Organisation aspects
Organisational aspects for Educators working with independent education providers including Childcare Centres, Independent Kindergarten Centres as well as Independent Primary and Secondary schools and post-secondary schools in relation to their CPD
Independent educational providers at all levels employ their own Continuing Professional Development systems. There are currently no statutory obligations that oblige independent education providers to provide a specific amount of CPD hours or specific amount of monetary investment in relation to ongoing professional training.
Organisational aspects for Educators working in Church and State primary, secondary and post-secondary schools in relation to their CPD
All teaching grades rendering a service in state and church schools are required to actively participate in 40 hours of Professional Development Sessions distributed as follows:
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16 hours for training (without students present)
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12 hours for School Development Planning (without students present)
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12 hours for preparation, videos or other material (with students present at school)
Incentives and supporting measures
Incentives, supporting measures and funding for participating in continuing professional development (CPD) activities for educators working with independent education providers including Childcare Centres, Independent Kindergarten Centres as well as Independent Primary, Secondary and Post-Secondary schools.
Independent educational providers at all levels employ their own Continuing Professional Development systems. There are currently no statutory obligations that oblige independent education providers to provide incentives, supporting measures and funding for participating in continuing professional development.
Incentives, supporting measures and funding for participating in continuing professional development (CPD) activities for teachers working within State and Church schools (Kindergarten, Primary, Secondary, Post-Secondary).
Qualification allowance
All educators employed in state schools are entitled to a qualification allowance as per the Public Service Management Code. A qualification allowance is given to those educators who have any additional recognised qualifications relevant to the duties pertaining to their grade/position. These allowances range from the annual €380 that one receives for being in possession of an Undergraduate Diploma/Certificate or a VET Higher Diploma, to the €1,100 that holders of a Doctoral degree receive. Only the allowance relevant to the highest qualification is paid.
Paid Study Leave Scheme
The Paid Study Leave Scheme offered by the ministry in charge of education is a specific initiative for educators. It aims to provide study leave to contribute directly towards the improvement of their professional skills and knowledge through the pursuit of further studies in education areas of specialisation at tertiary levels of education.
Paid Study Leave is intended to enable educators to dedicate time for research and to assist them in the completion of course requirements within a specified time frame. The scheme offers two separate categories of paid study leave: Category A (up to one scholastic year) and Category B (short-term). Paid Study Leave (Category A) commonly referred to as ‘Sabbatical’ applies to both the State and Non-State sectors. The Paid Study Leave (Category B) is only offered to educators employed in state schools.