Apply to train to teach in England. When you plan your training, bear in mind that:
international candidates can expect to pay an average of £14,765 to train, plus living costs
depending on your immigration status and the subject you train to teach, you may get some financial support

Teacher training in England leads to a professional teaching qualification called qualified teacher status (QTS).

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’ll need QTS to teach in many schools in England. Although it’s not a legal requirement in all types of schools (for example, academies, free schools and private schools), you’ll find it easier to get a teaching job in England if you have QTS.

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

Learn how to apply for QTS if you trained to teach in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Teachers in England are employed by individual schools, not by the Department for Education. If you decide to apply for QTS, you’ll have to apply for your teaching job and your visa separately.

Get Into Teaching offers information and advice on becoming a teacher in England.
Routes to QTS

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

apply for QTS in England using our professional recognition 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

Apply for QTS in England

Depending on where you qualified, the subject you teach and your qualifications, you may be able to use the Department for Education’s professional recognition service, Apply for QTS in England.

To get QTS, you must meet strict mandatory requirements fully, exactly as they are set out in awarding qualified teacher status to overseas teachers.

It’s important to note that an award of QTS does not lead to a teaching job or visa. You will need to apply for teaching jobs and visas separately. There are a small number of schools in England that sponsor visas.

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

If you have a teaching qualification from any of the following countries or regions, you can use the Apply for QTS in England service if you meet the requirements:

Australia
Canada
the European Economic Area
Gibraltar
Guernsey
Hong Kong
Jersey
New Zealand
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Switzerland
Ukraine
the USA

If you have a subject specialism in languages, mathematics or science and a qualification to teach 11- to 16-year-olds from one of the following countries, you can use the Apply for QTS in England service if you meet the requirements:

Ghana
India
Jamaica
Nigeria
Singapore
South Africa

Visit awarding qualified teacher status to overseas teachers to check the eligibility criteria and apply for QTS in England.
Apply for assessment only QTS

If you’re not eligible to apply for QTS using the Apply for QTS in England service, 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. However, you’ll need to be assessed at your place of work by an examiner from your teaching training provider. The teacher training provider can explain what type of school you must be working in to undergo assessment only QTS.

When you apply for assessment only QTS you’ll:

have to pay a fee to a training provider
not have to undergo any further training
not have to visit the UK (unless you’re already working in England under the 4-year rule)

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.
Working as a teacher in England while you undergo assessment only QTS

Although many schools in England prefer applicants for teaching jobs to have QTS, it is possible to work as a teacher in England and earn a salary while you’re being assessed for QTS.

The 4-year rule allows you to work without QTS. It means that, if you are successful in finding a teaching job in England without having QTS, you can apply to a teacher training provider offering assessment only QTS in the region of England where you work.

Assessment only training providers cannot give you advice about:

finding a teaching job in an English school
other routes to QTS
applying for a visa to work or study in 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 that is the same standard as a grade 4 GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education)
a maths qualification that 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 that is the same standard as a grade 4 GCSE

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