How to Apply for Teaching Job in UK-Apply Now

Dj QwequFebruary 1, 2023

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.

After that, QTS is a legal requirement to teach in many English schools, and considered desirable for teachers in the majority of schools in England.

This guidance explains how to apply for QTS if you qualified to teach or have gained teaching experience outside the UK.

General information about teaching and training to teach in England

If you’re interested in teaching in England, you may also find it useful to refer to our general information for international teachers and trainees:

teach in England if you qualified outside the UK gives an overview of visas and immigration routes, and the help available, to non-UK teachers
train to teach in England: non-UK applicants gives an overview of visas and immigration routes and how to apply to train to teach in England
Get Into Teaching offers information and advice on becoming a teacher in England, including details about salaries and benefits

Routes to QTS

There are 4 routes to qualified teacher status for teachers and trainees outside the UK:

apply for QTS through the Teaching Regulation Agency
apply for assessment only QTS
apply for teacher training in England
apply to train for international qualified teacher status (iQTS)

Your eligibility for each route will depend on:

where you qualified
whether you already have teaching experience
your personal circumstances

Apply for QTS through TRA

You can apply for QTS through the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) if you have a teaching qualification from:

the EEA
Gibraltar
Australia
Canada
New Zealand
Switzerland
the USA
Scotland
Northern Ireland

You can apply if you:

submit evidence that you’re recognised as a teacher in the country where you qualified
are not prohibited or restricted from teaching by a professional sanction against you

When you apply to the TRA for QTS you do not need to:

pay a fee
undergo any further training
visit the UK

Apply for QTS in England and newly eligible countries

From 1 February 2023, teachers who qualified in the following 9 countries will also be able to apply to TRAfor QTS:

Ghana
Hong Kong
India
Jamaica
Nigeria
Singapore
South Africa
Ukraine
Zimbabwe

This change is part of the launch of a new service, apply for QTS in England. From 1 February 2023, the way we award QTS will change.

Teachers from all eligible countries will have to show they meet a consistent set of criteria for the award of QTS. Over time, this route will be opened to qualified teachers from every country outside the UK.

Apply for assessment only QTS

If you’re not eligible to apply for QTS through TRA, assessment only QTS may be the most appropriate route for you.

Assessment only QTS means experienced teachers with a degree can gain QTS without doing a teacher training programme. You can apply to a UK government-approved teacher training provider in England for an assessment showing you meet the standards for QTS. You do not need to visit the UK to be assessed and gain QTS.

Working as a teacher while you undergo assessment only QTS

You can work as a teacher in England and earn a salary while you’re assessed for QTS.

The 4-year rule means you can find a teaching job and apply to a teacher training provider offering assessment only QTS in the region of England where you work. Your employing school can support you with this.

When you apply for assessment only QTS you’ll:

have to pay a fee
not have to undergo any further training
not have to visit the UK

Qualifications and experience you’ll need to be eligible for an assessment only QTS

To apply for assessment only QTS, you do not need a formal teacher training qualification.

However, you must have:

a minimum of 2 years’ teaching experience
a first (bachelor’s) degree from a UK or non-UK university
an English language qualification which is the same standard as a grade 4 GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education)
a maths qualification which is the same standard as a grade 4 GCSE
to teach children aged 3 to 11 in primary school, a physics, chemistry or biology (science) qualification which is the same standard as a grade 4 GCSE

A GCSE is an academic qualification awarded for examinations in England, usually taken at age 16.

International qualifications

If your qualifications come from a non-UK institution, your assessment only teacher training provider may want to see a ‘statement of comparability’ showing how they compare to UK qualifications.

