Train to teach in England as a non-UK citizen

Citizens of every country in the world can 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 £15,000 to train, plus living costs
depending on your immigration status and the subject you train to teach, you may get some financial support
training lasts one academic year full-time, or longer part-time
you can apply for paid teaching jobs as soon as you successfully complete your training and gain English qualified teacher status (QTS)
you’ll earn at least £31,650 a year (or more in London) when you qualify as a teacher
you can update, extend or switch your visa to live and work in the UK long-term

Already a qualified teacher?

If you’re already a qualified teacher, find out how you can teach in England if you completed your teacher training outside the UK.

Why train to teach in England?

Teacher training in England is practical, hands-on and supportive. As an international applicant, you’ll have the opportunity to train at a world class institution where creativity and innovation is valued, gaining lots of classroom experience along the way.

When you have successfully completed your training, you will be awarded qualified teacher status (QTS), a professional qualification valued globally.

QTS will allow you to apply for teaching jobs in all schools in England.

Other ways to train

To find out about teaching in other areas of the UK, visit the:

If you don’t want to come to England to study you can apply to train for international qualified teacher status (iQTS). This meets the same high standards as English qualified teacher status (QTS) and, if successfully completed, leads to the automatic award of QTS.

For teachers who qualified outside the UK, as well as those with teaching experience, other routes to qualified teacher status (QTS) are also open.

Check your qualifications and get help

Before you apply, you must check your qualifications. If you gained your qualifications outside the UK, we can help you check they meet the required standard in England.

To get help with your qualifications, you can use the live chat service at the bottom of this page. Or you can call us on +44 800 389 2500. Calls will be charged at your country’s standard rate.

We’re available Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 5:30pm (UK local time) except on bank holidays in England.

When you speak to us, we can also tell you if you’re eligible for a teacher training adviser.

Find out about fees and financial support

Teacher training fees for non-UK candidates vary between training providers.

Fees cost:

an average of £15,000
a maximum of about £36,000

You’ll also have to cover your living costs.

If you’re planning on training to teach languages or physics, you could be eligible for a bursary or scholarship worth up to £31,000.

If you are not training to teach in these subjects, any support you get will depend on your immigration status. Learn more about fees and funding for non-UK trainees.

Refugees and asylum seekers: funding support

If you have refugee status you'll usually be eligible for financial support to help you train.

If you're in the process of seeking asylum, check your immigration bail conditions to see if you have permission to study on a teacher training course in England. Even if you have permission, you're unlikely to be eligible for financial support.

If you're granted asylum in the UK, you may be eligible for financial support to train to teach.

Find and apply for teacher training courses

Your teacher training course must lead to qualified teacher status (QTS).

Some courses combine QTS with a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) or postgraduate diploma in education (PGDE). These are optional: you do not need a PGCE or PGDE to teach in England.

You can train in a school or in a university setting, and study full-time (over a year) or part-time (over 2 or more years). Teacher training courses can also be ‘fee-paying’ or ‘salaried’.

Fee-paying and salaried teacher training courses

A fee-paying teacher training course means you pay a fee to study as a teacher. Most teacher trainees in England are enrolled on this type of course.

Fee-paying courses include:

university teacher training programmes
school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) programmes

A salaried teacher training course means you are paid to work in a school while you learn to teach. However, these courses are limited in number and very competitive. Some salaried courses may also charge fees. Before you apply, contact the salaried teacher training provider to check you meet the entry requirements.

Salaried courses include:

School Direct salaried teacher training programmes
the Teach First Leadership Development programme
postgraduate teaching apprenticeships

Find out more about salaried teacher training.

Choosing a subject to teach

The subject you apply to teach must usually be the same as, or closely related to, the subject you studied at university. (For example, engineering graduates can apply to train to teach physics, but computer science graduates are unlikely to be accepted to train to teach geography.) Find out more about the subjects you could teach.

