Teacher awarded €10,000 after refused special needs job because of age

By Niall Murray, Education Correspondent A TEACHER who didn’t get a special duties job because she was considered too old has been awarded €10,000 in compensation, the Equality Tribunal has ruled.

The payment was made for the stress caused to Mary Carroll, a teacher at Beech Hill College in Monaghan, as a result of the discrimination, an equality officer directed.

The 500-student school is run by Co Monaghan Vocational Education Committee (VEC), which has responsibility for recruitment procedures.

The Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI), which took the case on Ms Carroll’s behalf, described the decision as a significant victory.

Ms Carroll was 48-years- old when she applied for one of six special duties jobs at the school in September, 2000.

The six appointees were between eight and 24 years younger than her.

Special duties teachers receive an allowance of almost €3,000 on top of their salary for taking on extra administrationresponsibilities in the school.

When she was interviewed in January, 2001, she had more than 19 years of teaching experience with Co Monaghan VEC, 11 of them at Beech Hill.

However, candidates with three and six years’ service were awarded more marks than her by the interview panel.

The successful but less experienced candidates were also given more marks than Ms Carroll.

“I find it difficult to reconcile these marks, given one would expect length of service would, to a large extent, determine his or her experience,” the equality officer said.

Ms Carroll was appointed to a post at the same level after the interviews but the equality officer told Monaghan VEC to backdate her appointment to the same date as those made in the original selection process.