You can call us on 0800 389 2500 for:

guidance on the UK equivalents of your qualifications
a free statement of comparability from UK ENIC once you’ve submitted your application, if your provider asks for this

Your teaching experience must:

consist of time spent teaching (as opposed to other responsibilities in a school)
have taken place in 2 separate schools (not 2 classes within the same school or 2 school sites within the same organisation)
demonstrate you’ve taught young people from a range of different backgrounds
demonstrate you’re familiar with different approaches to teaching, learning and school management

Your teaching experience can have been:

gained in any type of school, for example, international schools, schools teaching the International Baccalaureate, and state-maintained schools outside the UK
spent teaching a non-English curriculum (though you may need to show you have knowledge of the subjects taught in the English curriculum)
divided between 2 school settings as long as you have 2 years’ teaching experience in total.
British international school organisations
British international schools provide suitable experience for teachers wishing to apply for assessment only QTS. However, it is not a requirement to gain your experience at a British international school. Reputable British international school organisations include:
- the Association of British School Overseas (AoBSO)
- the Council of British International Schools (COBIS)
- the Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA)
- British Schools in the Middle East (BSME)
- the Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA)
Assessment only costs

Fees range from about £1,500 to £4,000, but vary between providers and may be substantially more if you’re outside the UK. Check with individual providers for more details.

How to apply for an assessment only QTS

Your application for assessment only QTS must be made to one of the UK government’s approved assessment only teacher training providers in England. You do not need to visit or train in England to do assessment only QTS.

An assessment of your teaching will be carried out in person at your place of work by an examiner from your chosen teacher training provider.

Find teacher training providers offering assessment only QTS to international teachers outside the UK.

Before you apply, contact your chosen teacher training provider directly to:
- check they accept international applications for assessment only QTS
- check they can come to your country to do the assessment (if you’re not in England)
- confirm your eligibility for assessment only
- learn more about their specific requirements
If your application is successful, the assessment only provider will:
- help you put together a portfolio of your teaching work, to demonstrate you meet English Teachers’ Standards
- carry out an assessment of your teaching
- ask to see evidence of your qualifications
- potentially ask you to sit a test to demonstrate your written and spoken English is fluent, accurate and clear, and is the same standard as a grade 4 in GCSE English language
- potentially ask you to sit a test to demonstrate your mathematics knowledge and, for primary school teaching, science knowledge is the same standard as a grade 4 in GCSE mathematics or science

You’ll also need to:

have the health and physical capacity to train to teach
undergo safeguarding checks to assess your suitability to teach, carried out by your assessment only provider

If your assessment only provider is satisfied you’ve met the standards required to teach in England, you’ll be awarded QTS and will be able to apply for teaching jobs in England.

If you fail to meet the standards required for assessment only QTS, you can:

re-apply when you’ve gained more relevant skills and experience
gain your QTS by training to teach in England.

Apply for teacher training in England

All non-UK citizens can apply to train to teach in England. Train to teach in England non-UK applicantsexplains the academic qualifications and visa you’ll need, and how to apply for a teacher training course.

When you apply for a teacher training course in England leading to QTS you’ll:

pay a fee (starting at £12,000) plus your living costs
undergo a year of full-time training
need to relocate to the UK

Visit Get Into Teaching to:

learn more about teacher training in England
register with the get an adviser service for personalised advice about teaching in England by email, phone or online chat
get help with a UK ENIC Statement Of Comparabilityto confirmhow your overseas qualifications compare to UK qualifications

Apply to train for international qualified teacher status

International qualified teacher status (iQTS) is a new teaching qualification backed by the UK government that:

is delivered online by English teacher training providers in partnership with schools around the world
meets the same standards as English QTS and leads to the automatic award of QTS.
is open to all non-UK citizens, and is currently available from 6 providers, with plans to roll the qualification out more widely from September 2023
is the only international teacher training course that leads to the automatic award of QTS (other courses may offer valuable training but do not lead to QTS)

When you apply for assessment only QTS you’ll:

have to pay a fee
not have to undergo any further training
not have to visit the UK

Learn more about international qualified teacher status.

QTS exemption for teachers from outside the UK

Qualified teachers from outside the UK are allowed to teach in England for up to 4 years without QTS – even in schools where QTS is normally a legal requirement. You can learn more about this exemption, known as the ‘4-year rule’, from the school employing you.

