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RICHARD COSGRAVE WAS “sickened to his stomach” when he opened his first pay cheque upon his return to Ireland, after four years spent teaching in the United Arab Emirates.
The chemistry teacher who was working in his native Dungarvan, Co Waterford discovered that his time abroad was not recognised by the Department of Education here.
“I graduated in 2012 and tried to get a job here in Ireland and could not, so I took a job in a private school in UAE and gave four years there,” he said.
Speaking to The Journal at the ASTI annual conference, he recounted taking the “first opportunity” he could to come home and returned to Dungarvan to take up a role at St Augustine’s College.
Cosgrave had met his wife, a Canadian and fellow teacher, while in UAE and returned to Ireland with her to raise a family.
However, after receiving his first pay cheque back in the Irish system, Cosgrave found that he was down approximately €5,000 per year on what he had thought he was due to earn.
“I really was shocked. My wife who taught in the same school as me was able to qualify [for the additional payment in recognition of her years of teaching] despite training originally in the Canadian system, but the key difference was she was a primary school teacher and I was a secondary school teacher.
“The thing is, I know other teachers who are still in UAE who want to come home but are afraid of what they’ll miss out on if they don’t qualify for the incremental credit.”
The incremental credit payment is given to teachers in recognition of their ‘relevant’ years of teaching service.
The annual conference of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland in Wexford heard that Cosgrave was just one of many teachers whose time spent teaching abroad has seen them lose out on thousands of euro, because the Department of Education does not recognise overseas teaching in various different settings.
A 500-strong gathering of teachers and ASTI union delegates in Clayton Whites Hotel heard from different speakers that current situation is “discouraging” teachers from coming home as they may not earn as much as they would have expected to, despite having “broadened their horizons” by teaching abroad in non-EU countries such as in the Middle East and Australia.
The incremental credit payment also impacts pay for teachers who had worked in private schools in different parts of Europe and elsewhere, the conference heard.
In Cosgrave’s case, he found he could not appeal the decision to the Teacher Conciliation Council, which he had expected would handle issues like this. The group comprises representatives of teachers, school management, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Department of Education.
The issue is particularly significant given the current shortage of teachers: according to figures from the INTO, there were more than 2,000 long-term vacancies in teaching at the start of this academic year. Meanwhile, it estimates that more than 4,800 Irish teachers are working abroad.
Education Minister Norma Foley has warned against making it “overly attractive” for teachers to work abroad – but signalled on Tuesday morning that she was happy for the issue to be “looked at” through the Teacher Conciliation Council.
The ASTI overwhelmingly voted on Tuesday to demand that “all years of teaching service abroad in recognised second-level schools” shall be included in the calculation of incremental credit for salaries.
It was slammed by one speaker as an “appalling” example of “inequality rearing its ugly head” in the profession.
Michael McGrath, also from Cosgrave’s Dungarvan branch of the union, recounted to the hall of the “incredible difference” facing one teacher who had spent ten years teaching in Australia.
He found the teacher was down €17,000 a year compared to where they would have been if they had stayed in Ireland.
“But what’s happening now is that some of them financially cannot afford to live in Ireland. They’re going abroad again. That’s the madness of it,” McGrath added.
Education Minister Norma Foley’s comments earlier yesterday morning on RTÉ Radio One, where she outlined that she doesn’t want to make it “overly attractive” to Irish teachers to work abroad, drew ire from ASTI members.
“There’s a fine line we walk here in terms of the push and pull factors,” Foley had said.
“I’m conscious that from a primary school perspective, teachers who are working in non-EU countries, their services are recognised.
“Equally so, we have to be cognizant of making it overly attractive, for those going abroad and ensuring that there is a fairness to the 75,000 who are actually currently working here at home as well,” Foley added.
Cosgrave pointed to these comments when speaking to The Journal, saying that he could not “grasp the logic” of the minister and department’s reluctance to recognise overseas service when primary teachers’ experiences are recognised.
Pat Knightly, who has been working for 30 years at St Augustine’s in Dungarvan as a special needs teacher, said there was “no resentment” among the profession against teachers working abroad.
“There are 75,000 teachers in Ireland and I really think the only teacher who isn’t in favour of recognising teaching abroad is the minister herself,” Knightly told The Journal.
“But we as teachers have to pick up the slack from not being able to get other qualified teachers to take classes.”
One of the biggest applauses of the first day of the ASTI conference went to Mark Walsh, a teacher from the union’s Dublin North East branch, who asked what made locations such as Dubai “overly attractive” in the first place.
“The reason is because between 2010 and 2022 there was a systematic destruction of teachers’ pay and conditions. The chickens have come to roost. The minster is reaping what she – or the previous government – sowed,” Walsh told the room.
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Compel them to attend. Disgraceful behavior of individuals who have something to hide. They are in receipt of a lot of taxpayers money and should be transparent
€85 million i believe.
