Teacher in a staff room talking to two colleagues sat on a sofa.

Teach in England if you trained overseas

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, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

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. You can also contact UK Visas and Immigration for help.

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 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 or indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

If you’re an Irish citizen you do not need a visa.

Consider getting qualified teacher status (QTS)

Qualified teacher status (QTS) 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.

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).

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:

  1. You have a teaching qualification from:

  2. You can prove you’re recognised as a teacher in the country where you qualified.

  3. 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, and check your eligibility to apply to the TRA for QTS.

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

Learn more about routes to QTS for teachers who trained or have teaching experience outside the UK.

Search for a job

Search for a teaching job

Talk to an adviser

You can get one-to-one support if you have qualified teacher status (QTS) and want to teach at a secondary school in England. Get help with:

Get an adviser

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.

Learn about life as a teacher in England

Read other teachers’ stories and research the English curriculum and teachers’ standards.

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. For help with your application, you can talk to an adviser.

However, if you have general questions about the information on this page, you can email us at teach.inengland@education.gov.uk.

Get free one-to-one support

An adviser can answer all your questions about what it's like teaching in England and what you need to get into an English classroom.

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