1. Introduction
The Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) is a cross-sectoral support service under the remit of the Teacher Education Section (TES) of the Department of
Education and Skills (DES) which offers professional development support to primary and post-primary teachers and school leaders. The work of the PDST contributes to school improvement by providing high quality continuing professional development (CPD) on curricular and educational issues, fostering reflective practice and ongoing development among teachers and school leaders.
Amongst the priorities for the Department of Education and Skills for the coming years is the implementation of proposals to improve Literacy and Numeracy in both primary and post-primary schools. Other key priorities include supporting school leadership, school selfevaluation, health and wellbeing, and post primary subjects and programmes. The PDST
Primary Languages’ team will have specific responsibility for the design and delivery of CPD for the new Primary Language Curriculum (English and Irish). The PDST currently has a fulltime secondment opportunity for the position of Team Leader for Primary Languages
(English and Irish).
2. Competition
The Team Leader for Primary Languages will be responsible for the leading, planning, development and delivery of continuing professional development (CPD) and support in relation to the new Primary Language Curriculum. Working collaboratively with other members of the management team, he/she will contribute to the development of the
Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) including the identification of priorities and targets; the development and implementation of service plans; and the governance of the organisation. S/he will be contracted on a secondment basis to Dublin
West Education Centre.
The Team Leader for Primary Languages will lead and manage the team of Primary
Languages’ advisors. S/he will work as part of a middle management team and will report directly to the senior management team of Deputy Directors and the National Director. An important aspect of this role will involve working collaboratively with the Team Leader for
Primary Literacy (English) and the team leader for Primary Literacy (Gaeilge) to ensure a cohesive approach to professional development provision in language and literacy across the primary sector.
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The Team Leader will provide local, regional and national professional development and support for teachers and school leaders in priority educational areas.
3. Job description
The Team Leader for Primary Languages will have responsibility for:
 leading and managing the team of full-time Primary Languages’ advisors and parttime personnel
 leading and managing the design of CPD content for seminars, workshops and online support in relation to the new Primary Language Curriculum.
 planning, scheduling, monitoring and evaluating national and regional CPD events
 co-ordinating local communities of practice and capacity building initiatives
 managing school support applications and allocating caseloads to advisors
 monitoring , recording and extraction of CPD support data entered by the Primary
Languages’ team into the PDST Data Management System
 management of the Primary Languages’ budget line, including preparation of the annual budget and monitoring of expenditure
 co-ordinating the training and development of the Primary Languages’ team and associates
 providing resources for the team of Primary Languages’ advisors
 planning induction and training of new members to the Primary Languages’ team
 preparing and providing resource materials as part of professional development and support for advisors and teachers
 supporting the integration of ICT into the teaching and learning of languages (Irish and English) in primary schools maintaining the Primary Languages’ section of the
PDST website
 supporting the senior management team in co-ordinating the work of PDST
 liaising and working with the Department of Education and Skills, the National
Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), educational bodies/third level institutions, as appropriate
 undertaking administrative tasks as required by senior management
 writing reports and managing documentation

 organising and maintaining effective communication co-operate with external evaluators of the service.
The responsibilities of the Team Leader may vary in accordance with emerging needs and priorities and as assigned by the National Director.
4. Range of knowledge, experience and skills
The ideal candidate will possess a range of competencies and skills to support the role.
Required:
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● excellent leadership, management, communication, planning and organisational skills with a proven track record
● excellent interpersonal, communication, facilitation and presentation skills.
● a strong work ethic
 a range of teaching experience, good knowledge of national curricula, the operation of schools and relevant legislation (including Section 24 of the Education Act 1998)
 a thorough knowledge of the education system and knowledge of current and emerging educational research issues
 a thorough knowledge of the new Primary Language Curriculum: English and Irish
Junior Infants to Second Class (NCCA, 2015) including the key changes in emphases.
 knowledge of language acquisition and language teaching with a particular emphasis on the teaching, learning and assessment of languages
 an in-depth knowledge and experience of teaching the existing curriculum for
English and Irish at primary level
 a thorough understanding of the central components of effective teaching and learning including assessment of and for learning, active learning methodologies, curriculum integration and the promotion of higher order thinking skills
 Experience of language teaching in different language contexts e.g. Irish-medium schools (Gaeltacht schools/Gaelscoileanna) and/or English-medium education
 k nowledge and experience of providing continuing professional development (or knowledge and experience in supporting staff) on areas such as school leadership, school self- evaluation and school improvement
 ability to proactively organise and coordinate the work of others
 capacity to work independently and as part of a team
 an enterprising approach to tasks and the capability to undertake the innovative and challenging elements of the work
 flexibility to meet the needs of the organisation, including a willingness to engage in travel and/or evening work, as necessary.
A high level of Irish-language proficiency in communicating and working through Irish is an essential requirement for this role.
Desired:
 proficiency in ICT and a knowledge of online learning
 experience in the design, development and provision of teacher professional development including evidence of a capacity to mobilise and support teacher reflection, enquiry and school-based research
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 knowledge and experience of learning-support, special educational needs, English as an Additional Language (EAL), Reading Recovery, and/or Delivering Equality of
Opportunity in Schools (DEIS)
5. Location
 Successful candidates will be seconded to Dublin West Education Centre and will report to the Deputy Director with responsibility for Operations and Service
Cohesion.
 Administrative support for the work of the Team Leader will be provided through
Dublin West Education Centre.
 It will not be a requirement that the Team Leader be based in Dublin West Education
Centre. S/he will however, be expected to travel there and elsewhere as is necessary
 Successful candidates will be required to have their own means of transport and to possess and retain a full driving licence.

