Education Minister Helen McEntee has unveiled plans to offer permanent contracts to all newly qualified teachers starting in September 2025, once they have completed their induction year and secured a teaching position for the following academic year.
The initiative, announced as teachers’ union congresses begin their annual meetings, aims to address what unions have described as a “crisis” in teacher recruitment and retention, particularly in the Dublin area where schools have been forced to drop subjects or hire unqualified staff to cover absences.
“For their sake, I am determined to address job security, make teaching a more attractive, sustainable career,” Minister McEntee stated. “This will provide teachers with the certainty that they need, particularly when applying for mortgages.”
The permanent contract offer will apply to both primary and post-primary newly qualified teachers. Additionally, the Minister is working with the Teaching Council to streamline the process for teachers who qualified outside of Ireland to register and complete their teaching induction here.
According to Department of Education figures, Ireland currently employs more than 78,000 qualified teachers—over 35,000 at post-primary level—representing the largest teaching workforce in the State’s history. The number of student teachers graduating has increased by 20% between 2018 and 2023, with a 30% rise in Teaching Council registrations since 2017.
Despite these increases, staffing challenges persist. A recent report revealed that 98% of Irish schools had employed unqualified individuals to cover teacher absences during the 2023/24 school year when qualified substitutes could not be found.
The announcement comes as Irish schools continue to compete with overseas recruitment drives, particularly from Australia, which offer graduating teachers visa support, travel expenses, and competitive salaries to relocate abroad.
The Minister’s initiative aims to retain more newly qualified teachers within the Irish education system by providing earlier job security and career stability, addressing a key factor in teacher emigration.