Overview
English teacher training 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, 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.
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 TRA for 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.
