Tuitor
- Posted on
- 2585 Views
Teach in England and you’ll benefit from working in a world-class education system. You’ll earn a competitive salary, get supported in your professional development and have varied job opportunities. You could also consider teaching in Wales(opens in new window), Scotland(opens in new window) or Northern Ireland(opens in new window). Not qualified as a teacher yet? Find out how to train to teach in England as an international applicant. If you don’t want to come to England to train, but would like to gain a professional teaching qualification which is equivalent to English qualified teacher status, you should consider international qualified teacher status (iQTS).
What you need to start teaching
To teach in England you need:
- teaching skills and experience
- to pass criminal and professional safeguarding checks (these will be organised by your employer)
- to get the right visa or status
It is also helpful to have a teaching qualification from your own or another non-UK country, or to get ‘qualified teacher status’.
Get the right visa or status
If you’re not sure about your immigration status, you can check if you need a UK visa(opens in new window). You can also contact UK Visas and Immigration for help(opens in new window).
You can apply for a skilled worker visa once you have been offered a teaching job at certain schools in England. Check our guidance on visas and immigration(opens in new window) to understand which schools can sponsor a skilled worker visa.
You may also be eligible for another type of visa, or you may have a pre-existing right to work in the UK, such as settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme(opens in new window) or indefinite leave to remain in the UK(opens in new window).
If you’re an Irish citizen you do not need a visa(opens in new window).
Consider getting qualified teacher status (QTS)
Qualified teacher status (QTS)(opens in new window) is the professional status teachers in England gain at the end of their teacher training.
If you’re a qualified teacher from outside the UK, you can work as a teacher in England for up to 4 years without QTS(opens in new window).
After that, you will need QTS to teach in many schools in England.
It’s not a legal requirement in all types of schools (for example, academy schools, free schools and private schools(opens in new window)).
However, even in these schools, having QTS can help your application for a teaching job.
The different routes to QTS
If you decide QTS is right for you, the most appropriate route will depend on the country you’re recognised in, your qualifications and your teaching experience.
Apply directly to England’s Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA)
You can apply for QTS directly to the TRA if you meet the following 3 requirements:
- You have a teaching qualification from:
- Australia
- Canada
- the EEA(opens in new window)
- Gibraltar
- New Zealand
- Switzerland
- the USA
- You can prove you’re recognised as a teacher in the country where you qualified.
- You’re not prohibited or restricted from teaching by a professional sanction against you.
You will not have to pay a fee or undergo further training. From 1 February 2023, if you have a qualification from the following countries you will also be eligible to apply to the TRA for QTS:
- Ghana
- Hong Kong
- India
- Jamaica
- Nigeria
- Singapore
- South Africa
- Ukraine
- Zimbabwe
Learn more about the qualifications and experience you’ll need to get QTS(opens in new window).
Apply for QTS in England(opens in new window)
Other routes to QTS
If you do not meet all of these requirements you may still be able to:
- apply for QTS through the assessment only route
- complete a teacher training course in England leading to QTS
Search for a job
To find a teaching job, you must apply to individual schools (not the Department for Education).
You can search for teaching jobs by region, subject specialism and age group.
Most teaching vacancies are advertised in March, April or the first half of May, with jobs usually starting at the beginning of the school year in September.
Set up a Teaching Vacancies job alert to be updated about opportunities throughout the year.
Search Teaching Vacancies(opens in new window)
Find out what salary you can earn
Schools have some flexibility on teachers’ salaries. It varies by region and your level of skill, experience and qualifications.
There are specific salary requirements for a skilled worker visa(opens in new window).
Learn about life as a teacher in England
Read other teachers’ stories and research the English curriculum(opens in new window) and teachers’ standards(opens in new window).
Contact
The Department for Education does not administer teacher training courses or appoint teachers, so we cannot help with individual applications to training providers or schools.
However, if you have general questions about the information on this page, you can email us at teach.inengland@education.gov.uk.
