If you are a fully qualified primary teacher who has qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland, you can apply to register as a primary teacher with the Teaching Council.
You are deemed to be a fully qualified teacher if you:
- Have completed a recognised teacher education qualification and programme of induction, and
- Can provide an official letter confirming you are a fully qualified primary teacher from the relevant teacher registration body or Competent Authority or Ministry of Education in that country. The Competent Authority is a State appointed agency responsible for approving qualifications for registration and/or practise in a profession. You can find a list of Competent Authorities here.
The Council assesses your qualification to ensure it is of a comparable standard to those achieved by graduates of accredited programmes in the Republic of Ireland.
If there are significant differences, conditions (qualification shortfalls) will be applied to your registration.
In line with EU Directive 2005/36/EC, all applications from teachers who qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland are processed individually and in the same manner, regardless of whether they qualified within or outside the EU.
There are three stages to the registration process:
- Application
- Assessment
- Registration
Teacher Induction
If teacher induction is a requirement to gain full recognition as a teacher in the country where you qualified, you must submit evidence of induction to be eligible to apply for registration under the standard application process.
If you have NOT completed teacher induction, you may be eligible to apply for registration under the Timebound Provision once it opens for applications.
1. Application
Ensuring a Complete and Efficient Application
- The qualifications assessment process relies on the documents you provide.
- Providing the evidence to show how you have met the required standard enables the Teaching Council to reach a decision without delay.
- You must apply through the My Registration portal and select ‘Applications’.
Steps to Apply
- Prepare Your Documents
a) Save all required documents as electronic files.
b) Use clear and relevant filenames (e.g. Transcript.pdf).
- Accurately naming your file will help your application be processed more quickly and efficiently.
- Complete Your Online Application
a) Please see Application Guidelines for Primary Teachers for further detail.
b) Complete the online application form.
c) Upload your documents.
d) Pay the registration fee.
- Save and Submit
a) You can save your application and return to it later.
b) You have three months to complete and submit your application.
c) If your application is not completed within three months, it will be deleted.
After Submission
- You will receive a confirmation email when your application is submitted.
- If any documents are missing, we will contact you by email.
- Processing may take up to 12 weeks from the date we receive all required documents.
We kindly ask that you refrain from emailing for status updates as this may delay the processing of your application. If any additional information is required, we will contact you directly.
Important Information
Translation of Documentation
- You must submit all documents in English or Irish.
- If a document is not in English or Irish, you must provide a certified translation.
- The translation must be officially stamped by one of the following:
- An accredited translator
- An embassy or consular official fluent in both languages
- A university language lecturer
- The translator’s name and address must be included for verification.
Self-Translation
- You may translate the documents yourself, but they must be verified and stamped by an official translator.
Minimising Translation Costs
- To assist applicants and reduce translation costs, you may provide summary information of the modules listed on your transcripts.
- Highlight the relevant sections of the course handbook that have been translated and attach the translations.
What is a Module Descriptor?
In some countries, module descriptors may also be known as Teaching Guides. A module descriptor is a brief summary of a module and its key features. It should include:
- A summary of the module content
- A description of how the module content is delivered
- A description of how the module content is assessed
- The learning outcomes associated with the module
- Any periods of supervised school placement or supervised teaching practice
Important: Assessments are based only on the information provided by the applicant. It is your responsibility to ensure that each module descriptor contains sufficient detail for assessment.
2. Assessment
The application is decided by the Qualifications Panel which is made up of Teaching Council members or in certain circumstances, the Director of the Teaching Council.
Registering with Conditions
- If there are significant differences between your qualifications and the registration requirements in the Republic of Ireland, conditions (qualification shortfalls) may be applied to your registration.
- If your registration is subject to one or more conditions, or if your application is refused, we will notify you by email with details of the decision.
- You have the right to request a review of the decision by the Registration Review Group within 21 days of the Panel’s decision.
Irish Language Requirement
- All applicants who qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland applying for registration as a primary teacher will have the Irish Language Requirement applied to their registration.
Completing Registration Conditions
You can meet the conditions on your registration by:
- Completing an aptitude test (a specific module or course of study), or
- Teaching in the area of the shortfall (also known as an adaptation period).
- You will normally have three years to meet these conditions.
- In certain circumstances, an extension may be granted.
3. Registration
Your registration will be finalised providing that all other requirements have been met relating to:
- Character Reference
- Vetting
- English language requirement.