Public sector travel and subsistence rates will apply. Travel and subsistence will be calculated from home or the local Education Centre, whichever is nearest to the venue.
6. Eligibility

This post is open to all qualified teachers who hold a recognised post in a recognised primary or post-primary school, and are fully registered with the Teaching Council under Regulation 2 and/or Regulation 4 of the Teaching Council (Registration)
Regulations 2009 or are on secondment from such a post

Any offer of appointment will only be made where it is considered that a suitable candidate for the post exists
 The appointment is subject to the sanction of the Minister for Education and Skills.
No definitive offer of appointment can be made before sanction is given
 The appointment is on a secondment basis, subject to contract. The successful candidate will be appointed as soon as possible, with a possibility of further extensions available in line with normal procedures for secondments, to a maximum of 5 years and subject to organisational needs and satisfactory performance
 The contract will provide for ongoing performance review
 Health, sick leave and general work record must be satisfactory

The appointment is subject to Garda Vetting clearance .
7. Salary
The salary for a Team Leader is in accordance with Category 3 as provided for by the 2003
Arbitration Award in respect of teachers on secondment, subject to the conditions outlined
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below. Remuneration is at all times subject to the relevant DES or Department of Public
Expenditure and Reform regulations.
A Team Leader is entitled to all of the following:
 her/his relevant point on the Teachers’ Common Basic Scale, plus
 an honours primary degree allowance
 an honours Higher Diploma in Education allowance
 the standard Category 3 secondment allowance, which is pensionable (see table below)
Table 1:
Seconded
Category
PDST
Position
3 Team
Leader
Teachers’
Common Basic
Scale
Honours
Degree
Allowance
As applicable €4,918pa
01/01/2010
Honours
H.D.E.
allowance
€1,236pa
01/01/2010
Standard
Secondment
Allowance
€13,146pa
01/01/2010
Note: Circular 0053/2014 refers
Post of responsibility allowances will not be payable to seconded personnel who are in receipt of the above secondment allowances.
8. Selection procedure
 Applications should be made by submission of a completed application form. This should be submitted in electronic format to recruitment@pdst.ie
by 5pm on
Tuesday 8 September
 Late applications will not be considered.
 A selection committee will be established to carry out all aspects of the selection process.

Shortlisting may apply.

It is the responsibility of the candidates to make themselves available for interview, if invited to attend. Candidates should note that it may not be possible to provide an alternative date.

Those called for interview will be asked to make a 5 minute presentation to the interview panel focusing on the applicant’s vision for the position and the contribution they could make to teacher development with the PDST.

Candidates will be responsible for all expenses incurred in connection with their application and interview. This interview will be competency-based in line with the skills outlined in part 4 above of the job description.
Note: Some parts of the interview for this post will be conducted through the
medium of Irish.
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
A panel may be formed from which future vacancies may be filled.
 Canvassing directly or indirectly will disqualify applications.
9. Release from present post
 It is a matter for successful candidates to secure the agreement of their school authorities for release to take up a post for the period concerned.
 Successful candidates will be expected to be available to take up appointment as soon as possible.
 Commitment of release from your employer will be required. On receipt of an offer the successful candidate will be asked to seek immediate confirmation from his/her employer (e.g. Chairperson of the Board of Management). This signed statement should indicate that the employer (e.g. Chairperson of the Board of Management) is in a position to release the successful applicant.
10. Queries
Any queries in relation to this document should be emailed to recruitment@pdst.ie
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