To be eligible for the 4-year rule, you’ll need to have:

qualified as a teacher in a country outside the UK
successfully completed a course of teacher training recognised by the organisation that regulates teachers in the country where you qualified

The 4-year rule exemption does not apply to:

pupil referral units (PRUs)
alternative provision academies
alternative provision free schools, where QTS is required from the beginning of your employment

After 4 years, teachers from outside the UK will need QTS to teach in many state schools in England. Even in academies, free schools and private schools, where QTS is not a legal requirement, it is used to assess the quality of candidates for teaching jobs.

Teachers with a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) qualification only

To gain QTS, you must be able to adapt your teaching to meet the needs of all pupils in all phases and age groups. Teachers with a qualification limited to SENDpupils are therefore not eligible to apply for QTS to the Teaching Regulation Agency, even if they qualified in the European Economic Area (EEA), Gibraltar, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland or the USA.

However, SEND teachers can apply for QTS through the assessment only route, or by applying for a teacher training course in England. These routes are open to SEND teachers from anywhere in the world.

If you’re not sure whether you’re eligible to apply to TRAfor QTS, contact qts.enquiries@education.gov.uk.

Qualified teacher learning and skills (QTLS)

If you have QTLS status and membership of the Society for Education and Training (SET), you’re eligible to work as a qualified teacher in schools in England.

It will be up to schools and local authorities to decide whether you’re suitable for a post and to teach a particular subject. You’ll be exempt from serving a statutory induction period in schools.

International teacher training courses that do not include QTS

A variety of international teacher training courses are offered by both English and non-English colleges and universities to candidates outside England. The following courses do not lead to QTS and will not qualify you to teach in English schools where QTS is a legal requirement:

Postgraduate Certificate of Education International (PGCEi, sometimes called an International Postgraduate Certificate of Education, or iPGCE)
Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE), when completed outside the UK
Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), when completed outside the UK

However, after completing one of these courses, and depending on where you gained your experience and qualifications, you can apply:

Get help from training providers in England

Some English colleges and universities offering PGCEiand similar courses can also help with your application for assessment only QTS.

To check which training providers offer this support, see the list of approved teacher training providers in England and contact them for advice.

Combined PGCE and QTS training courses

Combined PGCE and QTS teacher training courses are only available if you study in England. Search the find postgraduate teacher training service for details.

Teaching in England and outside the UK with QTS

We want to increase the numbers of non-UK teachers coming to England to teach. Teach in England if you qualified outside the UK gives advice about visas, immigration and the support available for non-UK teachers.

Use the Teaching Vacancies service to find and apply for teaching jobs in England.

Whatever route you take to obtain QTS, to get a job as a teacher in England, you’ll also need:

substantial teaching experience you can demonstrate to an employer
to pass criminal and professional safeguarding checks, including an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (these will be organised by your employer)
a high standard of written and spoken English – for example, British Council B2 level
some knowledge of the English education system

Teaching outside the UK

Your English QTS will be recognised in many countries around the world. However, you should always check with the organisation responsible for regulating teachers in the country where you want to teach.

Teaching outside the UK

Early career teacher (ECT) induction

Having gained QTS, English teachers complete their professional training through the ECT 2-year induction period.

As a non-UK teacher, you’ll also need to complete the ECT induction if you gained QTS:

through an application to the Teaching Regulation Agency, if you have less than 2 years experience as a teacher
through assessment only QTS
through teacher training in England

During your ECT induction, you’ll work and be assessed as a paid teacher in a school. This induction period is part of the Early Career Framework for teachers. You’ll be expected to show you meet the Teachers’ Standardsand you’ll also get training and support from a mentor.

Induction for teachers working or training outside England

If you’re already working as a teacher outside England, and applying for an assessment only QTS, you may not need to complete an induction period in England. Check with your assessment only provider.

If you do need to undergo an induction period, you may be able to complete it outside England in the country where you are now working or training. However, the school where you complete your induction must have met our requirements. Check a list of schools which have met these requirements.

Further information

You can find an overview of English standards for teachers, curriculum, discipline and school inspections, as well as teaching information and materials on Get Into Teaching.

Information is also available on: