Sinéad Ryan has 15 years experience as a qualified primary schoolteacher working in England and Dubai, but if she wants to pursue teaching in Ireland, it could cost her up to almost €4,000.
The Limerick woman said it feels she is repeating her Leaving Certificate exams as she tries to update her qualifications to teach in Irish primary schools after studying abroad.
Alongside the costs, she also highlighted how she has to take time off work to prepare for and carry out school lessons, take annual leave to spend time in the Gaeltacht and spend a lot of time studying to pass the exams.
“I don’t think people realise just how many obstacles there are for teachers who qualify abroad,” she said. “There doesn’t seem to be any reward for going out and broadening your horizons and getting all this experience.”
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Growing up, becoming a primary schoolteacher was something that was always in the back of her mind. As a child, she remembers playing the role of the teacher in games.
Ms Ryan studied French and history at Maynooth University and later worked for a few months in Dublin as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) teacher which sparked her interest further.
She moved to England where she obtained her degree in primary school teaching and a master’s in education from University of Hull .
About eight years ago, she moved home to Limerick from Dubai and returned to teaching English and adult education teaching, but wished to teach primary level.
Because her qualification was obtained outside of Ireland, to complete her registration with the Teaching Council in Ireland she has to fulfil the Irish language requirement, also known as An Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge (SCG) or Oiriúnú le hAghaidh Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge (OCG) examinations to confirm her ability to teach Irish in the classroom.
Sinéad, aged in her 40s, decided to “bite the bullet” and register for the SCG exams.
Signing up to each module for the exam costs €375. With four modules to complete, this will reach €1,500.
She explained that until she passes all four modules, her Teaching Council registration is considered to be conditional.
While it is not mandatory to undergo revision classes, Ryan has also paid €500 for online classes.
The SCG has four components; paper one is a language examination, paper two is a written examination of prescribed literature, the third part is an aural examination and lastly an oral examination.
It also requires a school visit where the candidate is inspected as they teach an Irish class.
Candidates of the OCG must be working in a mainstream class as a teacher.
Ryan is completing the SCG as she works in a library.
Spending three weeks at a recognised Gaeltacht course is a mandatory element of both exams.
Some courses range from more than €400 to more than €600 per week for tuition and accommodation while others charge between €210 to €250 per week for tuition only and candidates must find their own accommodation.
She believes that the process may be putting people off returning to Ireland who are teaching abroad.
Her goal is to stay registered with the Teaching Council so that she has the option to go back to primary school teaching in the future.
Both the OCG and SCG programmes are designed to be commensurate with the standards of graduates of the Bachelor of Education or Graduate Diploma in Education (Primary Teaching) awarded within the State, said a spokesman for the Department of Education and Youth.
“The Department of Education and Youth does not have a direct role in the programme content or in the recognition of qualifications, however the department is satisfied that the provisions in place enable access to registration to overseas qualified teachers, while also meeting curricular and quality requirements of the Irish system, are in line with the policy and priorities of the department.”
In a statement, the Teaching Council said their role is to “protect the public by promoting and regulating professional standards in teaching”.
“We do this through the statutory registration of teachers, ensuring a highly qualified teaching profession, whose members meet and uphold high standards of professional competence and conduct.”
A spokesman for the Teaching Council said teachers qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland must apply to the council for recognition of their qualifications to ensure that teachers have demonstrated the necessary knowledge, skill and competence to teach within the Irish education system.
Following an assessment process, the Teaching Council may identify shortfalls that must be addressed within a fixed period of time
“Both the SCG and OCG programmes are designed to ensure that primary teachers qualified outside of the State can demonstrate they are sufficiently qualified and competent to teach the Irish language.”
Marino Institute of Education (MIE), which administers both the SCG and the OCG, said in a statement that it facilitates teachers who qualify outside of the Republic of Ireland to meet part of the Irish language requirement that has been specified by the Teaching Council through the OCG and SCG.
These processes are self-funded by the candidates and are designed to ensure that primary teachers qualified outside of the State can demonstrate they are sufficiently qualified and competent to teach the Irish language, it said.
