EPV Summer Courses 2027 for Irish Primary Teachers

EPV stands for Extra Personal Vacation. It is a paid day of leave you can take during the school year because you completed a Department-approved summer course during the summer holidays.

One approved 20-hour course gives you 3 EPV days. Two courses give you 4. Three courses give you 5, which is the most you can get in any school year.

If you do more than one course, they must be done one after the other, not at the same time.

Each course is 20 hours, fully online, and you work through it at your own pace on whatever device suits you. Everything is completed within the Department's summer course window.

Only inside the window the Department sets each year. It usually starts on the first working day of July and finishes on a Friday in the second half of August.

The 2027 dates have not been published yet. They usually appear between January and March.

Our 2027 courses, Department approval and booking dates are not confirmed yet. Join our email list above and we will tell you as soon as bookings open.

When you finish, you receive a Certificate of Attendance. Give a copy to your principal at the start of the school year and keep the original safe, because a lost certificate cannot be replaced.

You need to complete the full 20 hours to receive a certificate. A partly completed course does not carry any EPV days.

Yes, and many do for their own professional learning. EPV days are for primary teachers only, so no vacation days come with it.

Our plain-English guide to EPV days answers every rule in detail, with the Department circular behind each answer. You can also browse our free classroom resources, no sign-up needed.