Is this the same man who is the architect of modern day FG, who is a lifetime member and behind the scenes leader of strategy in FG, is this the same man ?
‘Tis.
FG and FF. Two tits from the same torso.
Luckily she’s well enough to send a threatening letter. Was worried there for a second.
Incredible arrogance of this pair. Is this the new transparent Rehab that was promised?
I wouldn’t disclose my income if I didn’t have to either , maybe we should have another referendum on giving Dail committees some teeth
if the public is paying you, it shouldn’t be private
Hiding behind stress and strain as an excuse to not explain yourself in front of the PAC is one issue but to bluntly come out and say you will sue if your wage and perks come out in the public domain is just a joke. If you’re happy to be (over) paid from the public purse you should have no qualms about it being made public knowledge. You shouldn’t have that choice either to disclose or not. At this stage it isn’t even about the money , if she owned up at the start and put her hands up she would still have some credibility. Instead she declared in an interview there should be greater transparency post CRC-gate and in the next sentence refuse to say what she was earning and then to launch onto legal action , she has some nerve.
Shameless individuals.
John
You must be a Sinn Feiner!
So Richard to a Canadian based FG Supporter – it’s now a crime to be a Member of SF ?
Would you like your FG Buddies to ban SF – is that it ????
Who’s John?
Roland – who is “Richard” ?
Trough swilling pigs. When will this country be cured of its greed epidemic?
A pair of rats.
Very unfair on rats Petr
Frank’s fortune and
Angelas €ashes….
Absolute rubbish Chris, Frank Flannery has been paid thousands, the public have a right to know what he was paid this for. It is a disgrace that a charity has had thousands sucked out of it by the main Fine Gael strategist. People need to remember this arrogance in May and vote accordingly!
“What”?
“People filling their pockets from a charity”??
“Hey this is Ireland”
“There’s bound to be some way for our justice system and media to divert the blame onto the taxpayer”
Just looking at the live broadcast of PAC and Rehab……astonishing ineptness to say the least and twists and turns all over the place. They paid Flannery 4.00 euro in 2007! No wonder they are in distress and won’t attend. Crooks! All of them. Close this group and start again! This model is well and truly broke. Can’t believe what is coming out of this hearing…..quite unbelievable.
That should read 407000 euro!
Well said Nelly, the PAC for years never really questioned government spending in any serious way, not that they are starting to fulfil that role people are calling foul because corruption is being unearthed and jobs for the boys being highlighted. In the UK they have a system where a member of the cabinet has to resign because they misrepresented their expenses, can you see that happening in Ireland, not on your life. We need to get to that level of accountability and the PAC is a very good start down that road.
Take them on in the courts and show them up for what they are
That woman is the definition of a
“Fat Cat”
Every single person involved with the public sectors salary should be disclosed and searchable online, from Train drivers drivers to the very top. We deserve to have full disclosure on how our taxes are being spent, so that we can make informed decisions when it comes to voting and other choices.
Ludacris grim, that info is available online.
Yes all pay grades are published in public sector. It is because rehab has a commercial sector it can refuse to hand over pay details. Kerins maintains her salary is not paid from the public purse. In reality you will find the public sector is fully transparent about pay a lot more than private sector banks CEOs etc.
Talk about commercial suicide. Who is going to hire these guys to sit on their board now?
They don’t need more money it’s retiring time
They already remain on plenty of other boards. Multiple streams of income is a fabulous way to thrive.
oh im sure they’ll find another quango somewhere, people like these tend to land on their feet.
Shown really up for they are, greedy b****ds
Do these silly fools not realise, or care that the biggest loser here is rehab, and the people they care for. Here’s hoping karma will strike.
These people are only interested in their pay packets, not the people they are supposes to be helping.
There is something of the night about FG’s Frank Flannery.
Are you drunk?
Something definitely not right about Angela’s FF connections and how she was lifted into the Rehab board because of them Seanie
Creatures of the night, what money they make!
Both FF and FG are at fault here. Labour must also take responsibility been in power.
Angela’s association with FF is from a very long time ago. No reason to think that she has had any association with FF for years or FF with her.
So Seanie, you are one of those blinkered horses that think we should forget what FF did and would do again in the future if they got a chance. Jesus they are only gone for a few years yet. People won’t forget or forgive for a decade.
Glad to see some people standing up to this useless witch-hunt. It’s bread & circuses – give the plebs somebody to hate, and throw insults at. Shane Ross and Mary Lou will have to turn their pointless populist smugness at some other mid-level types who will be thrown to the wolves. And nothing will happen. Why? Because we voted against giving the f&@king committee any powers. What a complete waste of time and the exchequer’s money. Bring on the hate!
People like you don’t get hate you get ignored. I’m kind enough to let you know that twisting the Blake like this does not work. We all know FF / FG and Labour are at fault here and no mention of SF or independents will change that.
