How to apply for your visa
If you’re applying for teaching jobs in England as a non-UK citizen, you will need a visa or immigration status allowing you to work in England.
Most non-UK citizens who don’t already have the correct visa or immigration status will need to apply for a Skilled Worker visa to teach in England.
To apply for your visa, follow these steps
Step 1
Visit the UK government’s official Teaching Vacancies service to search for teaching jobs in the UK. Filter your search by ‘visa sponsorship’ to find jobs that can sponsor visas.
Step 2
Apply for a teaching job with a school which can sponsor your visa. Your salary must meet the requirements for a Skilled Worker visa.
Learn more about applying for a teaching job in England.
Step 3
When you have a confirmed offer of a job, you’ll be able to apply for your Skilled Worker visa.
You will need to show:
- you have a certificate of sponsorship from the school, confirming they have offered you a job and will sponsor you
- you meet certain standards in speaking, reading, writing and understanding English
- your salary meets the requirement for a Skilled Worker visa
Salary requirement for a Skilled Worker visa
The salary you need to get a visa depends on if you’re employed as a qualified or unqualified teacher.
The school you’re applying to work in can explain if the role you’re applying for is qualified or unqualified. Qualified roles require more experience or qualifications.
The salary requirement also varies depending on the region you’re applying to work in. You can check which region you’ll be working in with the school employing you.
If you’re employed as a qualified teacher and work in:
- inner London, you must earn at least £36,745
- outer London, you must earn at least £34,514
- London fringe, you must earn at least £31,350
- the rest of England, you must earn at least £30,000
If you’re employed as an unqualified teacher and work in:
- inner London, you must earn at least £25,831
- outer London, you must earn at least £24,415
- London fringe, you must earn at least £23,200
- the rest of England, you must earn at least £23,200
Working part time as a teacher
You can work part-time, but your salary must meet the threshold for a Skilled Worker visa. There are 2 requirements:
- your part-time salary must be at least £23,200
- the full-time equivalent of your salary must meet the minimum set for your region and status (for qualified and unqualified teachers)
Schools have some flexibility in how they set salaries. You may be able to negotiate a different rate of pay if the salary on offer does not meet the Skilled Worker visa requirements.
Your partner and children
You may be able to bring your partner and children with you on a Skilled Worker visa.
Check your status
If you’re not sure about your immigration status, you can check if you need a UK visa to teach in the UK.
You will not need a visa to teach in the UK if you:
-
are an Irish citizen
-
have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
You will not need to be sponsored for a Skilled Worker visa if you have a:
Visa fees and other charges
You will usually need to show proof of a certain level of savings or income. You’ll be guided through this process when you apply for your visa.
Visa fees
You’ll also have to pay visa fees.
Immigration Health Surcharge
You may need to pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application – this is called the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
Contact
If you have general questions about the information on this page, you can email us at teach.inengland@education.gov.uk.
You can also contact UK Visas and Immigration for help.