The platform will launch in Ireland in late August, with an initial pilot programme set to take place across Dublin.

ClassCover, an Australian platform for substitute teacher booking, is set to expand into the Irish market with a €3m investment that will create 20 new jobs over the next three years. 

The organisation intends to recruit across sales, marketing, partnerships and customer support, and is also aiming to onboard 2,000 schools – representing almost half of the country’s total, it said – as users over the next three years. 

Established in 2011 and headquartered in Sydney, ClassCover enables school principals to book substitute teachers and special needs assistant (SNAs) through a real-time booking platform. It is designed to address teacher shortages and potential schedule disruptions. 

According to ClassCover, there is rising demand in Ireland for a more streamlined substitute teacher booking system, as currently many schools rely on manual phone calls or social media messaging apps to secure cover, which can be inefficient and risky. 

A pilot programme taking place across Dublin will launch later in August and, according to ClassCover, has been tailored for the Irish market, with research and extensive discussions with Irish educators helping to shape the model.

Ben Grozier, the CEO and co-founder of ClassCover, said, “This expansion into the Irish market is a natural fit, with Ireland and Australia sharing a deep, historic bond. Through our extensive network of educators, we’ve heard first-hand about the challenges schools in Ireland are facing in finding substitute teachers, a challenge Australia knows all too well. 

“While this platform won’t fix the teacher supply crisis on its own, it will ensure that every sub and SNA who is available and ready to work can actually be found by the schools that need them. 

“We’ve spent over a decade perfecting this model and it’s clear the Irish market is ready for it. Bringing ClassCover to Ireland marks a major milestone for our company as we expand our international footprint and build our presence in a country widely regarded as having one of Europe’s best education systems.”

In late July, AI platform OpenAI announced plans to hire 250 workers over the next two years at its new EU headquarters in Dublin’s docklands. 

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