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How to Find a Substitute Teacher in Ireland: A Principal's Guide

Billie Muchmore Head of Marketing, ClassCover Ireland

Published 14 Apr 2026

Finding substitute cover in Ireland means managing fragmentation. Schools juggle a web-based platform that is email-only and capped at 10-day bookings, personal phone lists built over years, informal WhatsApp networks, and union schemes that apply only to secondary schools. When a teacher calls in sick at 7am, the process starts again from scratch. 60% of Irish schools report being unable to find cover when they need it.

This is the problem ClassCover is designed to solve. Used by 1 in 2 schools in Australia, ClassCover works on a straightforward model: schools build a prioritised list of trusted substitutes, send a booking request with one tap from their phone, and the first to accept is confirmed instantly via push notification. The average booking confirmation time in Australia is 2 minutes and 17 seconds. ClassCover is launching in Ireland in 2026 and will be the first platform to include SNA bookings alongside teacher bookings.

Until ClassCover launches, Irish schools are working with the tools available. Here is how each one works.

Option 1: Sub Seeker

Sub Seeker is a free digital substitute matching service for Irish schools, facilitated by the Department of Education. Schools search for Teaching Council-registered teachers by county, subject, and dates, then send digital offers. Teachers accept or decline through the platform on a first-come, first-served basis.

Its limitations are worth knowing:

• Web-only with no mobile app
• Bookings are capped at 10 days per request
• Teachers must manually update their availability every seven days or they disappear from school search results entirely
• Offers are sent by email, not push notification, so response times vary
• SNA positions are not supported
• Schools cannot build priority lists or designate trusted substitutes

19% of principals reported making more than 10 attempts across calls, emails, and substitute portals to find urgent cover. Sub Seeker is one part of the picture, not a complete solution on its own.

Option 2: Your Own Trusted Sub List (Fastest)

Most experienced principals know this: the fastest path to confirmed cover is a direct call to a substitute teacher you already trust.

Every school should maintain a current list of substitute teachers who have worked well there before. This runs in parallel to any platform.

What to include: Full name, mobile number, subjects and levels, preferred days, date last worked in your school.

How to build it: When a sub works well, ask them to stay in contact. Note their TC registration number. Ask trusted subs to recommend others from their own networks. Review the list once per term.

Direct calls to known substitutes are faster than any platform for urgent same-day cover. The relationship is established, the substitute knows the school, and confirmation is a phone call rather than an email chain.

Option 3: ASTI Substitute Placement Scheme (Post-Primary Only)

The ASTI (Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland) operates a substitute placement scheme from September to June for ASTI member secondary schools. Contact your local ASTI branch to use it.

Good for longer-term placements. Less reliable for same-day urgent cover. Not available to primary schools.

Option 4: Direct Recruitment

Building relationships directly with substitute teachers adds to your pool beyond what any platform can offer:

• Initial Teacher Education colleges: contact education departments for recently qualified or final-year teachers available for substitute work
• Retired teachers: former staff or known retired teachers in your area who may be willing to cover occasionally
• Word of mouth through current staff
• A standing invitation on your school website for qualified teachers to make contact

Option 5: Teaching Agencies

Agencies such as Engage Education and Destination Education maintain pools of qualified teachers and can place a substitute at short notice. There is a cost to the school, and fees for the subs. Use agencies when other channels have been exhausted.

A Note on SNA Cover

Sub Seeker does not support Special Needs Assistant positions. This is confirmed by the Department of Education's own platform documentation.

SNA cover currently relies on direct contact with SNAs who have worked in the school before, school secretary networks in the local area, or agencies that place SNAs.

59% of schools redeployed Special Education Teachers to cover mainstream absences in 2024, often because no SNA substitute could be found through any existing channel.

ClassCover is launching in Ireland in 2026 as the first platform to include SNA bookings alongside teacher bookings. Schools and SNAs can pre-register at classcoverapp.com.

When No Substitute Is Available

If every channel has been tried:

Split the class. 505 schools (39%) reported splitting classes during the first five weeks of 2024/25. This adds students to classes that already have a teacher and their own planned lessons.

Redeploy a Special Education Teacher. 59% of schools did this in 2024. Students with additional needs lose their dedicated support for the day.

Use an unqualified individual. Last resort. 745 unqualified individuals were working in substitute roles in primary and special schools by mid-October 2024.

Sub Seeker vs ClassCover (Launching 2026)