Minister McEntee announces new policy measures to boost teacher supply, including permanent contracts after one year
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From: Department of Education
- Published on: 21 April 2025
- Last updated on: 21 April 2025
Minister for Education Helen McEntee TD today announced two new measures to address ongoing challenges and boost teacher supply.
Minister McEntee is taking steps to ensure that newly qualified teachers can gain permanent contracts earlier, and to assist eligible teachers who trained outside of Ireland to work here.
Teachers taking up their first contract in a viable teaching post in September 2025, will become eligible for a permanent contract in September 2026. This eligibility is contingent upon successful re-appointment following a competitive recruitment process. Minister McEntee will also work with the Teaching Council to streamline the registration process for eligible teachers who qualified outside of Ireland, allowing them to apply for registration and complete their induction requirements within the country.
Minister for Education, Helen McEntee TD said:
“There are currently over 78,000 qualified teachers employed in Ireland, more than ever before. For their sake, I am determined to address job security and make teaching a more attractive, sustainable career.
“Allowing newly qualified teachers who are starting in September to gain a permanent contract a year earlier will help teachers to place their careers on a more stable footing much sooner than before. This will provide teachers with the certainty that they need, particularly when applying for mortgages.
“Enabling eligible teachers who qualified outside of Ireland to apply for registration and complete their induction here in Ireland is another practical, common-sense measure that will encourage more teachers to work and start their careers here in Ireland.
“I am committed to building on today’s announcements and introduce further measures in the coming months to further address teacher supply. I am absolutely dedicated to ensuring a high-quality and well-staffed education system for all students in Ireland.”
Detailed guidelines and implementation procedures for this new policy will be developed with the support of education stakeholders, including teacher unions and management body representatives.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Teaching Council registration process
This initiative is a practical measure intended to attract more qualified educators to Ireland, supporting the growth of their careers and bolstering the national teaching workforce in the coming months.
Permanent contracts initiative
This represents a substantial improvement on the existing situation, which required teachers to complete two consecutive contracts before qualifying for a permanent position. The new initiative directly addresses concerns raised by teacher unions and aligns with recommendations from key reports, including the Ward Report, which highlighted the need to tackle precarious employment within the education sector.
Under the new regulations, teachers who are reappointed to the same post after one year will be awarded a permanent contract, provided the post remains viable.
This process will involve a second competitive process to ensure ongoing suitability for the role. This shortened pathway to permanency will apply to teachers in contracted (non-substitute) roles where the school has a sustainable staffing need.
Impact of the Ward Report addressed:
This new policy directly addresses key issues raised in the Ward Report, particularly concerning job security and the prevalence of precarious employment for newly qualified teachers (NQTs). The change is expected to have a significant positive impact by reducing employment uncertainty for NQTs. NQTs will be provided with a clearer and faster route to permanent employment. This measure will promote retention by offering earlier job security, making the teaching profession a more attractive long-term career choice. This measure is a response to teacher union concerns and addresses the long-standing issue of prolonged casualisation within the teaching sector.
Existing permanency route remains for some:
Teachers not covered by this new policy, such as those in substitute roles or those whose posts are not deemed viable after one year, will continue to follow the existing route to permanency, which typically involves achieving a Contract of Indefinite Duration (CID) after a third contract.