Written answer
School Staff
The Minister said career-break substitute limits were temporarily suspended for 2026/27, but no permanent change is planned; unqualified teachers remain a limited exception.
216. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the rationale for retaining a 90-day limit on substitute teaching by qualified teachers on career break while no equivalent restriction applies to unqualified substitute teachers; and whether this policy is currently under review. [66209/26]
Comment on this
The terms and conditions of the Career Break Scheme for teachers are contained in the department’s Circular Letter 54/2019 (Chapter 7). A Career Break is a period of unpaid special leave for not less than 1 school year. It may be extended on an annual basis provided the total period of the Career Break does not exceed 5 years at any one time, subject to an overall maximum of 10 years absence during a teacher’s career.
Under the Career Break Scheme, a teacher may not be employed in an approved teaching or special needs assistant post funded by monies provided by the Oireachtas.
However, in exceptional circumstances, an employer may appoint a qualified teacher on Career Break for substitute teaching purposes subject to a maximum of (a) 90 days in a school year at primary level and (b) 300 hours in a school year at post primary level.
The aforementioned substitute teaching restrictions were suspended for the last number of school years in response to issues raised in relation to teacher supply.
Information Note TC/IN 0002/2026 titled ’Temporary changes to the Career Break Scheme for Registered Teachers employed in Recognised Primary and Post Primary Schools-2026/27 School Year’ published on September 2nd, informed employers and teachers of the temporary change to the Career Break Scheme for the 2026/27 school year. As stated in the Information Note, this is a temporary arrangement and is due to cease at the end of the 2026/2027 school year.
It is not planned to make any permanent changes to the Career Break Scheme at this time.
There are limited provisions under which schools may appoint an unqualified teacher. Where schools do appoint an unqualified teacher, the contract of employment should include a condition that the contract will terminate on the recruitment of an appropriately qualified teacher or the following 31 August, whichever happens first and schools should continue to attempt to appoint a suitably qualified teacher.