It’s that time of year again when teachers all around Ireland wonder what will happen next year. This can be a stressful time for many people for different reasons- some teachers who are working on temporary or substitute contracts and building up panel rights wonder whether they should go home now so they can build up panel rights for their home county. Other teachers who may have permanent contracts and who want to move home to be closer to their own families wonder whether to leave their permanent position to go home to an uncertain future or to stay where they are currently working.

Panels

If you are currently working in an area that isn’t home and you intend to return to your home county soon it would be a good idea to think about where you want to build up your panel rights. For example, if you are currently working in Dublin and plan on applying to the supplementary panel next year but would prefer to move home to Waterford then it might be a good option to move home to Waterford this summer. Then you can apply to the supplementary panel in Waterford next year. If you decide to remain in Dublin, you can’t apply to the Waterford panel without getting a transfer which can be difficult to obtain.

Permanent positions- do they exist?

Yes but many of the permanent jobs are required for the main/supplementary panels.

Fixed Term Positions

If you get a temporary or fixed term position (before 1st November and for the full year) you will get paid for the holidays and summer. Your salary entitlements and pension benefits will continue even if you leave a permanent position.

Leaving a Permanent Position

If you decide to leave your permanent position – you can apply for substitute, temporary, permanent positions or work as a day to day/ casual substitute teacher from September.

Each day count towards building up panel rights for the supplementary panel (your permanent service cannot be counted towards the supplementary panel). Alternatively if you get consecutive contracts in the same school you could build up CID rights in that school.

Teacher Exchange

It is an option for teachers to do an exchange with another teacher in a different school. You can read more about the teacher exchange scheme here. (The minimum length is 1 year and the maximum length is 5 years so this isn’t a permanent solution.)

INTO Congress Motion – Teacher Mobility

Teacher Mobility (source here)

Congress:

a. recognises the importance of the supplementary panel and the impact of the Ward Report on fixed-term and part-time employment in securing permanent employment for 1,300 primary teachers for the 2016/2017 school year;

b. calls on the CEC to secure equal access to CIDs for fixed-term teachers covering for job sharing arrangements;

c. expresses concern at the current lack of mobility for permanent teachers who wish to move schools;

d. further calls on the CEC to:

(i) engage with the DES, Management and patrons to establish a voluntary transfer scheme for permanent teachers; and
(ii) in conjunction with the Northern Committee, to work with relevant departments of education and employing authorities to develop a scheme to allow the movement of teachers between schools across the island of Ireland, in recognition of the changing needs of teachers and education.

 

Overall, these are some of the options available to teachers who are unsure if they want to stay in the area they are currently teaching. Hopefully it will be easier for teachers to move schools in the future!