It appears to be mostly a media driven witch-hunt, not so much focussed on the substance of the enquiry but instead the persons involved. Shane Ross and Mary Lou McDonald in particular appear to be political point scoring rather than trying to get to the core Rehab expenses issue They have so far shown no real consideration for the Rehab organisation or for the many hard working people employed there.
Chris enough attacking the very people asking the right questions. The attacks should be made at the current and previous government who have us in this mess in the 1st place.
as a proud pleb i am thankful to Ross and McDonald for letting me know where my taxes are wasted at and by whom, regardless of what Ross’ and McDonald’s personal/political agendas are.
@Chris
And what consideration have Flannery and Kerins shown towards Rehab, the people who work under them and those they are supposed to help?
That doesn’t say much for the rest of PAC team who quietly get on with their work at trying to get to the bottom of this enquiry. I wonder what the chairman of the Commission thinks of its participants blabbing to the media. It does little for being innocent until proven guilty to see this happening, the pillar of our justice system.
The right questions are about how public funding is spent by Rehab and nothing that undermines the valuable work Rehab does.
Can they not be compelled to disclose their wages to , say a H.S.E official , who will then be compelled to disclose this info to the committee ? Has this not been used with the C.R.C ? There’s more than one way of skinning a cat ( apologies to the animal rights gang ! )
Poor Angela,maybe she really needs to go to confession.Curiously,Frank seems to possess a priestly persona.
They may both be inappropiate but they are minor league in impact on all our lives
1 foi act currently being savaged by politicians
2 still the monster of newly created water board multiple millions with licence to fleece us for teternity
Maybe we should have a collection so she can go in to rehab to recover,
They could compel them to attend but they don’t have to answer questions, just say “Na Boi”. Whole Rehab, CRC and Banks up at PAC is a joke. You have Shinner MaryLou and Posh Ross band standing with their “I’m great vote for me” posturing.
As long as we don’t vote FF, FG or Lab we are doing ok.
LOL,, so let me guess who you think we should vote for ?????? O yes Gerry the spoofer and Martin the turn coat…. got it
Or Sinn Fein… While the others are corrupt at least they didn’t bomb kids…
We can forgive for robbing banks and laundering diesel…
Oh!! And been complete hypocrites in saying one thing down South and doing something completely different up north.
They found the border quick enough that time, one Ireland my hole
I vote independent but that does not matter. Most urgent matter is that we don’t vote for the same people who put us in this mess.
Gout and high cholesterol!
That picture of two people who don’t want to have to explain where public money given to a charity was spent and causing donations to drop is somewhat ironic as the legend “stop the suffering” is written just behind their smug faces.
I believe it’s time the fraud squad were called in, there is obviously something very rotten going on and Angela Kerins & Co are doing their up-most to cover it up .
Renumeration is not a word. Remuneration is the word you mean.
The word is.REMUNERATION not remuneration. It appears rte and many others repeat this word endlessly, despite being unable to either spell or pronounce it. Might I suggest they all just say pay in future?
@ Sheik…. huh? You spelled the same word…. one in CAPITALS!!!
… this from wiki:
Remuneration is the compensation that one receives in exchange for the work or services performed. Typically, this consists of monetary rewards, also referred to as wage or salary.[1] A number of complementary benefits, however, are increasingly popular remuneration mechanisms. Remuneration is one component of reward management.
You just spelled them the same way..
Only answer – no more money to Rehab. Not my taxes anyway. Disgraceful if they get away with it.
Mike, I am on the side of the PAC doing its job and nothing more. I would have been perfectly happy for this work being done with less of the spotlight put on the questions but rather the response and how to move forward to a speedy conclusion. This enquiry has been treated by many people so far as simply entertainment and is doing a great deal of damage to Rehab and other charities.
…. the woman earns good money…. but since when is that a crime? She has effectively been chased out of her job because of that. I don’t get it??? I earn good money (not as much as Angela) and would love to earn what she earns. It takes hard work and considerable effort to run large companies…. this demand higher pay than a regular operator or plumber or nurse or garda – good and all as those people may be.
This is turning into a witch hunt of anyone who earns over x,000 per year. It’s not a good measure of us as a society.
Someone else is going to have to do this role now… and do it well. Do we really think they will earn considerably less than Angela did? And what number IS ok?
@ hairy……100k enough?…
Mike, I have never worked for Rehab so I can’t answer your question and I presume that you haven’t worked for the either or you would enlighten us.
Nice passive aggressive reply there, Chris. It’s very clear whose side you are on; shame on you.
my god,have they no shame these pair, we the taxpayer gave 90 million 2 these pair,for what,line their own pockets. what have they to hide.they are making a mockery of us.mr flannery and miss keirns like bonny and clyde.thats my opinion, and if the pair of ye want to try and shut me up come on down.it seems that nobody has the balls 2 go after them.thats my opinion,shame on you both,
have your say