How to Apply for the UK Teacher Recruitment 2023/24. If you’re interested in teaching in England, you can enjoy the benefits of working in a world-class education system, including a competitive salary, professional development support, and diverse job opportunities. Additionally, you might consider exploring teaching positions in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.
The Department for Education in the United Kingdom is offering teaching opportunities to citizens of Nigeria and other countries in priority subjects as part of the 2023/24 UK Teacher Recruitment exercise. This program aims to develop and support a fair approach to awarding Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) to teachers from Nigeria and other nations.
Obtaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is a legal requirement for teaching in many English schools and is highly regarded by schools throughout England. The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) is responsible for granting QTS and extends this recognition to qualified teachers from outside England as well.
The commencement of the 2023/24 UK Teacher Recruitment will prioritize applicants from Nigeria and other countries specializing in languages, mathematics, and science, with teaching qualifications to teach 11 to 16-year-olds. These applicants will have the opportunity to check their eligibility for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and apply for the program.
UK Teacher Recruitment Eligibility Criteria 2023/24
The Government of United Kingdom through its education agency has highlighted that awarding overseas teacher QTS will be based on the assessment of individual’s experience and qualifications against a set of requirements.
Starting from February 1st, 2023, the award of qualified teacher status to a non-UK teacher requires that the applicant meets the following criteria:
- Possession of an undergraduate degree of the same academic standard as a UK bachelor’s degree, as verified by UK ENIC.
- Must have completed teacher’s training that meets the standard of a level 6 qualification and is of at least the same length as an English initial teacher training course – for instance, a Bachelor of education or a Postgraduate Certificate in Education.
- Have completed a course with content that is practically and pedagogically focused.
- Be qualified to teach children aged between 5 and 16 years of age.
- Have at least one school year (a minimum of 9 months including holidays but excluding time out taken for any other reason) of professional experience working as a teacher after qualifying.
- Have the professional status needed to be a teacher in the country where you qualified, and not be subject to any conditions or restrictions on your practice.
- Meet a certain standard of English language proficiency (e.g. CEFR B2 level of English proficiency, IELTS SELT Consortium – 5.5, LanguageCert – 33/50, Pearson – 59, Trinity College London – Pass, PSI Services (UK) Ltd – Pass)
What you’ll need to teach in England
If you are already a qualified teacher, you do not need to retrain to teach in England. However, you will need:
- to apply for English ‘qualified teacher status’, or be able to demonstrate strong non-UK qualifications and experience
- a high standard of written and spoken English
- to pass criminal and professional safeguarding checks (these will be organised by your employer)
- a visa or immigration status allowing you to work in the UK
Other special requirements for Nigerian teachers include:
- A qualification in teaching that meets the standard of a level 6 qualification qualifying the candidate to teach children aged 11 to 16 in mathematics, languages or science.
- A bachelor’s degree made up of at least 50% mathematics, science or a language (excluding English) taught in English state schools, for example: French, german, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Mathematics and science qualifications).
Qualified teacher status (QTS)
Qualified teacher status (QTS) is the professional status teachers in England gain at the end of their teacher training. Schools use QTS as a measure of teaching skills and experience, so you will find it much easier to get a teaching job in England if you have QTS.
However, 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, you will need QTS to teach in many schools in England, although it is not a legal requirement in some types of school (for example, academy schools, free schools and private schools.
It’s important to note that, even if you decide to apply for QTS, you will have to apply for your teaching job and your visa separately.
How to apply for QTS
From 1 February 2023, if you have a teaching qualification from the following countries and regions, you will be able to access a new service, called Apply for qualified teacher status in England(opens in new window), to check if you meet the requirements for QTS:
- Australia
- Canada
- the EEA
- Gibraltar
- Hong Kong
- New Zealand
- Northern Ireland
- Scotland
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- the USA
In addition, if you have a subject specialism in languages, mathematics or science and a teaching qualification to teach to teach 11 to 16 year olds from the following countries, you will be able to use the service to check if you meet the requirements for QTS:
- Ghana
- India
- Jamaica
- Nigeria
- Singapore
- South Africa
- Zimbabwe
You will not have to pay a fee or undergo further training. However, to be awarded QTS you will need to meet certain criteria. Learn more about the qualifications and experience you’ll need to get QTS.
-
Routes to QT
There are 4 routes to qualified teacher status for teachers and trainees outside the UK:
- apply for QTS using our new online service
- 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
- your subject specialism
- whether you already have teaching experience
- your personal circumstances
Applicants with subject specialism in languages, mathematics or science and a teaching qualification to teach 11 to 16 year olds from one of the following 7 countries, you will be able to use the service to check if you meet the requirements and apply for QTS in England:
- Ghana
- India
- Jamaica
- Nigeria
- Singapore
- South Africa
- Zimbabwe
When you apply for QTS in England you do not need to: pay a fee to a training provider, undergo any further training, visit the UK. Over time this route will be open to qualified teachers from every country outside the UK.
Interested applicants can then proceed to Apply for the QTS in England.