ASTI

What ASTI does

ASTI (Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland) is Ireland's main second-level (post-primary) teachers' union, representing approximately 20,212 members as of end-2024 across community schools, community colleges, comprehensive schools, and voluntary secondary schools. Founded in 1909 and registered as Friendly Society 551T, ASTI is headquartered at Thomas MacDonagh House, Winetavern Street, Dublin 8, and is governed on a not-for-profit basis by its membership through elected representatives, branches, and school stewards.

The union delivers workplace representation through a network of Industrial Relations Officials covering every region of Ireland, alongside professional development, financial benefits (delivered via the ASTI/Cornmarket Rewards partnership, including 12 months' free MyDoc access), pension advisory services, publications (ASTIR magazine and the Irish-language Nuacht newsletter), a Digital Rights Hub, and a substitute placement scheme. ASTI campaigns on teacher pay, the teacher supply crisis, class sizes, teacher workload, and workplace safety. It also runs an affiliated Retired Secondary Teachers' Association (RSTA), founded 1962.

ASTI generates annual income of approximately €6 million, primarily through recurring member subscription fees, supplemented by a free first-year membership policy intended to drive recruitment. Growth has been steady at roughly 7% member growth year-over-year (from 18,872 to 20,212 between 2023 and 2024). The organization is currently transitioning leadership, with Linda Kelly (incoming from Fórsa) appointed to succeed Kieran Christie as General Secretary in September 2026.

Name

ASTI

Legal name

Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland

Website

https://asti.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ASTI is Ireland's main second-level (post-primary) teachers' union, representing approximately 20,212 members across community, community college, comprehensive, and voluntary secondary schools. Founded in 1909 and headquartered in Dublin, it delivers workplace representation, advocacy on pay and conditions, professional development, and member benefits via subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: ASTI generates revenue primarily through membership fees. The organization has an annual income of approximately €6 million as reported for end-2024.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ASTI is a membership-based trade union for post-primary (second-level) teachers in Ireland. It sells annual membership subscriptions that provide members with workplace representation through Industrial Relations Officials, industrial relations support, pay and pension advisory services, professional development training, access to negotiated financial benefits (ASTI/Cornmarket Rewards), member publications (ASTIR, Nuacht), and advocacy on teacher pay, workload, class sizes, and supply.

Product overview

ASTI (Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland) is a teachers' union, not a technology product company. It provides union membership services, professional support, advocacy, and representation for secondary school teachers in Ireland. The organization does not offer technology products, software platforms, or digital services as defined in this schema. Its offerings consist of membership benefits including workplace representation, industrial relations support, pension advice, professional development, publications (ASTIR magazine, Nuacht newsletter), and various grants and awards for members. The Digital Rights Hub and MyUnion portal serve as member-facing digital resources for accessing union services, not as standalone technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ASTI/Cornmarket Rewards: A rewards program providing benefits for new ASTI members including 12 months' free access to MyDoc and financial offers negotiated by the ASTI
• Retired Secondary Teachers' Association (RSTA)
• ASTIR
• Nuacht

Products and services

• ASTI Trade Union Membership Annual membership subscription for individual post-primary teachers in Ireland, providing workplace representation, industrial relations support, advocacy, and access to all member benefits including financial rewards, publications, professional development events, and pension advisory.
• Workplace Support / Industrial Relations Service Direct workplace and industrial relations support for members, delivered by five regional Industrial Relations Officials covering branch territories across Ireland on issues including pay, conditions, contracts, grievances, and member cases.
• ASTI/Cornmarket Rewards Member rewards programme delivered in partnership with Cornmarket, providing negotiated financial benefits such as 12 months' free MyDoc access, plus other financial offers negotiated by ASTI for new and existing members.
• Events & Training (Professional Development) Professional development events and training sessions for ASTI members, run from head office and covering second-level teaching, employment rights, and curriculum-related topics.
• Substitute Placement Scheme ASTI-operated substitute teacher placement scheme that helps members source substitute cover and find substitute placement opportunities.
• ASTIR Magazine ASTI's official member magazine, published for members and covering union news, campaigns, employment rights, and professional development content.
• Nuacht (Irish-language publication) ASTI's Irish-language member publication Nuacht, providing union news and member content through the medium of Irish.
• ASTI Awards and Grants Member-funded awards and grants programme administered by ASTI for members, supporting professional and personal development initiatives.
• MyUnion Member Portal Self-service online portal (MyUnion) where ASTI members log in to access union resources, employment information, and member benefits.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CornmarketminorGTM or Marketing PartnerASTI has a partnership with Cornmarket to provide ASTI/Cornmarket Rewards, which offers financial benefits for new ASTI members including 12 months free access to MyDoc and various negotiated financial offers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO): INTO is the largest teachers' union in Ireland, representing primary-level teachers. While focused on a different educational segment, INTO shares ASTI's union structure, collective bargaining model, and Irish education policy advocacy.
• National Education Union (NEU, UK): The NEU is the largest education union in the UK, formed from the merger of the NUT and ATL. It mirrors ASTI's role as a comprehensive teachers' union with industrial relations, CPD, and advocacy functions, but at greater scale and in a different regulatory environment.
• Australian Education Union (AEU): AEU represents teachers and education workers across Australian states. It shares ASTI's core model of union-led industrial representation and advocacy for teachers' pay, conditions, and professional interests, though operating across multiple jurisdictions.
• Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS): EIS is Scotland's largest teachers' union, covering nursery, primary, secondary, further education, and higher education teachers. It is comparable to ASTI as a national teachers' union offering industrial relations, legal support, and professional development in a UK context.
• Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT): IFUT represents academic and academic-related staff in Irish universities and institutes of technology. It is comparable as a national teachers' academic union operating under similar Irish labor and education frameworks as ASTI.
• NASUWT - The Teachers' Union (UK): NASUWT is one of the UK's largest teachers' unions representing secondary and primary educators. It is comparable to ASTI in mission, organizational structure, and service portfolio (industrial relations, professional development, legal support), though operating in a different national jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• Fórsa: Fórsa is Ireland's largest public service union, representing health and social care professionals, civil servants, and other public sector workers. It is comparable to ASTI as a major Irish trade union — and notably is the current employer of incoming ASTI General Secretary Linda Kelly.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT): AFT is a major US-based union representing teachers and other professionals. While much larger and broader in scope, AFT shares ASTI's core function of collective bargaining, professional advocacy, and member services for secondary educators.
• National Education Association (NEA, US): NEA is the largest professional employee organization in the United States, representing K-12 teachers and support staff. It is comparable to ASTI as a membership-driven teachers' union with state-level branch networks and a focus on working conditions and educational policy.

Direct peers

• Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI): TUI is Ireland's other major second-level teachers' union, directly competing with ASTI to represent post-primary teachers across community colleges, comprehensive schools, and voluntary secondary schools in overlapping membership territory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/astiunion
• Facebookfacebook.com/astiteachers
• Instagraminstagram.com/astiunion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asti

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ASTI