If you are working as a teacher in a recognised school, but are not currently registered with the Teaching Council, you should immediately apply to the Council for registration.
The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., signed the commencement order for Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act 2001 on November 1st.
This legislation will ensure that only teachers in recognised schools who are registered with the Teaching Council can be paid from public funds, except in very exceptional circumstances. This is a major reform that will ensure that only registered teachers are employed to teach students in our schools.
The commencement order will set a legislative deadline of January 28th 2014 for teachers to register with the Teaching Council. Teachers who have yet to register or who have to fully complete this process should do so immediately.
According to Ruairí Quinn T.D., “The extension of the deadline for teacher registration to 28th January will ensure that the pay of practising teachers is not stopped in advance of Christmas. The commencement order that I will sign next week cannot be revoked, so I would urge those who still need to register to do so immediately to avoid serious pay consequences in the future. It is in all of our interests for all of our children to be taught only by registered teachers who engage in continuous learning and development – from 28th January 2014, that will be the case,” Minister Quinn said.
Any teachers who are not currently registered with the Teaching Council should apply for registration immediately. The Teaching Council is prioritising applications from teachers who are currently working in recognised schools and can submit proof of employment with their application.
Welcoming the Minister’s announcement, the Chairperson of the Teaching Council, Micheál Ó Gríofa, said, “We welcome the order commencing Section 30, paving the way for a fully registered teaching profession. It is a very promising step in affirming the status of teaching and enabling the profession to lead teaching and learning into the future.”
The annual Teaching Council registration fee qualifies for tax relief, hence the real cost of the initial €90 fee is €54 or just over one euro a week (this includes assessment and/or recognition of qualifications), with the annual renewal fee of €65 costing €39. To learn more about the tax relief for Teaching Council registration, view our previous blog article here
Do you support the commencement order for Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act 2001? Will this have an affect on you? Start the conversation by commenting below and by sharing this post on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
Sources:
See more at: http://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2013-Press-Releases/PR13-10-25A.html#sthash.Od18h4au.dpuf
