Written answer
Teaching Council of Ireland
Overseas teaching service may qualify for incremental credit after application, subject to eligibility criteria and a maximum of seven years for non-EU service.
629. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the amount of incremental credit a Teaching Council-registered teacher with 15 years verified experience abroad in the UK and Singapore could receive under the current rules. [65945/26]
Comment on this
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. Teachers are advised to refer to those circulars for the specific criteria in advance of accepting a teaching post overseas.
In the first instance a teacher must be appropriately qualified and registered by the Teaching Council to teach in the relevant sector in accordance with Circulars 44/2019 and/or 31/2011.
In accordance with Circulars 10/2001, 29/2007 and 29/2010, the incremental credit scheme is open to teachers who are employed in an Oireachtas funded teaching post. Teachers must be on the Department of Education’s teacher payroll or teaching in an Education and Training Board school before an application can be processed; it is not possible to process an incremental credit application ahead of the teacher’s return to Ireland. There is no contractual entitlement to incremental credit; applicants must submit a fully completed incremental credit application to have prior service assessed.
An award of incremental credit is based on the incremental credit application submitted to either the Department or an ETB. The Department cannot give a decision without the submission of an application.
Teaching service given outside the Republic of Ireland by a qualified teacher in a school or college which is equivalent to a primary or post primary school in the Republic of Ireland may qualify for the award of incremental credit.
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.
An award of incremental credit with respect to teaching service outside of the EU is subject to a maximum credit of seven years overall.