The Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI)
Information for Occupational Therapists
Employing
Non-Irish Trained Occupational Therapists
The Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI) provides the following
information in relation to the employment of Non-Irish Trained Occupational
Therapists in Ireland.
Non-Irish trained Occupational Therapists wishing to work in Ireland are required to
obtain the following documentation before they can work in the country:
 A valid work permit / visa
 Validation by the Department of Health and Children
 Garda Clearance.
If you are an Occupational Therapist Manager / a Private Practise Occupational
Therapist or any Occupational Therapist wishing to employ an Occupational
Therapist who did not obtain their qualifications in the Republic of Ireland you must
ensure that a prospective employee has obtained all of the above requirements in
advance of commencing employment.
The following is an overview of requirements and contact details on where to source
information for the above prerequisites for employment.
1.
Work Permits
It is an offence under the Employment Permits Acts 2003 and 2006 for both an
employer and an employee if a non-EEA National is in employment without an
appropriate employment permit. Employment permit holders can only work for the
employer named on the permit.
Helen Cornelissen for AOTI
1
January 2008
Information regarding work permits can be obtained from the Department of
Enterprise, Trade & Employment. Their contact details are Employment Permits
Section, Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment, Davitt House, 65a Adelaide
Road, Dublin 2. The Employment Permits Section does not have a public office and
cannot facilitate personal callers to the office.
Their office opening hours are Monday to Friday, 9:30am – 1:00pm and 2:00pm –
5:00pm. For specific queries you can contact their call centre at Phone: +353 (1) 417
5333 or in Ireland LoCall: 1890 201 616, or Fax: +353 (1) 631 3268 or
Email: employmentpermits@entemp.ie
Employment Permit information and application forms can be downloaded from their
website: http://www.entemp.ie/labour/workpermits/contact
2.
Validation by the Department of Health and Children
The Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI) validates the
credentials of overseas trained Occupational Therapists on behalf of the Department
of Health and Children, which is the designated authority in Ireland. The AOTI
Validation Committee works closely with the National Validation Project (NVP)
which responsible for the administration process for the Validation of qualifications
for overseas trained Occupational Therapists.
The Validation Committee of AOTI assesses each application based on the Minimum
Standards for Practice Education in Ireland (AOTI October 2007. The committee
determines an applicant’s eligibility to practice occupational therapy in Ireland based
on their undergraduate training and their postgraduate experience.
The European Directives 89/48/EEC, 92/51/EEC and 2005/36/EC establish a system
for the recognition of Diplomas and Qualification in one European Community (EC)
member state which have been acquired in another EC member state. This
professional recognition system requires a member state to take into consideration the
diplomas, certificates and other evidence of qualifications, which an applicant has
acquired in order to practice their profession in their member state of origin.
Under Article 8 of Directive 89/48/EEC and Article 12 of Directive 92/51/EEC, it is
the applicant’s responsibility to provide documentary proof that she / he holds the
relevant qualifications / diplomas required within the meaning of the directive.
The Validation Committee of AOTI review all applications qualifications to the same
high standard regardless if an applicant is from within the EC or not. All applicants
are considered for validation regardless of whether their degree / diploma was
recognized by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) at the time
of their graduation.
Under the above Directives there is a time limit of four months for a response once
the completed file with all the requested information has been submitted. This applies
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January 2008
to all EC applications. For Non EC applications there is no specified time limit for a
response.
Application forms can be requested by contacting Ms. Annette Lyons, National
Validation Project, Professional Education, Health Service Executive, HR Directorate
Merlin Park, Galway, Ireland. Phone: + 353 91 775094, Fax: + 353 91 775863 or
E-mail: annette.lyons@mailn.hse.ie
Alternatively they can be downloaded from the following websites:
 The AOTI website at http://www.aoti.ie/documents/validformsept2007.doc
 The DoH&C website at
http://www.dohc.ie/about_us/divisions/docs/NEW_APP_FORM_OT_APP.pdf
http://www.dohc.ie/public/foreignqualification/foreign_validation.html
3.
Garda Clearance
The work of an Occupational Therapist may bring them into contact with children
or vulnerable adults and in which they will assume positions of trust. To ensure
the protection of the public, Garda Clearance is required to ensure that only
suitable individuals are allowed to undertake these positions. The same applies to
potential occupational therapy students who plan to enrol in an occupational
therapy programme in one of the Irish Universities or a foreign occupational
therapy student who wishes to carry out a fieldwork placement in Ireland.
The Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) vetting service assess the suitability of
applicants, and in some cases, may also require applicants to provide an enhanced
disclosure by the completion of an affidavit.
Individuals must disclose all previous addresses including those which are
overseas.
Offers of employment should only be conditional until Clearance is obtained in
writing from the Inspector in Charge, Garda Central Vetting Unit, Racecourse
Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. They can be contacted by telephone +35350427300 or by Fax +353-50427373.
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January 2008
Disclaimer
The above document is intended as a guide only. AOTI does not accept any
responsibility for any error or omission and advises individuals to contact the relevant
agency to ensure that they are fully compliant with the law prior to offering an
individual employment / prior to commencing employment.
Helen Cornelissen for AOTI
4
January 2008