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How to get an Assistant Principal Job in an Irish Primary School
Updated June 2025
Whether you have an Assistant Principal post interview coming up, or you are just thinking that you might take on an AP post at some point in your career, this article will point you in the right direction on the documents you should know about, and the things you should do so that you are as prepared as possible for what an AP post entails.
Look at Circular 0044/2019
Chapter 3 of Department of Education and Skills Circular 0044/2019 outlines the full procedures for the recruitment and appointment of Assistant Principals in primary schools. It provides detailed guidance on each stage of the process, including the required recruitment procedures, the official marking scheme for interviews, and the protocols for determining the duties attached to the post.
Demonstrate Leadership Experience
If you’re serious about applying for an AP post, it’s vital that you’ve already taken on leadership and organisational roles in the school—formally or informally. This could include:
- Coordinating curricular initiatives
- Organising staff training
- Organising school events or inter-school collaborations
- Supporting the SSE process or school policy development
Use these experiences to build a portfolio of clear examples that show your ability to lead, collaborate, and make an impact.
Use LAOS to Guide You
The Looking at Our School 2022 (LAOS) framework underpins the recruitment of school leaders. There are four leadership domains:
- Leading teaching and learning
- Managing the organisation
- Leading school development
- Developing leadership capacity
The statements of highly effective practice are especially useful—they describe exactly what good leadership looks like. Reflect on specific things you’ve done within your school that align with these statements and keep a record of them so that you can refer back to them when you apply for an AP post. You can also use them to identify gaps in your current experience and volunteer to get involved with school initiatives and events that will give you this leadership experience going forward.
Be Aware of Current Educational Developments
Assistant Principals are expected to contribute to the strategic leadership of the school, including managing change and supporting curriculum reform. You should be familiar with current developments in Irish education such as:
- The Primary Curriculum Framework (2023) and its implications for school planning
- The revised Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice
- Bí Cineálta: Procedures to Prevent and Address Bullying Behaviour (2024)
- Current Department of Education and NCSE priorities (e.g. inclusion, NCSE Relate)
Stay informed by subscribing to the NCCA newsletter, listening to education podcasts, reading official circulars, and consulting relevant websites such as the INTO and Oide (Or by following their social media pages).
To support teachers in staying informed, TeachingPlans.ie has created a blog post with brief, clear overview of some of the most relevant and current issues in Irish primary education. The post is updated regularly, and updates are also shared via our Facebook and Instagram pages.
🔗 Click here to read the blog post
Engage in Leadership CPD if Possible
The PDST offers Comhar – Leadership Development for Assistant Principals, a highly regarded training programme covering key areas such as:
- Leadership vision and values
- Distributed leadership and collaboration
- Managing change and school culture
- Communication, conflict, and wellbeing
While Comhar is currently available only to post holders, if you are acting in an AP post, you may be eligible to apply. If you are not eligible to apply, the Education Centre network also offers leadership webinars and courses throughout the year.
Other Preparation
If you have an AP interview post coming up, I have an extremely thorough interview preparation pack available here which includes sample questions and answers for both AP1 and AP2 posts, 2 sample cover letters to include with your application, and key information from the documents that I have mentioned above. This pack will help to ensure you are as prepared as possible for an AP post interview.
About Me
In terms of my own experience, I have had an Assistant Principal role for 8 years in an Irish primary school. Over the course of my career, I have done two AP2 post interviews and two AP1 post interviews!
AP posts require flexibility to meet the changing needs of the school, and my post has entailed all of the following duties at one point or another over the years: Green Schools coordinator, parental involvement coordinator, SPHE coordinator, RSE coordinator, Wellbeing Coordinator, Gaeilge coordinator, and SENCo.
I have also acted up in the role of Deputy Principal and Principal and completed the PDST Comhar training mentioned above, as well as the Forbairt training for senior management teams.
I hope this has been helpful if you are considering applying for an AP post, or if you have an AP post interview coming up!
HI there, Thank you for the advice and tips on getting an AP post. I wonder can you recommend any courses or webinars that would assist in getting such a post.
Le meas, R
Hi! Do you mean professional development courses that are geared towards leadership? Previously aspiring school AP post holders were allowed to do the Comhar training, but now it is only for current and acting post holders unfortunately. If you mean courses in terms of prep for the interview itself, I am not aware of any but the pack I have put together would make sure you are really well prepared. I wouldn’t stress too much if you can’t do a leadership course in advance of having a post, as in general, it’s more important to have a history of volunteering to take on leadership roles in the school. Being generally up to date with current best practice in all areas through CPD always helps too and if you know that the post will involve a particular curricular area, you could certainly do some CPD in that area too. The ESCI website will let you search through online CPD opportunities in all education centres across Ireland!
Kind regards,
Claire
Hi you mention 7 areas of responsibility that your post has entailed over 8 years. Can I ask can the school completely change your role/duties and if so how often can they do – is there a set timeframe to rotate/change roles? Also should you be consulted with before this is done? Even if someone is acting in your post while you are on career break/ secondment?
Thank you
Hi Cara, I was appointed to my AP role when my school was a developing school so the needs of the school were rapidly changing. In addition to this, many of the In School Management Team (ISMT) members went on leave at various times over the years so the duties needed to be reallocated. My post did completely change from when I was first appointed, but this was the case for all post holders (more than once)!
There isn’t a requirement that duties be rotated, and the reallocation of duties would normally only be done if it is necessary. Circular 0044/2019 (pg. 46) specifies that “At regular intervals, but at a minimum of every two years, a post holder is required to undertake a review with the Principal/ Deputy Principal”, and that this will include a “review of the role in the context of the changing needs of the school”. It states that “As the needs of the school continuously evolve, this review may result in the re-assignment of the post holder’s roles and responsibilities within the leadership and management team”. Given the rapidly changing education landscape in Ireland at present, it is normal that duties would need to change. However, it isn’t a case of the school “doing this” to post holders, rather when you are appointed to an AP role, you become a member of the school’s leadership team, and you work together to make decisions that best meet the needs of the school.
Page 40 of LAOS speaks about how the school should manage, lead and mediate change to respond to the evolving needs of the school. In its statements of highly effective practice, it speaks about the need for flexibility in all ISM team members, but it also says that change should be made in a collaborative and sensitive manner. Therefore, if duties need to be reallocated or reviewed, this should be done in consultation with staff.
In my school, we meet at the end of the year to identify whether the priorities for the school have changed and if we know an ISM team member will be on leave the following year (e.g. maternity) and whether their duties need to be reallocated. We agree as a team who will lead on each of the identified priorities. Sometimes you might have to take on a duty that isn’t something you love for a year or so, but as a school leader you put the needs of the school first.
Circular 0044/2019 also speaks about the “changing needs and the priorities of the school” and it states that these should ideally be decided in collaboration with staff, however it does state that if consensus cannot be reached, then the BoM has the final say.
I hope that helps! Claire
Hi,
I have interest in acquiring an AP post. But an unsure is it necessary to complete leadership courses to gain an AP post? I know they of course would be beneficial, but if you don’t aspire to be a VP for example, are they a necessity?
Hi Madeline, doing a leadership course in advance of an AP interview isn’t a requirement, but it certainly would help your chances in an interview! Courses for aspiring leadership post holders are currently being offered as summer courses and there are others available too if you search online.
Once appointed to a leadership post, the PDST offer training which is tailored to each post e.g. Comhar is for AP posts, and Táiniste is for DP posts. It’s not mandatory to attend these courses, but they are very helpful for the role.
I hope that helps!
Claire