Guidance

Overseas trained teachers: apply for qualified teacher status in England

How some overseas trained teachers can apply for qualified teacher status (QTS), using the apply for QTS in England service.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

This guidance is for teachers who trained outside of England.

It explains:

Updates to this page

Published 7 August 2025
Last updated 2627 NovemberJanuary 20252026 + show all updates
  1. Updated the ‘requirements you need to meet’ section to clarify some details. These are on the criteria we use to assess your qualifications and experience, and the English language tests we accept.

  2. Updated the 'If you are already working in a valid teaching role in England' section of the 'Overseas trained teachers: apply for qualified teacher status in England' attachment to make it clear that a full 12 months of experience is not needed.

  3. Updated information for teachers who trained in Gibraltar. Added information about approved providers and tests for English language proficiency.

  4. First published.

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