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(opens in new window), Scotland(opens in new window) or Northern Ireland(opens in new window).
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(opens in new window). You can also contact UK Visas and Immigration for help(opens in new window).
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(opens in new window) 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(opens in new window) or indefinite leave to remain in the UK(opens in new window).
If you’re an Irish citizen you do not need a visa(opens in new window).
Consider getting qualified teacher status
You need ‘qualified teacher status’ (QTS) to teach in many schools in England(opens in new window).
It’s not a requirement in all types of schools(opens in new window), such as academy schools, free schools, private schools and independent schools. However, having QTS can help your application.
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(opens in new window).
Apply for QTS if you trained outside the UK(opens in new window).
Search for a job
Search for a teaching job(opens in new window)
Talk to an adviser
You can get one-to-one support if you have qualified teacher status (QTS)(opens in new window) and want to teach secondary chemistry, computing, maths, modern foreign languages or physics. Get help with:
- the application process, such as writing a personal statement and preparing for an interview
- accessing courses to improve your subject knowledge
- finding teaching vacancies(opens in new window)
Find out what salary you can earn
Schools have some flexibility on salary. It varies by region and your level of skill, experience and qualifications.
There are specific salary requirements for a skilled worker visa(opens in new window).
Learn about life as a teacher in England
Read other teachers’ stories and research the English curriculum(opens in new window) and teachers’ standards(opens in new window).
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.
However, for help with the information on this page, you can email us at teach.inengland@education.gov.uk.