PLC Colleges - Appointments, Probation and Dismissal

Appointments
In the ETB sector, appointments are made under the terms of Memorandum V7 and subsequent Circular Letters from the Department of Education and Skills. Teachers employed by ETBs derive their contracts of employment from Memo V7 and are employed by Education and Training Boards (rather than individual schools).

Teachers in Community and Comprehensive schools are guaranteed conditions of service no less favourable than Memo V7. Community and Comprehensive schools are constituted upon separate Deeds of Trust that provide for a Board of Management which employs teachers. Members should note the Teaching Council registration requirements for appointments to and retention of teaching positions paid for by the State
(www.teachingcouncil.ie).

Job Security
A member’s job is permanent provided the post is sanctioned as a permanent whole-time position or as a contract of indefinite duration (CID). A CID has the same status as a permanent contract. Permanency under a CID or where initial appointment was on a permanent basis may be in respect of fewer than
wholetime hours.

Contracts

ETBs
The contract specifies the nature of the post, salary, duties, notice of termination and must be signed by the teacher and Chief Executive. Only the agreed contract/s derived from Memo V7 should be signed by teachers employed by ETBs. The agreed fixed term contract is appended to Circular Letter 20/03 and the agreed contract of indefinite duration is appended to both Circular Letter 10/06 and Circular Letter 24/15. The employer of teachers
in a vocational school or community college is the Education and Training Board.

Community & Comprehensive and Voluntary Secondary Schools
There is no agreed contract for permanent wholetime appointments in the Community & Comprehensive or Voluntary Secondary sectors. The agreed contract of indefinite duration for both sectors is appended to Circular Letter 24/15. The agreed fixed term contract is appended to Circular Letter 19/03. In a Community or Comprehensive school, the Board of Management is the employer.

Probation & Induction
Every teacher at both second and third level on first appointment to an employment is required to serve a probationary period of a maximum of one year’s duration. At the end of this period the teacher’s appointment may be confirmed. It should be noted that if there is good and sufficient reason, the probation may be continued for a further period or, in exceptional cases, the appointment may be terminated with the sanction of the minister.

In the event of a probation being terminated or extended the person concerned should have been advised of his/her shortcomings regularly throughout the period concerned and the process used should have been agreed nationally at the appropriate industrial relations forum.

Newly qualified teachers in schools with 400+ students are required to complete the Droichead induction process. NQTs in schools with less than 400 students may complete the Droichead process (if they are in a school that has registered as a Droichead school). If not, they are required to complete the NIPT programme, which includes twenty hours of induction workshops, to be eligible for full registration. Details are available through your principal or the national office atwww.nipt.ie.   


Dismissal/Suspension
Any member who is threatened with dismissal or suspension from a position should contact her/his Branch Officer or Area
Representative immediately.

Part 5 (Fitness to Teach) of the Teaching Council Act
Part 5 (Fitness to Teach) of the Teaching Council Act relates to the Council’s role in investigating complaints relating to registered teachers. Any member who receives correspondence from the Teaching Council in relation to a Part 5 complaint should immediately contact the union at adolan@tui.ie


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