What Teaching Council does

The Teaching Council is the statutory regulator of the teaching profession in the Republic of Ireland, established in 2006 under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015. It operates from a single headquarters at Block A, Maynooth Business Campus, Co. Kildare, with 11-50 employees, and serves as the sole legally empowered body responsible for the registration, vetting, and professional conduct oversight of all teachers in Ireland. As of the latest reporting, the National Register of Teachers contains 121,405 registered teachers, with 3,105 newly qualified teachers added in the most recent intake cycle. The Council's mandate includes administering mandatory Garda vetting through the National Vetting Bureau, conducting Fitness to Teach investigations and disciplinary proceedings, accrediting Initial Teacher Education programmes under Section 38 of the Teaching Council Act, and supporting teacher induction via the Droichead framework and ongoing professional learning through the Cosán framework.

The Council operates a digital platform built around the My Registration portal, which handles teacher registration applications, annual renewal, Droichead Form D submission, and personal details management. Supporting systems include a public searchable online Register of Teachers (queryable by name, registration number, school sector, or school roll number), a Garda Vetting administration system, the Céim programme accreditation system for Initial Teacher Education providers, the Cosán online library, the Féilte Bursary Scheme (€126,000 distributed in 2025), and a public-facing inquiry calendar and findings database for Fitness to Teach hearings. Accessibility is supported via the Recite Me assistive toolbar. The Council's revenue model combines direct Irish government funding under its statutory mandate with annual teacher registration fees; specific fee amounts are not publicly disclosed. Customer segments include individual teachers (primary, post-primary, and further education), schools and Educational Training Boards (ETBs), Initial Teacher Education providers, and the Department of Education. Partnerships include the National Vetting Bureau, Oide (Department of Education support service), and international data-sharing arrangements with the Education Workforce Council (Wales) and the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

Name

Teaching Council

Legal name

The Teaching Council

Website

https://teachingcouncil.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Teaching Council is the statutory regulator of the teaching profession in Ireland, responsible for teacher registration, Garda vetting, Fitness to Teach investigations, and Initial Teacher Education programme accreditation under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015, serving 121,405 registered teachers, schools, and government bodies from its Maynooth headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Regulatory Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Initial Teacher Certification & Licensure Boards (EDADAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Teacher License Renewal & Continuing Certification Authorities (EDADAJAB), Teacher Registration, Recordkeeping & Public Registry Authorities (EDADAJAJ), Teacher Discipline, Investigations & Fitness-to-Practice Panels (EDADAJAF), Teacher Standards, Ethics & Professional Conduct Boards (EDADAJAE), Mentoring, Induction & Probationary Teaching Oversight Authorities (EDADAJAK), Professional Development / CPD Requirement Administration for Licensure (EDADAJAL)

Keywords

• Teacher registration services
• Professional standards regulation
• Teacher vetting administration
• Fitness to teach
• Initial teacher education

Headquarters

HQ city

Kildare

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: As a statutory State body operating under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015, the Council receives government funding to fulfil its regulatory mandate of promoting and regulating professional standards in teaching in Ireland.
2. Teacher Registration Fees: Fees are charged for teacher registration applications, including qualified in Republic of Ireland, qualified outside Republic of Ireland, return to register, and application processing timeframes apply.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Teaching Council is the statutory regulator of the teaching profession in Ireland. It maintains the National Register of Teachers, processes teacher registrations and annual renewals, administers Garda vetting for teachers, runs fitness-to-teach complaint investigations, accredits initial teacher education programmes, and supports professional learning through the Droichead induction framework and the Cosán ongoing professional learning framework.

Product overview

The Teaching Council operates a unified regulatory platform for Ireland's teaching profession, encompassing teacher registration, vetting, professional standards, and professional learning. The core offering is the Register of Teachers and its associated My Registration Portal, which together manage the full teacher lifecycle from initial registration through annual renewal. Supporting systems include the Garda Vetting Service for mandatory police clearance, the Fitness to Teach system handling complaints and disciplinary proceedings, and the Droichead integrated induction framework for newly qualified teachers. Professional development is delivered through the Cosán framework with its accompanying Online Library and the Féilte Bursary Scheme. Initial teacher education is regulated via the Céim programme accreditation system. The platform also provides public access to inquiry calendars, published findings, a Virtual Tour, news and ezines, and a teacher election system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• My Registration Portal Online self-service portal enabling individual teachers in Ireland to apply for registration, renew annual registration, submit Form Ds for Droichead induction, apply for vetting, update personal details, and track application status.
• Register of Teachers Public searchable database of qualified teachers in Ireland, enabling public verification of teacher registration status, school employment, and registration route.
• Garda Vetting Service Statutory vetting service for teachers coordinated through the National Vetting Bureau under the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012-2016, covering both initial registration and annual renewal.
• Fitness to Teach Investigation and disciplinary system for registered teachers, including a Code of Professional Conduct, a public inquiry process, a complaints mechanism, and published findings and decisions.
• Droichead (Integrated Professional Induction Framework) Teacher induction framework supporting newly qualified teachers through the transition from initial teacher education to the teaching profession, with school-based and professional learning components (Snáithe A and Snáithe B).
• Cosán Professional Learning Framework National framework guiding and supporting teachers' professional learning throughout their career, providing online resources, an online library, research tools, and the Féilte Bursary Scheme.
• Initial Teacher Education (Céim) Accreditation Programme accreditation system for initial teacher education providers, maintaining standards for undergraduate and postgraduate teacher training programmes across primary, post-primary, and further education sectors.
• Féilte Bursary Scheme Annual bursary initiative funding school-based projects that promote teaching as a profession, with total funding of €126,000 distributed across Irish schools in 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• Teachers must renew registration annually, ensuring ongoing professional standards compliance
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oide (Teacher Induction Support Service)coreOthersOide is a Department of Education support service for schools, established in 2023. The Teaching Council works with Oide to support the Droichead induction process for newly qualified teachers. Oide provides Professional Support Team (FTG) training, cluster meetings, and school support services that complement the Council's regulatory role in teacher induction.
• Department of EducationcoreOthersThe Department of Education provides payroll services for teachers in recognised schools and receives teacher registration data from the Council under Section 24(7) of the Education (Amendment) Act 2012 to verify teacher registration status for State salary payments.
• Education and Training Boards (ETBs)coreOthersETBs employ and pay teachers directly and receive teacher registration data from the Council to comply with Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act requiring only registered teachers to be paid from State funds.
• National Vetting BureaucoreOthersThe Teaching Council coordinates and administers Garda vetting for all teachers as required under the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016. The Council shares information with the Bureau for registration and renewal purposes.
• Higher Education Institutions (Initial Teacher Education Providers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColleges and universities offering accredited programmes of initial teacher education. The Council reviews and accredits ITE programmes under Section 38 of the Teaching Council Act. HEIs provide student qualification data to the Council to expedite registration for newly qualified teachers.
• Education Workforce Council (Wales)minorOthersData sharing agreement for sharing details of teacher disciplinary outcomes and receiving information about overseas teaching activities under mutual recognition obligations.
• General Teaching Council for ScotlandminorOthersData sharing agreement for sharing details of teacher disciplinary outcomes and receiving information about overseas teaching activities under mutual recognition obligations.
• Teacher Regulation Agency (England)minorOthersPotential future data sharing arrangement for receiving information about teacher activities in England under mutual recognition obligations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Department of Education (Ireland): Government department that receives the Teaching Council's registration data for payroll verification under Section 24(7) of the Education (Amendment) Act 2012. Closest government counterpart with overlapping policy and operational interaction.
• National Council for Teaching Quality: US-based non-profit focused on teacher policy, preparation program review, and standards advocacy. Comparable in influencing accreditation and professional standards, though operating through advocacy rather than statutory authority.
• Education and Training Boards Ireland: Statutory employers of teachers in Ireland's further and adult education sector, with direct data-sharing and payroll reliance on the Teaching Council. An ecosystem partner rather than competitor, but the closest state-body peer operating in the same regulatory chain.

Broad incumbents

• Ontario College of Teachers: Self-regulatory body licensing and governing more than 300,000 teachers in Ontario, Canada. Comparable in scope and lifecycle regulatory model, though operating at larger scale.
• Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership: National statutory body responsible for teacher registration, accreditation of initial teacher education, and professional standards across Australia. Broader geographic scope but materially comparable regulatory functions.

Direct peers

• Education Workforce Council: Wales's statutory regulator for the education workforce, registering teachers and learning support staff. Directly comparable in scope, statutory authority, and operational model, with an existing data-sharing partnership.
• General Teaching Council for Scotland: Statutory regulator of the teaching profession in Scotland, with an almost identical mandate covering teacher registration, fitness to teach, and professional standards. Closest functional peer given shared UK-and-Ireland regulatory tradition and active data-sharing relationship.
• General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland: Statutory regulator maintaining the professional register of teachers in Northern Ireland. Comparable in mandate, disciplinary function, and close-jurisdiction context.
• Teaching Regulation Agency: England's regulator of teacher misconduct and a party to a developing mutual recognition arrangement with the Teaching Council. Comparable in handling serious teacher misconduct and fitness-to-teach processes, though registration in England sits separately.
• New Zealand Teaching Council: Statutory self-regulatory body for the teaching profession in New Zealand, handling registration, practising certificates, and fitness to teach. Direct international peer in a small common-law jurisdiction.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheTeachingCouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-teaching-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/teachingcouncil/?hl=en
• Xx.com/TeachingCouncil

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Teaching Council