Teaching Council has no legal powers to assess qualifications

hot chick

I received the following from the Teaching Council last week:

"It should be noted that The Council is in receipt of legal advice which confirm that it has no legal remit to assess qualifications of registered teachers. Its remit is confined to assessment for the purposes of registration only. This legal advice was reviewed by the Council and it is now in discussion with the Department of Education and Science with a view to enabling the Council to carry out assessments of registered persons. As an interim measure the council has agreed to assess qualifications, when requested to do so, on the understanding that any decision in this regard will be issued for “information purposes only” and cannot be recorded on the register of teachers until specific sanction is granted by the Minister."

Does this mean we're going to have to have our qualifications re-assessed when it becomes "legal"?

dublintuition

not sure hotchick, this is the first I 've heard of that, although it does sound interesting.

CLAUDINE

Hi Hot chick, If that is the case why should anyone who is already registered to teach need to apply to the TC for subject recognition to teach other subjects especially if school is willing to accept someone to teach a subject that they are not 'qualified' to do so?

btw What context was the notice sent out to you ? I am looking for recognition for teaching a language and TC are making me jump through hoops - maybe I dont need to bother with them after all

marblesolutions

This happened to me last year. When i origionally went for recognition I was applying for two subjects Chemistry and Biology. I was finding it very difficult to get all the information required from the Biology dept. so I was advised by the TC to just apply for Chemistry which I duely did .

Then low and behold they changed the rules last year and I was told by the DoE that I could not apply for a job advertised which asked for Biology and Chemistry. I paniced and cried and got on a plane at great expence to get the missing documentation and applied for recognition for Biology.
I sent of all the forms and got back a letter 1 year later which stated that for information purposes only I could teach Biology. I was on the phone to them prob. 20 times over the course of the year. What a joke they had been taken to court and basicly I can now teach what I bloody well like so long as I am registered with them. No good for all the jobs that they said I could not apply for last year :mad:

CLAUDINE

Sorry to hear that Marblestones. I dont know if it is just me but I cant find one single good reason for the teaching council.
Incidently I was reading through their list of accomplishments on their webpage and to be honest it is a joke. It makes the Irish Country Womens Association look like a crowd of career crazed hot shot stock brokers.

Forgive the outburst but for the last while I am incensed at their complete lack of respect for those that pay their bloody wages ...:mad::mad::mad:.
I cant even get them on the phone and the message I left last wednesday (today friday) still hasnt been replied to!!! grrrrrrr....

CLAUDINE

No offense to Irish Country Womens Association meant. Apologies to them if there is.

marblesolutions

I agree but ti be honest they are not as bad as dealing with the crowd in the D of E oh my God but I have never been treated so bad in my entire life. They are so so rude I was trying to get recognition for my past experience you would swear the money was coming out of the girls personal; bank account or that I was trying in some way to fiddle the system.Their pay slips are a joke and if you ring to ask them to explain them they treat you like you are completely thick.......
Taught in England for many years never had a bother with either the teaching council or the department of education not sure why some civil servants in this country feel they have a licence to be rude to the very people they are there to serve :rolleyes: