In Cork last year, four schools needed up to 39 phone calls to fill a single absence. Sixty per cent of Irish primary and special schools reported they couldn't regularly source substitute cover at all. By mid-October, 283 people with no teaching qualification were doing substitute work in Irish classrooms.
ClassCover is a school staffing platform that connects schools with substitute teachers and SNAs. One in two Australian schools use it (5,000+ schools). The average booking is confirmed in 2 minutes and 17 seconds.
We're launching in Ireland in 2026.
What's happening in Irish schools
A 2025 survey by INTO, IPPN, and CPSMA, covering 565 primary and special schools, found that 60% could not regularly source substitute cover when they needed it. Fifty-six schools had more than ten days in September without any substitute cover at all. In the Cork data, the median school made five phone calls or emails to fill an absence. Four schools made up to 39.
At post-primary level (the Irish equivalent of secondary school), a TUI survey published in March 2026 found that 75% of these schools had advertised positions that received zero applications. One in five had dropped a subject entirely because of staffing pressure.
The process most Irish schools use to find cover runs through phone lists, WhatsApp groups, and Sub Seeker, a web-based platform with limited features that caps bookings at 10 days and doesn't cover SNAs (Special Needs Assistants). When the phone list runs out, principals keep calling. When calls go unanswered, unqualified staff cover classes or students get split across other rooms. 65% of post-primary schools employed unqualified individuals in the 2023/24 school year.
Qualified substitute teachers and SNAs who want the work currently have no reliable way to be found by schools outside their immediate local network. The systems are too fragmented and too limited to surface available teachers at any scale.
What ClassCover brings to Ireland
ClassCover is a school staffing platform. Schools build a prioritised list of substitute teachers they know and trust. When a booking is needed, the request goes to the available teachers on that list first. When the list is exhausted, schools can reach teachers who are active and available in their area.
A few things built specifically for the Irish context:
SNAs are included from day one. Special Needs Assistants are a central part of the Irish school workforce. ClassCover Ireland covers both substitute teachers and SNAs. Sub Seeker covers TC-registered teachers only.
Free for substitute teachers and SNAs. Always. Teachers and SNAs create a profile, set their availability, and get found by schools. Schools pay a flat annual subscription based on enrolment size. No commissions, no placement charges.
Network density matters. ClassCover works best when schools and teachers in the same area are both on the platform. The pre-registration period running now ensures that when ClassCover goes live, local networks are already in place and useful from day one.
Schools and substitute teachers can pre-register now at classcoverapp.com.
A note for Irish teachers in Australia
There's a significant cohort of Irish teachers in Australia. Many came on working holidays. Some have stayed longer. Most will return home eventually.
If that's you, ClassCover already knows you. You may have used the platform here for relief work. The Irish version works the same way.
When you return, your substitute teaching profile travels with you. Schools in Ireland can find you, send a booking request, and build a working relationship with you through the same platform you used here.
Want to be part of the ClassCover Ireland Ambassador Community?
We're offering paid Ambassador partnerships to Irish teachers who know ClassCover and want to be part of the Ireland launch. More info to come…
Ireland, 2026
Ireland's substitute teacher crisis has been documented extensively by INTO, IPPN, CPSMA, and TUI. The structural supply shortage is a policy challenge that takes years to shift.
Alongside it is a fragmentation problem. Qualified substitute teachers and SNAs who want the work have no reliable way to be found by schools outside their immediate local contacts. Phone lists run dry. Web forms max out at ten days and miss SNAs entirely. Available teachers go unmatched.
ClassCover doesn't create more teachers. It finds the ones who are already there. Half of Australian schools rely on it. Most bookings are confirmed in under three minutes.
ClassCover Ireland is launching in 2026. Schools and substitute teachers can pre-register at classcoverapp.com.
Visit the ClassCover Ireland Website 🇮🇪
