil.ie/assets/uploads/2023/08/ceim-standards-for-initial-teacher-education.pdf). 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 (www.teachingcouncil.ie/i-am-applying-to-register/qualified-outside-of-ireland/).

To assist with teacher supply challenges, in the Teaching Council’s recently revised Registration Regulations, 2025, which were effected on 16 October 2025, a mechanism has been created which provides for teachers who completed a teacher education qualification in another country, but have not completed any mandated induction or post-qualification employment period there, to apply for registration and complete Droichead (induction) here in the Republic of Ireland. Specific eligibility and qualification requirements apply to this mechanisms and it is open for applications until 30 December 2027. Overseas qualified teacher applying for registration must complete their programme of study and submit a complete application before this date. Further information in relation to the timebound provision including the eligibility criteria can be found on the Teaching Council website.