90. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to entice more Irish teachers abroad who want to come home; if she will consider recognising their teaching experience abroad; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46137/26]

This Government is committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are dedicated to supporting their learning.

An analysis of payroll data from March 2026 shows there are over 74,000 teachers employed in schools across the country and over 99% of allocated teaching posts are filled nationwide. Teacher attrition remains low, with fewer than 3% resigning or retiring annually, one of the lowest rates in the OECD.

While the majority of allocated teaching posts are filled, certain schools experience ongoing challenges in recruiting teachers. Attracting qualified teachers, whether working overseas or not, is required to address teacher supply issues, and several measures are already in place to support teachers who are working abroad to return to Ireland.

The Department of Education and Youth currently has a scheme in place which allows for teachers who work in an Oireachtas funded teaching post to apply for incremental credit with respect to previous teaching service which they accrued while teaching outside of Ireland.

The criteria for the award of incremental credit are set out in the Department’s Circulars 10/2001 for primary teachers, 29/2007 and 29/2010 for post-primary teachers.  The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognised teachers was agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC).

These circulars provide for the award of incremental credit in respect of overseas teaching service, both within, and outside, the EU. Where a school satisfies the criteria set out in the circulars to have service at that school recognised for incremental credit, an award of incremental credit can be made.

Criteria such as whether the school is subject to state funding, which can be of particular relevance when examining claims relating to private teaching schools, and the length of time the school has been in existence, must be satisfied in order for service at that school to be recognised for incremental credit.

Following on from the Department’s Action Plan on Teacher Supply, the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) operates an online portal for the recruitment of teachers to long-term teaching positions. The portal facilitates the matching of demand and supply and provides an efficient and user-friendly recruitment process for both schools and teachers, including teachers working abroad who wish to apply for posts here.

Turas Abhaile is an initiative of the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools (ACCS) and the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), which has assisted teachers based abroad to return to teach in Ireland since September 2019. Turas Abhaile matches teachers with specific vacancies in participating schools to facilitate online interviews to suit the preferences of candidates.

In addition, my Department recently approved regulations to allow teachers who qualified overseas to undertake their induction in Ireland. This will help to encourage teachers abroad to take up teaching roles in Ireland.

This Government has implemented several measures to address teacher supply issues that have led to:

- an increase of 20% in initial teacher education graduates (student teachers) between 2018 and 2023, and

- an over 30% increase in the number of teachers registered with the Teaching Council since 2017.

My Department has recently published revised arrangements for the award of a Contract of Indefinite Duration (CID) to teachers; teachers taking up their first contract in a viable post will be eligible for a permanent position after one year, subject to successful re-appointment through a competitive process.

A number of measures have been introduced to address subject-specific teacher shortages:

- STEM Bursary: a €2k annual bursary for student teachers in STEM fields during the final two years of their undergraduate teacher education, with a requirement to complete at least 2 years of teaching post-qualification in a recognised post-primary school.

- Upskilling programmes: free upskilling programmes for teachers are offered in high-demand subjects: Irish, French, politics & society, and computer science maths, physics, and Spanish.

A comprehensive workforce plan for the education sector, a commitment under the Programme for Government is in development. Additionally, a national Convention on Education, a Programme for Government commitment, is taking place and bringing together education stakeholders to share their experiences, expectations and hopes for the future of our education system.

A project, supported by UNESCO and the EU Commission, is developing recommendations for managing Ireland’s teaching workforce as part of the workforce planning activity currently underway. This two-year project has involved consultations with key stakeholders with a report, including recommendations, due in 2026.

Teaching is an attractive career choice with 3,600 newly qualified teachers registered with the Teaching Council in 2025 and steady demand for teacher education programmes. Salaries are competitive, starting at €45,379 (primary) and €46,948 (post-primary) and rising to €83,576 and €85,411 respectively under the current pay deal. The Teaching Transforms campaign continues to promote the teaching profession and encourages students to follow a career in teaching.