Registering with Teaching Council for foreign teacher

stefbremen1979

Hi everyone:),

I am really hoping you can help me with some answers...I am tearing my hair out having had to deal with the Teaching Council of Ireland.
I read some other threads and I can see there are plenty of people who are not happy with them
Let me explain first, I am teacher, fully qualified in the German system with 4 years teaching experience. I am trying to get my qualifications recognised to teach in Ireland (I am qualified for German, French & English). I am really struggling to deal with this teaching council and to be honest the worst part is the amount of money that they are demanding - as an EU citizen I find it indcredible that they want :

Reg and assessment 1 subject - €200
extra subjects - € 200 (English and French)
Application fee - € 90
External Assessor - €100

That is an incredible total of €590!!:mad::mad: I cannot believe this, having looked at the UK system I am actually unable to find an amount and I would be curious to know what it is there? Maybe there is some small amount??

Anyway I wanted to know - I have been told that it may be very difficult to find a permanent job immediately and that subbing may be an option. If this is the case do I need to register just to sub as it is so much money to pay for no gaurantee of work.

Does anyone know how long the process takes - is their any foreign teachers who have had to do this? I dont find them very helpful at the TC whenever I call them.

Do Irish teachers pay the say amount as I will have to?

Thanks

vamos!

stefbremen1979 wrote: »

Hi everyone:),

I am really hoping you can help me with some answers...I am tearing my hair out having had to deal with the Teaching Council of Ireland.
I read some other threads and I can see there are plenty of people who are not happy with them
Let me explain first, I am teacher, fully qualified in the German system with 4 years teaching experience. I am trying to get my qualifications recognised to teach in Ireland (I am qualified for German, French & English). I am really struggling to deal with this teaching council and to be honest the worst part is the amount of money that they are demanding - as an EU citizen I find it indcredible that they want :

Reg and assessment 1 subject - €200
extra subjects - € 200 (English and French)
Application fee - € 90
External Assessor - €100

That is an incredible total of €590!!:mad::mad: I cannot believe this, having looked at the UK system I am actually unable to find an amount and I would be curious to know what it is there? Maybe there is some small amount??

Anyway I wanted to know - I have been told that it may be very difficult to find a permanent job immediately and that subbing may be an option. If this is the case do I need to register just to sub as it is so much money to pay for no gaurantee of work.

Does anyone know how long the process takes - is their any foreign teachers who have had to do this? I dont find them very helpful at the TC whenever I call them.

Do Irish teachers pay the say amount as I will have to?

Thanks

That sounds about right for the teaching council! Did you do your degree in Germany. If you have 4 years experience, did you do your degree before the ECTS system was brought in? I can't imagine that you will be recognised to teach 3 subjects here, as you probably won't have enough ECTS credits in each subject. Maybe ask the TC so you won't have waste money trying to have all of your subjects assessed. Also, consider the job prospects (or lack thereof!). I am qualified in French and German but have found it very difficult to get any work and am on poor hours a number of years after qualifying. German is especially difficult to find work in and French is often advertised with Irish as a second subject.

Best of luck. I think the trick with the TC is to keep on their case. I haven't had to get my degree assessed though.

Also, any problems you may come up against are not necessarily because you are not Irish. Irish degree holders in subjects such as business and business and languages are also being made jump through hoops.

Finally, the German system is just as bad at recognising Irish-trained teachers. I tried for a full year to have my qualifications recognised, but to no avail. The EU citizen thing doesn't seem to count for teachers!

I would also check that you would not have to do the Hdip here. I know of a French and an Austrian (or Swiss) teacher who had to do the dip here, even though they had qualified as teachers in their home countries.

stefbremen1979

Hi Vamos,

Thanks very much for the advice.
Yes I did my degree in Germany ( I dont think the ECT system existed was in when I qualified - back in 2007).

No idea about doing the Dip here - I think I asked once about this and they just brushed me off saying we cant know that until we assess your qualifications! Great! Then I have to pay €600 to be told I am not qualified and then have to study and pay thousands of € again to do something I already did?! That is a joke! :mad: Sorry, just make me angry as this system is so stupid...and believe me I am sure I the German system is just as bad if not worse!

Also - where are you looking for work? I asked come schools in a rural area but was thinking the situation may be better in Cork, Galway, or Dublin?

Any idea if you can sub without all the registering protocol?

Thank you very much for your help!

katrief

stefbremen1979 wrote: »

Hi everyone:),

I am really hoping you can help me with some answers...I am tearing my hair out having had to deal with the Teaching Council of Ireland.
I read some other threads and I can see there are plenty of people who are not happy with them
Let me explain first, I am teacher, fully qualified in the German system with 4 years teaching experience. I am trying to get my qualifications recognised to teach in Ireland (I am qualified for German, French & English). I am really struggling to deal with this teaching council and to be honest the worst part is the amount of money that they are demanding - as an EU citizen I find it indcredible that they want :

Reg and assessment 1 subject - €200
extra subjects - € 200 (English and French)
Application fee - € 90
External Assessor - €100

That is an incredible total of €590!!:mad::mad: I cannot believe this, having looked at the UK system I am actually unable to find an amount and I would be curious to know what it is there? Maybe there is some small amount??

