Ms Bernadine O'Sullivan, the former president of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland, has refused to comment on growing speculation that she may become a candidate for the vacant post of general secretary.
The ASTI will begin moves this weekend to replace Mr Charlie Lennon who left the post after a €200,000 settlement last November.
While Ms O'Sullivan said she did not want to comment in advance of Saturday's meeting of the ASTI's central executive, she did stress that she was "passionate about education issues".
However, current deputy general secretary Mr John White is still regarded as the favourite to succeed Mr Lennon in the €100,000-a-year post.
When she was president Ms O'Sullivan clashed with Mr Lennon on several occasions.
Mr Lennon left the job after he was accused of making bogus expense claims by the ASTI treasurer, Ms Patricia Wroe, a charge he vehemently denied.
In a High Court affidavit last September, Mr Lennon said there had been tensions in the union for some time, in particular because of decisions taken during Ms O'Sullivan's presidency to pursue a 30 per cent pay increase for teachers and to leave Congress.
"Not only did this create tension within the ASTI but also between the other teaching unions, the TUI and the INTO, who stayed within the national pay bargaining structure," he said.
There will be a meeting of the ASTI's standing committee today and tomorrow, followed by the executive meeting on Saturday.
Other possible candidates for the post of general secretary are thought to include honorary treasurer Ms Patricia Wroe and prominent executive member Mr Noel Buckley.
Meanwhile, more than 20,000 primary teachers will receive the first of their 9.5 per cent benchmarking payments tomorrow. This follows agreement between the Department of Education on the issue of parent-teacher meetings earlier this month. Second-level teachers, paid directly by the Department, will receive their payments on March 3rd, with VEC teachers paid according to a letter circulated to their schools by the Department.