Finding the right course for you

You can search for postgraduate teacher training courses that lead to qualified teacher status (QTS).

To find the right training for you, you can filter courses by:

location
teaching subject
age group
courses which pay a salary
courses for which student visa or skilled worker visa sponsorship is available

Writing your personal statement

It’s important that you give yourself time to write the best possible personal statement. Providers read your personal statement carefully as part of their assessment of your application.

Your personal statement can be up to 1000 words. 90% of successful candidates write 500 words or more.

If you have a teacher training adviser, they can help you write your personal statement and will also give advice on:

your choice of course and training provider
your choice of subject
ways to research the English education system
preparing for your interview

First apply for your training place, then apply for your visa

If you need a visa to train to teach in England, you must have a confirmed offer of a training place on a course offering student or skilled worker visa sponsorship before you apply for your visa.

If you get offered a place on a course, your provider will arrange a background and criminal records check. This is known as a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. You must pass these checks in order to teach students under 18. To allow enough time for these checks, we recommend applying to your training provider early. You can apply for teacher training from October, for courses starting the following year in September or January.

Due to rules about immigration, not all providers can accept international applicants – we suggest you contact them before you apply to check.

Ukraine citizens: help with visas

If you're from Ukraine and want to teach or train to teach in England, you can check visa support for:

Already living in the UK?

You can apply to any English teacher training provider if you have settled or pre-settled status under either:

Postgraduate teaching apprenticeships

If you are resident in the UK, you may also be eligible to apply for a postgraduate teaching apprenticeship. This allows you to earn a salary while you train.

To apply, you will need to meet both the following conditions:

you must have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
you must have been living in the UK or the EEA for 3 or more years before the start of your apprenticeship

If you do not have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you will need to meet both the following conditions:

you must apply for a visa or immigration status allowing you to work in the UK
you must have been living in the UK for 3 or more years before the start of your apprenticeship

If you are resident in the UK, you may already have a visa or immigration status allowing you to work – for example, a graduate visa. If you need to apply for another visa – for example, a skilled worker visa – you’ll need to do this after you’ve been given a place on a postgraduate teaching apprenticeship.

You can explore all the available training options online.

Find teacher training courses in England

Apply for your visa

To train to teach in England, you will need a visa or immigration status allowing you to study (or work, for salaried courses) in the UK.

Learn more about applying for the right visa for your teacher training course.

Plan your move to the UK

Visit the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) for advice about immigration, finding a place to live and opening a bank account. For support over the phone, visit the UKCISA Student Advice Line.

Your teacher training provider may also be able to help you plan your move to the UK – contact them directly to ask.

Complete your teacher training and gain qualified teacher status (QTS)

If you’re accepted on to a teacher training course in England, you’ll train for one year (or longer if you’re part-time) to gain qualified teacher status (QTS).

Apply for your first teaching job

When you have qualified teacher status, you will be able to apply for paid teaching jobs in all schools in England.

To find a teaching job, you must apply to individual schools (not the Department for Education). Use the Teaching Vacancies service to search for jobs by region, subject specialism and age group.

You may need to apply for a different visa to work in England as a qualified teacher. Our guidance for non-UK nationals wishing to teach in England explains the skilled worker visa and covers other ways you can update, extend or switch your visa when you finish your training.

Learn more about your first teaching job in England.

Understand English education

Learn more about:

types of English school
curriculum and qualifications
behaviour and discipline in schools
Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted)
The Education Endowment Foundation website – a charity gathering international evidence on teaching 5 to 16 year olds
Times Educational Supplement (TES) website – information and resources for teachers
join the Aspiring Teachers Forum on Facebook

Read the transcript for the ‘Why train to teach in England?’ video.

Contact

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

You may be eligible for personalised support from a teacher training adviser. They can help with your application to a training provider or school.

To check if you’re eligible for an adviser, you can call us on +44 800 389 2500. Calls will be charged at your country’s standard rate. Or you can contact us using the live chat service at the bottom of this page.