Anyway I wanted to know - I have been told that it may be very difficult to find a permanent job immediately and that subbing may be an option. If this is the case do I need to register just to sub as it is so much money to pay for no gaurantee of work.

Does anyone know how long the process takes - is their any foreign teachers who have had to do this? I dont find them very helpful at the TC whenever I call them.

Do Irish teachers pay the say amount as I will have to?

Thanks

Stef, I'm a qualified teacher from South Africa and have 10 years teaching experience in London in primary schools. I've tried to register with the Teaching council and the process has taken 10 months, costed me in excess of €500 and I've been refused as my teaching degree specialises in Pre-primary education. They have completely ignored my Qualified Teacher Status from the UK (which by the way costed me £25) and my experience...

thefasteriwalk

Languages are good to have, though. If you really wanna do it I think you should go for it as something is bound to turn up. I think you should just pay to have your German assessed first - if that's successful then you'll know either you French or English should be okay. Again, I would echo the doubtful sentiments regarding the registration of all three subjects. At least then you'll only have paid 200e instead of 600e and you'll have a better idea of where you stand. I think German and French would be a better combination in relation to employment prospects. English is saturated - truly!

rainbowtrout

katrief wrote: »

Stef, I'm a qualified teacher from South Africa and have 10 years teaching experience in London in primary schools. I've tried to register with the Teaching council and the process has taken 10 months, costed me in excess of €500 and I've been refused as my teaching degree specialises in Pre-primary education. They have completely ignored my Qualified Teacher Status from the UK (which by the way costed me £25) and my experience...

Aside from your other problems with the TC, you won't be able to register unless you have qualifications in the Irish language as it is a compulsory subject in our education system both at primary and secondary level for students. You would have to be able to teach Irish in primary school.

thefasteriwalk

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Aside from your other problems with the TC, you won't be able to register unless you have qualifications in the Irish language as it is a compulsory subject in our education system both at primary and secondary level.

You need Gaelige for secondary? Really?

rainbowtrout

thefasteriwalk wrote: »

You need Gaelige for secondary? Really?

No I meant she would need Irish for primary, but that it is a compulsory subject for students in primary and secondary school. Katrief said she was a primary school teacher. Post edited.

thefasteriwalk

rainbowtrout wrote: »

No I meant she would need Irish for primary, but that it is a compulsory subject for students in primary and secondary school. Katrief said she was a primary school teacher. Post edited.

Oh right - sorry. I was talking about stefbreman1979. They seem like secondary.

RealJohn

stefbremen1979 wrote: »

Hi Vamos,

Thanks very much for the advice.
Yes I did my degree in Germany ( I dont think the ECT system existed was in when I qualified - back in 2007).

I started university in 1998 and I'm pretty sure that my ECTS credits were listed on all my results transcripts from the start. I might be wrong (memory's getting hazy and all that) but you should probably look into that.

Teach Me Tech

stefbremen1979 wrote: »

Hi everyone:),

I am really hoping you can help me with some answers...I am tearing my hair out having had to deal with the Teaching Council of Ireland.
I read some other threads and I can see there are plenty of people who are not happy with them
Let me explain first, I am teacher, fully qualified in the German system with 4 years teaching experience. I am trying to get my qualifications recognised to teach in Ireland (I am qualified for German, French & English). I am really struggling to deal with this teaching council and to be honest the worst part is the amount of money that they are demanding - as an EU citizen I find it indcredible that they want :

Reg and assessment 1 subject - €200
extra subjects - € 200 (English and French)
Application fee - € 90
External Assessor - €100

That is an incredible total of €590!!:mad::mad: I cannot believe this, having looked at the UK system I am actually unable to find an amount and I would be curious to know what it is there? Maybe there is some small amount??

Anyway I wanted to know - I have been told that it may be very difficult to find a permanent job immediately and that subbing may be an option. If this is the case do I need to register just to sub as it is so much money to pay for no gaurantee of work.

Does anyone know how long the process takes - is their any foreign teachers who have had to do this? I dont find them very helpful at the TC whenever I call them.

Do Irish teachers pay the say amount as I will have to?

Thanks

Hello, I understand your frustration. After graduating with an Engineering Degree I went on to complete a PGCE (Secondary) in Technological Education in Scotland and then taught in a Scottish school for around 6 years before moving back to Ireland.

In Scotland I was qualified to teach a range of technological subjects to the highest level in secondary schools (up to Advanced Higher): Technology, Graphic Communications, Craft & Design and Practical Craft Skills (metalwork and woodwork) but I too encountered problems when registering with the Teaching Council upon my return to Ireland. I also found the whole procedure to be extremely costly as I paid the initial registration and assessment fee (Technology) together with the application fee and also had to pay to have additional subjects assessed (Engineering, Construction Studies and DCG). Nine months later and having parted with around Euro800 I discovered I would only be registered in Ireland to teach Technology and Engineering. The Teaching Council informed me that I would not be registered to teach Construction Studies and DCG as the courses covering these subjects in my Engineering Degree fell short of their requirements. It made no difference to them that I was teaching the equivalent of these subjects in Scotland to the highest level (Practical Craft Skills and Graphic Communications). Although I believe I am completely competent to teach these subjects I am currently looking at addressing the 'shortfalls' in these areas to enable me to gain the necessary registration with the TC.

The Teaching Council of Ireland are only concerned with your undergraduate degree and will look to assess that only (that's my current understanding anyway). So, if your first degree was in German then they will assess you for your suitablity to teach German. If you did a joint degree, say German and French, they would assess you for both of these. In addition, you would obviously need to hold QTS (HDip or equivalent).

Not only is it "very difficult to find a permanent job immediately" it is also difficult to secure any kind of teaching work these days as it is so competative. I have spent the past couple of years on short-term contracts/subbing and have travelled the length and breadth of Ireland for interviews and subbing work whenever the occassion rose.

It's not easy but as there is a requirement to be fully registered with the Teaching Council you will have to persevere. Good luck.

Teach Me Tech

You may find the following information (taken from the citizen's advice website) useful: (http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/education/primary_and_post_primary_education/teachers_and_schools/teacher_qualifications_at_primary_and_post_primary_level.html)

"Teachers who qualified outside Ireland

English language requirements

To be eligible for recognition as a teacher in an Irish primary or post-primary school, you must be competent to teach English and to teach the various aspects of the curriculum in the English language. If English is not your first language or if you received your teaching qualification from a country where English is not the first language, the Department of Education and Skills (DES) will require you to take an oral and/or written test. This will be conducted and assessed by a DES inspector. You will not be granted recognition to teach in any capacity in a national school until you establish your competence in English.

Recognition of qualifications


If you are a primary or post-primary school teacher who qualified outside Ireland and you wish to teach in a recognised school, you must apply for recognition of your qualifications prior to registration. Under the EU Directives for the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications, teachers who qualified in an EU member state can get professional recognition in Ireland. Changes to these requirements were announced in May 2010 and will apply to people whose teacher training starts on or after 1 January 2011. The Teaching Council is responsible for processing applications and regulating admissions to the teaching profession in Ireland. Qualifications obtained outside the EU must be acceptable to the Council. Once your qualifications have been recognised, you may then apply for registration– see ‘How to apply’ below."

Equality

katrief wrote: »

Stef, I'm a qualified teacher from South Africa and have 10 years teaching experience in London in primary schools. I've tried to register with the Teaching council and the process has taken 10 months, costed me in excess of €500 and I've been refused as my teaching degree specialises in Pre-primary education. They have completely ignored my Qualified Teacher Status from the UK (which by the way costed me £25) and my experience...

Register to teach at third level and at VEC level. This should be possible, given the degree listed. It will mean that you get the garda vetting done and have registration, even if for a different sector. You might get work in the VEC or at third level, teaching childcare. Registration may also allow you to get substitute work at primary level. All foreign born teachers should try to register at all levels, not just at one level.

Inspector Coptoor

At the End if the Day, once you're registered with them to teach one subject, & you have the ability to teach another subject, you'll end up teaching it anyway as schools will try to fill up your timetable.

I've a biochem degree, TC will give me LC Bio & JC science,

My timetable includes LC Bio, JC Science, LC Chem & Maths.

My opinion would be to get registered & assessed to teach one subject, & feck the TC after that.

Stupid Quango

Chris68

Equality wrote: »

Register to teach at third level and at VEC level. This should be possible, given the degree listed. It will mean that you get the garda vetting done and have registration, even if for a different sector. You might get work in the VEC or at third level, teaching childcare. Registration may also allow you to get substitute work at primary level. All foreign born teachers should try to register at all levels, not just at one level.

@Stefbreman
Equality's advice is probably a little confusing. Your posts talk about the cost and difficulties of getting registered with the Teaching Council under section 4 - Secondary teaching. Section 4 has different rules for VEC and non-VEC. Basically for VEC currently you need a degree but not a teaching qualification. This will be changing early next year so that there will be no difference between the two. Either way both still need the degree assessed for particular subjects so it wont solve your problems.

A temporary alternative is to register under section 5 instead. Section 5 deals with post-secondary teaching. Note "teaching" rather than "lecturing". Thus it doesn't register you to lecture at third level. You would be registered to teach in PLC colleges and adult education services and similar places.

In section 5 you can register currently with a level 7 or 8 degree and you don't need a teaching qualification. This is also changing early 2013. Then you will need a level 8 degree and a teaching qualification. The good thing is that any degree will do. It does not need to be assessed for any particular subject. So that part of your costs can be deferred.

To apply for jobs, even substitution work, you will need to be registered and garda vetted. This route into the teaching council will give you that much. You can work on upgrading to level 4 qualifications from the inside then.

Padtams

I am at the end of my tether too with this organisation. I can't believe that they can charge me €300 to assess the validity of a B.A Hons from Surrey University and a PGCE from London University (UK). I taught for 23 years in the UK and after moving over to Ireland just wanted to do some substitute teaching. I completed all the forms, collected all the necessary paperwork and paid for an international police check. It took me months to complete. On the form it said the fee was €90. Then I get an email asking for €300. It's pure extortion.