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Teaching Transforms. Shape the Future.
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Studying to become a teacher is known as initial teacher education (ITE).
You can study to be a teacher either by doing an undergraduate degree (concurrent programme) or a two-year postgraduate Professional Master of Education (PME) (consecutive programme).
Applications for undergraduate ITE courses can be made through the Central Applications Office - CAO .
A full list of accredited ITE programmes can be found here .
There are minimum requirements in Mathematics, English and Irish at Leaving Certificate. A full breakdown of the requirements can be found here .
In addition to the general entry requirements of the 3rd level institutions, there may be additional entry requirements for particular post primary teaching programmes. Please refer to the individual entry requirements for your chosen programme for more details.
The Teaching Council have created an infographic detailing the undergraduate and postgraduate pathways to teaching. The Pathways to Teaching infographic can be found here .
If you already have a degree and want to be a primary teacher you can do a two-year Professional Master of Education (PME) (Primary Teaching) programme. A full list of accredited ITE programmes can be found here .
Minimum requirements in mathematics, English and Irish at Leaving Cert. level are required for primary teaching.
The procedures for application to Dublin City University, Mary Immaculate College (Limerick), Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education (Maynooth University), and Marino Institute of Education, Dublin and the entry requirements can be found here
Applications to Hibernia College can be made at www.hiberniacollege.ie .
In order to apply for post-primary teaching at postgraduate level you should have studied at degree-level at least one subject from the post-primary schools’ curriculum, which you can find here .
After the degree, you will need to complete a postgraduate Master of Education (PME). A full list of accredited PME programmes can be found here .
The Teaching Council provides details of the individual subject requirements (subject criteria) for all post-primary curricular subjects.
Applications for the post primary PME:
Dublin City University and universities of the NUI (Maynooth University, NUI Galway, University College Cork and University College Dublin) PAC
Other universities and colleges:
| Trinity College, Dublin | Professional Master of Education | www.tcd.ie | |
| University of Limerick | Professional Master of Education | www.ul.ie | |
| Crawford CIT | Professional Master of Education (Art and Design) | www.cit.ie | |
| Limerick School of Art and Design | Professional Master of Education (Art and Design with Digital Media) | www.lit.ie | |
| National College of Art and Design | Professional Master of Education (Art and Design) | www.ncad.ie | |
| Hibernia College | Professional Master of Education | https://hiberniacollege.com/ |
The Teaching Council have created an infographic detailing the undergraduate and postgraduate pathways to teaching. The Pathways to Teaching infographic can be found here .
All teachers in the primary, post-primary and further education sectors must register with the Teaching Council in order to be paid a salary by the State. Full details on the registration process can be found here teachingcouncil.ie .
The Teaching Council considers applications from teachers who qualified outside Ireland if they are fully qualified in their home country. Registration in Ireland, where granted, may be subject to conditions and you may need to do some additional training.
Teachers who qualified in an EU member state are entitled to have their qualifications recognised in Ireland.
The Department of Education provides opportunities for professional development for teachers in a broad range of areas. Click here for more information.
PDST have developed a brand new interactive resource which provides a comprehensive overview of Ireland’s teaching landscape entitled “Teaching in Ireland”
This is the link to the new resource on the PDST homepage www.pdst.ie/teachinginireland
The Migrant Teacher Project aims to increase the participation of Immigrant Internationally Educated Teachers (IIETs) in Irish primary and post-primary schools. The project was established by Marino Institute of Education and it is co-funded by the Department of Justice and the Department of Education. The project provides information, advice and training to migrant teachers who have qualified outside of Ireland, to help them to continue their profession in Ireland.
Find more information here .
Primary school teachers teach the range of primary school subjects to children aged 4 to 12 years. There are Irish language requirements for primary teaching – teachers must be able to teach the Irish language and having studied Irish to Leaving Cert. level is required.
You can train to be a primary teacher either by doing an undergraduate degree or a two-year postgraduate Professional Master of Education (PME). A full list of accredited initial teacher education programmes can be found here .
Minimum requirements in mathematics, English and Irish at Leaving Cert. level are required to be a primary school teacher. Full details of entry requirements can be found here .
You can train to be a post-primary teacher either by doing an undergraduate degree or a two-year postgraduate Professional Master of Education (PME). A full list of accredited ITE programmes can be found here here.
