- Unpaid leave.
- Certified sick leave.
- The full period of paid or unpaid maternity leave and leave in lieu of maternity leave in accordance with Department of Education and Science regulations.
- Paid or unpaid family leave in accordance with Department of Education and Science regulations.
- Jury service.
- Membership of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
- Membership of course committees established by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
- Conduct of State Examination Commission oral and practical examinations and/or assessments.
- State examination conferences organised by the State Examination Commission.
Substitute teachers who are employed in these circumstances fall into three distinct categories:
Non-Casual Part-Time teacher.
A Non-Casual Part-Time teacher is a part-time teacher who:
Is a qualified teacher and,
Is employed for more than 150 hours in the year (e.g. maternity leave, long term illness)
Casual Part-Time teacher
A Casual Part-Time teacher is a part-time teacher who:
Is a qualified teacher and
Is employed for 150 hours or less during the school year.
Unqualified part-time teacher
An Unqualified Part-Time teacher is a part-time teacher who:
Lacks some basic qualification.
Is not properly qualified in the subject area for which he/she is employed.
Is employed in the absence of a suitable qualified teacher.
School management may employ existing RPT teachers to substitute for absent colleagues provided that the hours worked by any individual do not exceed 22 hours in a week.
When engaging a substitute teacher for a period of 26 weeks or more in a given year Boards of Management are required to advertise the post and make an appointment in accordance with the normal procedures for the appointment of teachers. For periods of less than 26 weeks, while it is advisable to follow the same procedure whenever possible, substitutes may be appointed from a panel of available teachers or from a list supplied by an agency. It is advisable, however, that the Board of Management should put in place an appropriate form of selection process to be used in such circumstances.
It is not permissible to engage, as a substitute teacher, a person who is already in receipt of incremental salary as a teacher. A teacher on Career Break may not be engaged as a substitute teacher except on an intermittent or casual basis (DES CL. 25/99). Teachers absent on Parental Leave may not engage in any type of teaching (DES CL. 17/99).