IT IS NOW a requirement for all teachers to be registered with the Teaching Council in order to be paid a salary by government.

Today’s commencement of Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act, 2001 means that any teacher who is not registered will not be paid a salary from State funds.

Professionalism

The new rules aims to promote and regulate the profession of teaching, says the Teaching Council.

They said a “small number” of teachers are not registered, but that the majority of these have not provided the required documentation to the Council.

Any teacher who has not completed the application process will have received notification of any required documentation and is urged to submit the required documentation immediately in order to complete their application.

Chairperson of the Teaching Council Micheál Ó Gríofa said:

This is a truly significant day in the professionalisation of teaching.

For more than thirty years now teachers have recognised that regulation is a critical part of their professionalisation and a means of vindicating the public’s trust in the profession.

Meanwhile, the Director of the Teaching Council, Tomás Ó Ruairc said the Council does not want to see any teacher go unpaid, but that it is “why it is critical that no registered teacher allows their registration to lapse”.

Register

This is the first time there is a comprehensive register of all teachers in the country, maintained by a professional standards body.

The Teaching Council says that having a register is a clear statement to the public as to the standards that people have to meet in order to become teachers, including qualifications, evidence of character and Garda Vetting.

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