Indians can apply for Qualified Teacher Status in England from Feb 2023: Check if you are eligible to apply using new service

By A Staff Reporter

LONDON Dec 26: From 1 February 2023, teachers with a teaching qualification from nine countries will be able to apply for jobs in the UK under a fairer approach to obtaining the qualified teacher status (QTS). From February 1, 2023, the Department for Education (DfE) will be changing the way they award qualified teacher status (QTS) to teachers from overseas, said a government note.

Under retained EU and domestic legislation, teachers from some countries can easily apply for QTS, but others cannot, even if they have equivalent skills and experience. The new legislation will make this process consistent and fair. It will also support the movement of well-qualified teachers to the English workforce.

A new professional recognition service, called ‘apply for qualified teacher status in England’, will set consistent standards so the qualifications and experience of overseas teachers can be fairly assessed. It will eventually be open to qualified teachers from all countries outside the UK.

Currently, applicants with a teaching qualification from Australia, Canada, the EEA, Gibraltar, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, the USA can apply to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). However, from 1 February 2023, teachers with a teaching qualification from Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Ukraine, Zimbabwe will also be able to apply to the TRA for QTS.

The above countries have been selected for the initial launch because research showed that “teachers from these countries already have a substantial presence in the UK as valued members of the teaching workforce, there is an established interest in teaching in England in these countries and UK have strong educational ties with the country in question”.

CLICK HERE TO Check your eligibility to apply for QTS using the new service. Non-UK teachers can check their eligibility to apply for QTS using this service.

If you’re not eligible to use the new service, you may be able to:
complete initial teacher training in England
work without QTS and then undergo the assessment only route
apply for international qualified teacher status (iQTS)

What you’ll need to be eligible for QTS from 1 February 2023

Apply for QTS in England will award overseas teachers QTS based on an assessment of each individual’s qualifications and experience against set requirements. Once fully launched, it will be open to qualified teachers from every country in the world.

From 1 February 2023, to be awarded QTS as a non-UK teacher, you must:

have an undergraduate degree of the same academic standard as a UK bachelor’s degree, as verified by UK ENIC
have completed teacher training that meets the standard of a level 6 qualification and is of at least the same length as an English initial teacher training course – for example, a Bachelor of Education or a Postgraduate Certificate in Education
have completed a course with content that is practically and pedagogically focused
be qualified to teach children aged between 5 and 16 years
have at least one school year (a minimum of 9 months including school holidays but excluding time out taken for any other reason) of professional experience working as a teacher after qualifying
have the professional status needed to be a teacher in the country where you qualified, and not be subject to any conditions or restrictions on your practice

You must also meet a certain standard of English language proficiency. This means you must be able to show one of the following. You have:

been born in, hold citizenship of, or have studied at undergraduate level (or higher) in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales or in one of the exempt nationalities
been taught in English at undergraduate level (or higher) – you will need to provide evidence that English has been the medium of instruction (MOI) of your degree
sat a CEFR B2 level English language test at a secure English language test (SELT) provider and met a CEFR B2 level of English proficiency

A B2 level is equivalent to the following test scores from the approved English language test providers:

IELTS SELT Consortium – 5.5
LanguageCert – 33/50
Pearson – 59
Trinity College London – Pass
PSI Services (UK) Ltd – Pass

Mathematics and science qualifications
In future, Department of Education intend to ask overseas teachers applying for QTS for evidence that they hold a:

mathematics qualification which meets the same standard as GCSE grade 4
science qualification which meets the same standard as GCSE grade 4 (for teaching primary school)

If you are eligible to apply for QTS, you can get help with your application by emailing qts.enquiries@education.gov.uk or calling 020 7593 5394