Train to teach in England as a non-UK citizen

You can apply to train to teach in England if you:

live outside the UK
live in the UK but are a non-UK citizen

Before you apply, you must check your eligibility to train to teach in England.

If you are unsure about your qualifications or eligibility, you can get help and support online or over the phone.

Qualifying to teach in England

You will need qualified teacher status (QTS) to teach in most schools in England.

If you do not want to come to England to study, you can gain international qualified teacher status (iQTS) where you live or work, with no need to visit the UK. If you get iQTS, you automatically get QTS as well.

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

Fees and financial support

Fee-paying teacher training courses

A fee-paying teacher training course means you pay tuition fees for your training. Tuition fees are set by providers and cost £15,000 on average per year.

You may be able to get financial support for fee-paying courses, depending on your immigration status and the subject you train to teach.

If you want to train 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 these subjects, any financial support you get will depend on your immigration status or the visa you are on.

Salaried teacher training courses

A salaried teacher training course means you are paid to work in a school while you train to teach. Some salaried courses also have tuition fees.

Salaried teacher training courses are limited in number and very competitive. You will also need a visa or immigration status allowing you to work in the UK.

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.

Apply for a postgraduate teacher training course

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

Postgraduate teacher training usually takes 9 months full-time, or 18 to 24 months part-time.

Find guidance on applying for teacher training courses.

Apply for your visa

If you do not have the right to study or work in the UK, you will need a visa. Your visa will need to be sponsored by a course provider.

Before you apply for your visa, you must have a confirmed offer of a training place on a course offering Student or Skilled Worker visa sponsorship.

Find out more about applying for a visa to train to teach in England.

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:

Train to teach in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland

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

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

Get help

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.

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