If you are applying for the PME you should have at least one subject from the post-primary schools’ curriculum for the Leaving Certificate programme as part of your degree.
Post-primary teachers do not need to have a qualification in the Irish language unless they are employed by a Gaeltacht school or a Gaelcholáiste where teachers teach through Irish.
The main financial support available for eligible students attending full-time further and higher education courses is the student grant, which may include a maintenance grant and/or a fee grant, depending on eligibility.
Further information on bursaries and other financial supports and the criteria for the Free Fees Scheme are available at studentfinance.ie
Other useful links:
gov.ie/dfheris - Information on other scholarship and bursary programmes not included on studentfinance.ie.
SUSI - Website for Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), Ireland’s national awarding authority for all higher and further education grants.
A number of universities and colleges provide courses to support access to initial teacher education for persons from groups which traditionally have been under-represented in teaching:
For Primary Teaching
Maynooth University: offers a Turn to Teaching Project .
Mary Immaculate College: offers a Teacher Education Access Course for Mature Learners.
For Post-Primary Teaching
NUI Galway and St. Angela’s College, Sligo: offer an Access to Post-primary Teaching - APT Project .
University College Cork: offers a New Avenues to Teaching support programme for students enrolled in their teacher education programmes.
National College of Art and Design: offers an I CAN TEACH programme.
Most teachers are recruited and employed by the board of management of a school and paid by the Department of Education. In the case of Education and Training Board (ETB) schools, teachers are recruited, employed and paid by the ETB.
You can look for a teaching job:
| Permanent and Temporary Jobs | Subseeker (educationposts.ie) | |
| staffroom.ie | ||
| etbjobs.ie | ||
| etbvacancies.ie | ||
| Substitute Posts | Subseeker (educationposts.ie) | |
| ASTI Substitute Placement Scheme | ||
| INTO Teacher Connect |
By law, individuals who work with children and vulnerable persons must be vetted by the National Vetting Bureau . The Teaching Council administers vetting for teachers in Ireland on behalf of employers (schools and ETBs). Schools/ ETBs are also required to receive and assess the vetting disclosures for employment purposes.
An incremental salary scale is in place for both primary and post-primary teachers.
If you worked in a teaching position in the public service of another EU member state, you may be eligible for recognition of previous service. Full details can be found here .
The Department of Education has a comprehensive document covering all aspects of leave for teachers. It also covers the requirement to register with the Teaching Council (Section 30). More details can be found here .
Schools are required to be open for a minimum of 167 days at post-primary level and 183 days at primary level.
Full details on school holiday dates can be found here .
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) is responsible for the development, assessment, accreditation and certification of the Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations. The SEC annually employs thousands of teachers on a short-term temporary basis to supervise and mark the State examinations.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) advises the Minister for Education on:
a) Curriculum and assessment for early childhood education, primary and post-primary schools.
b) Assessment procedures used in schools and examinations on subjects which are part of the curriculum.
The Department of Education provides opportunities for professional development for teachers in a broad range of areas.
Centre for School Leadership (CSL) is a partnership between IPPN/NAPD and the Department Of Education. It represents a new departure and presents a unique opportunity for the development of a coherent continuum of professional development for school leaders. It is the shared objective that the Centre will become a centre of excellence for school leadership and the lead provider of supports
Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) is a Department of Education teacher support service hosted by Monaghan Education Centre. JCTs aim is to support schools in their implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle (2015) through the provision of appropriate high quality continuing professional development for school leaders and teachers, and the provision of effective teaching and learning resources.
The National Induction Programme for Teachers (NIPT) is a dedicated continuing professional development (CPD) support service of the Department of Education.
The Teaching Council is currently developing a national framework for teachers’ learning. See Cosán .
The PDST is the country’s largest single support service offering professional learning opportunities to teachers and school leaders in a range of pedagogical, curricular and educational areas.
PDST have developed a brand new interactive resource which provides a comprehensive overview of Ireland’s teaching landscape entitled “Teaching in Ireland”.
This is the link to the new resource on the PDST homepage www.pdst.ie/teachinginireland
The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching.
School self-evaluation is a collaborative, inclusive, and reflective process of internal school review. An evidence-based approach, it involves gathering information from a range of sources, and then making judgements. All of this with a view to bring about improvements in students’ learning.
Hosted by the Inspectorate of the Department of Education, this website is designed to support both teachers and school leaders as they engage in the school self-evaluation process.
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