Education and Social Care recruitment
Education and Social Care
Teachers, early years professionals, social care workers and service managers for schools, childcare and care services.
What sets this desk apart
- Vetting, Tusla and HIQA literate
- Residential, community and education settings
- Agency and permanent
How we recruit
We recruit teachers, special needs assistants, early years educators, social care workers and the managers who run schools, crèches, disability services and residential care. We understand Garda vetting, Tusla and HIQA requirements and the registration bodies in each field.
Roles we recruit
- Primary and Post Primary Teacher
- Special Needs Assistant
- Early Years Educator and Room Leader
- Social Care Worker
- Social Worker
- Residential Service Manager
- Childcare Centre Manager
- Support Worker
Where hiring gets stuck
Hiring in education is hard. Here is where it sticks.
- 01
Registration checks
Social care workers are among the professions regulated by CORU, and CORU publishes no standard processing time for qualifications gained abroad. We confirm each candidate's registration position before you interview, and say plainly when someone is still in process so you can plan around it.
- 02
Vetting delays start dates
Garda vetting typically has to be in place before someone starts work with children or vulnerable adults, and a slow file can cost you the candidate. We begin the paperwork as soon as an offer is accepted, chase missing documents and keep the candidate informed until a start date is confirmed.
- 03
Care worker permit rules
The Department of Enterprise set the minimum salary for care worker and home carer employment permits at €32,691 from 1 March 2026, and thresholds change, so check before relying on any figure. We plan overseas hiring around the current rules and recruit locally alongside it.
- 04
Managers for regulated services
Residential, disability and early years services need managers who can lead a team and stand over an inspection by HIQA or Tusla. We ask candidates about the inspections they have led and what was found, and share that with you before interview.
Open in the market
Education roles employers are advertising now.
These roles are being advertised by employers in Ireland. FH Recruitment has not been instructed on them. If one suits you, tell us which. With your agreement we approach the employer on your behalf, and nothing is sent anywhere without your say so.
Questions
Education hiring, answered.
Practical answers to the questions employers and candidates ask most.
Do social care workers need to be registered with CORU?
CORU regulates a range of health and social care professions, and social care workers are among them. At the time of writing, employers should confirm each candidate's status on the CORU register and check CORU's current rules on who may use the title. For qualifications gained outside Ireland, CORU publishes no standard processing time, so allow for a wait. We check registration at screening and tell you where each candidate stands before you interview.
Can we hire care workers from overseas on an employment permit?
It is possible, subject to conditions. From 1 March 2026 the minimum salary for care worker and home carer permits is €32,691, according to the Department of Enterprise, whose 2025 review said the figure would move to 92.5% of the General Employment Permit threshold from January 2027. Rules change, so check the Department's current position before relying on this. In a Migrant Rights Centre Ireland survey that closed in February 2026, 27% of care workers on permits said they had paid a recruitment fee. We never charge workers.
What checks should an agency carry out on teachers, SNAs and childcare staff?
At a minimum: identity, right to work, original qualifications, registration where the role requires it, Garda vetting through the proper route, and references that include the most recent employer and explain any gaps. Teachers typically need Teaching Council registration, and social care workers are regulated by CORU. Your own duties as the employer remain, so confirm with your regulator, such as Tusla or HIQA, what you must hold on file. We share the evidence for each check with you before a start date is agreed.
Do agency workers in schools and care services get the same pay as permanent staff?
Under the Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Act 2012, agency workers are typically entitled to the same basic pay and working conditions as a comparable directly hired employee from their first day, according to a Maples Group guide published in August 2026. Some benefits, such as sick pay schemes and pensions, fall outside that rule. If you think you are being paid less than you should be, raise it with us first, and the Workplace Relations Commission can advise on your rights. We never charge candidates a fee.
Other sectors
Hiring in education?
Brief a named consultant who will run your search from start to finish. We aim to send a first shortlist within 48 hours on permanent searches.