Education authorities are powerless to prevent schools hiring retired teachers at a time when hundreds of newly-qualified teachers are unable to find work, internal documents show.
Schools have hired hundreds of retired teachers over recent years despite official policies which require them to prioritise the recruitment of unemployed teachers when filling vacant posts.
Latest figures show that earlier this year some 282 retired teachers in receipt of pensions were employed as substitute teachers in primary and secondary schools.
Internal Department records released under the Freedom of Information Act show that authorities cannot prevent retired teachers returning to the classroom, as it “may be in breach of equality law and an individual’s right to earn a living”.
The Department has issued numerous circulars and information notes asking that unemployed teachers continue to be prioritised over the past five years.
It has also revised payment rules which oblige retired teachers to be taken on at the first point of revised salary scales for new entrants. This represents a significant financial disincentive for teachers who retired at the top of their salary.
But feedback from schools indicates retired teachers have been recruited because of factors such as the number and pattern of hours available, a lack of appropriately qualified teachers in certain areas and the short notice required to fill vacancies.
A breakdown of figures by the Department shows most retired teachers tend to be employed for relatively short periods of time.
Of the 282 teachers employed in March 2014 – the latest date for which figures are available – the majority had worked for five days or less. About 85 retired teachers worked for between five and 20 days, while two worked for more than 20 days.
However, there is a significant surplus of newly-qualified teachers. At primary level alone, a surplus of about 600 teachers are graduating each year. This means the taxpayer and individual students are spending millions every year on training for posts that do not exist.
In response, the Department has written to the managerial authorities of all schools where retired teachers were employed for more than five days.
This letter outlines to principals the obligations placed on them to keep a record of why a retired teacher had to be employed and requires that schools’ boards of management be informed.
But records also show the Department of Education itself has employed retired civil servants to undertake specific tasks.
Last year, for example, the Department hired 31 retired civil servants who were paid a total of €110,000.
Most of these staff formerly worked in the Department, while a handful worked in other sectors of government and the State Examinations Commission.
