Colleges who provide Shortfall Courses

The Teaching Council & Shortfalls

The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. It acts in the interests of the public good while upholding and enhancing standards in the teaching profession. One of the ways the Council ensures and regulates standards is by ensuring that all teachers entering the profession in Ireland have met the required standards.

The Teaching Council assesses overseas qualifications in accordance with the Teaching Council [Registration] and the EU Professional Qualifications Directive (2005/55/EC as amended), and in the case of post-primary teachers, applicants must meet the subject criteria for one post-primary curricular subject.

Current post-primary Subject requirements

Subject Requirements applicable from 1 January 2023

Persons completing teacher education qualifications outside the State and seeking to register with the Teaching Council must have their qualifications assessed to determine that they are comparable to accredited qualifications in Ireland.  Following qualifications assessment, if any qualification shortfalls are identified the applicant is advised of the area of qualification shortfall and is offered conditional registration for a period of three years while the shortfalls are addressed by an aptitude test or adaptation period.

All applications for qualification assessment are afforded the benefit of EU Directive 2005/36/EC, the Professional Qualifications Directive.

Conditional Registration is granted when an applicant for registration has not fulfilled all of the Council's registration requirements. If Conditional Registration is granted, the Council will inform the teacher of the conditions imposed, the measures required to meet them, and the timeframe within which they must be met. Conditions will be recorded on the Register and on the teacher's Conditional Registration letter. https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/

Qualification shortfalls may be identified in undergraduate and/or teaching qualifications and may include shortfalls in curricular subject knowledge; foundation studies in education; subject teaching methodologies; teaching practice; and knowledge of the history and structure of the Irish education system.

The teaching council has a guide to each of the curriculums for post primary schools to identify any possible shortfalls https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/publications/registration/documents/curricular-subject-requirments-after-january-2017.pdf

How to fulfil shortfalls?

You can do this by aptitude test or adaptation period.

An aptitude test is the completion of an assessment  that addresses the shortfalls identified. For example, modules may be studied with a higher education institution (HEI) and an assessment/examination carried out at the end of those studies. You must approach a HEI yourself to find appropriate options. Once you find a suitable choice, you may contact the Teaching Council to confirm whether the option will address the shortfall.

An adaptation period is a period of teaching practice that includes the identified areas of shortfall under the supervision of a registered member of the profession.

If you are granted conditional registration, the Council will write to you to inform you of the qualification shortfalls attached to your registration.

All applicants for primary registration who qualified outside of Ireland are given the shortfall of the  the Irish Language Requirement (ILR) you can find more information at http://www.ilrweb.ie

All applicants for post-primary registration who qualified outside of Ireland are given the shortfall of the History & Structure of the Irish Education System (H&S). The Council offers an online exam three times per year to address this shortfall.  Teachers may book a place on the exam through the Council’s website. Information about the exam may be found also be found at the previous link.

Colleges who provide Shortfall Courses

For other shortfalls, you must approach colleges yourself to find appropriate courses.

This list is not exhaustive and details of these colleges is available here- it is always worthwhile to check with each college or their website, for further details. 

Link to list of approved HEIs https://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=hei

This project is co-financed by the European Commission under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund 2014-2020, through the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and by the Department of Education