Qualified teacher status (QTS): qualify to teach in England

Overview

You must have qualified teacher status (QTS) to take up a teaching post in England in a:

• maintained primary school
• maintained secondary school
• maintained special school
• non-maintained special school

Maintained schools are part of the state-funded schools system in EnglandEngland. –In maintained schools, funding and oversight areis generally provided by the local authority.

Maintained schools make up the majority of schools in England and are mostly either:

• community schools or voluntary controlled schools (where the local authority employs the school’s staff and is responsible for admissions)
• foundation and voluntary-aided schools (where the school’s governing body employs the staff and is responsible for admissions)

The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) is the competent authority in England for the teaching profession on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education. TheyWe’re are responsible for awarding QTS. TheyWe also award QTS to qualifiedtrained teachers from:

• from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
• Scotland
• Wales
• theIreland, EU
• Iceland
• Liechtenstein
• Norway
• Switzerland
• Australia
• Canada
• , Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand
• and the USA

USA.

Once you have QTS, and are employed to teach in a maintained school, or non-maintained special school, in England or Wales, you will be paid under the school teachers’ pay scales. You will be subject to the performance management arrangements in schools in the same way as any other qualified teacher.

Teachers who trained in England

When you finish your training, your initial teacher training provider will tell us about your results. This applies to all teacher training routes and to those awarded QTS following the assessment only route. If you’re successful, we’ll award you QTS and update your record on the database of qualified teachers. Your QTS certificate will be available online from the teacher self-service website.

Teachers who trained in Wales

If you completed your initial teacher training in Wales, you’ll be awarded QTS by the Education Workforce Council (EWC). This is recognised in England and the information is held on the database of qualified teachers.

Teachers trained or recognised in NorthernScotland Ireland or ScotlandNorthern Ireland

If you trained in either NorthernScotland Ireland or Scotland,Northern Ireland, you must apply for QTS if you intend to take up a teaching post in a maintained school or non-maintained special school in England.

Overseas trained teachers who have gained recognition as a teacher in either NorthernScotland Ireland or ScotlandNorthern Ireland can also apply for QTS in England.

It should take between 2 and 4 weeks to process your application.

All

Teachers teachers from overseas:the gaining QTSEU, duringIceland, coronavirusLiechtenstein, (COVID-19)Norway or Switzerland

AlthoughNationals globalfrom travel, including to the UK,EU, isIceland, affectedLiechtenstein, byNorway coronavirusor (COVID-19),Switzerland eligible overseas teachers can still apply onlinefor toQTS. You need to:

• have theirteaching qualifications recognisedfrom toan teachEU inmember England.

  Learnstate, moreIceland, aboutLiechtenstein, gettingNorway intoor teachingSwitzerland

• be inrecognised Englandas if you’re a qualified school teacher fromin overseas.
  one of these countries

Teachers

Nationals from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway,Norway or Switzerland, Australia,with Canada,qualifications Newfrom Zealandoutside orone USA

Youof these countries can also apply for QTS. ifYou you:need to have:

• haveyour a teaching qualificationqualifications fromrecognised by an EU country,member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway,Norway Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or USASwitzerland
• can3 submityears evidenceof thatexperience you:
  • are recognised as a teacher in the countryEU wheremember youstate, qualified
  • areIceland, notLiechtenstein, prohibitedNorway or restrictedSwitzerland, fromthat teachingrecognised byyour a professional sanction against youqualifications

EvidenceNationals from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, who are recognised in one of these countries but are only qualified to teach pupils with special educational needs and disability (SEND) can includeapply documentsfor whichpartial showqualified yourteacher officialstatus. statusWith aspartial qualified teacher status, you can take up a qualified teacher frompost thein organisationa thatspecial regulatesschool teachersor teach pupils in youra country.specialist unit in mainstream schools.

WhenIf youyou’re applynot sure if you’re eligible, please contact qts.enquiries@education.gov.uk.

It we’llmay reviewtake theup evidenceto you’ve4 providedmonths andto contactprocess youyour ifapplication. weIf needyou’re anysuccessful, you’ll be awarded QTS, or partial QTS. You won’t need further information.

Teacherstraining whoand qualifiedwill inbe otherexempt countries

Teachersfrom whohaving trainedto inserve a countrystatutory outsideinduction ofperiod. theWe’ll UK,notify EU,you Iceland,by Liechtenstein,email Norway,and Switzerland,you Australia,can Canada,download Newa Zealandletter orconfirming the USA,award willfrom normallythe needteacher toself-service completewebsite. anFind accreditedout traininghow programmeto inaccess England.your Afterindividual completingteacher therecords.

If training,we’re youunable willto getaward you QTS, andyou’ll beneed able to applycomplete for a permanentcourse teachingof postinitial teacher training in aEngland maintainedin schoolorder orto non-maintainedget specialQTS. school.

Alternatively, if you’re an experienced teacher with a degree, you may be able to demonstrate that you already meet all of the standards for QTS through the assessment only route.

Recognition

Find ofout QTSmore forabout teachersteaching whoin wantEngland toif teachyou’re a teacher who has qualified overseas

.

Arrangements

Teachers qualified in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the EU,USA

If Iceland,you Liechtenstein,qualified Norwayin Australia, Canada, New Zealand or Switzerlandthe forUSA, recognisingyou should apply for QTS maybefore changeyou fromcan 1work Januaryas 2021.a Checkqualified theteacher hostin state’sEngland.

We’ll then verify that you’re a countryfully overseasqualified teacher in Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA and have QTS

arenot doingbeen teacherbarred trainingfrom whichteaching. leadsIf toyou pass these checks, you’ll be issued with a letter confirming the award of QTS,. Details of fully qualified teachers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and wantthe toUSA teachwill overseasbe held on the database of qualified teachers in England.

Find out more about teaching in England.

Teachers qualified in other countries

Teachers who trained in a country outside the UK, EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland

YouSwitzerland, canother getthan adviceAustralia, fromCanada, New Zealand or the UK’sUSA, nationalwill informationnormally centreneed forto professionalcomplete qualificationsan (UKaccredited NARIC)training programme in England. After completing the training, you will get QTS and be able to findapply outfor whicha regulatorypermanent orteaching professionalpost bodyin youa shouldmaintained contact.school or non-maintained special school.

Alternatively, if you’re intending to teach in an EUexperienced country,teacher Iceland,with Liechtenstein,a Norway,degree, oryou Switzerland,may contactbe theable singleto pointdemonstrate ofthat contactyou foralready thatmeet countryall toof findthe outstandards howfor toQTS getthrough yourthe professionalassessment qualificationonly recognised.route.

Qualified teacher learning and skills (QTLS)

If you have QTLS status and membership with the Society for Education and Training, you will be eligible to work as a qualified teacher in schools in England.

It will be up to schools and local authorities to decide whether you are suitable for a post and to teach a particular subject. You will be exempt from serving a statutory induction period in schools.

For further information about QTLS and working in maintained schools please contact the Society for Education and Training.

Independent sector teachers

If you’re from the independent sector, you need QTS to teach in the maintained and non-maintained special schools sectors. There are a number of routes which assess previous teaching experience - further details are available on Get into Teaching.

Contact