UK Work Permit Information for Teachers

There is Currently a shortage of good teachers with the appropriate skills in the UK. Experienced teachers are very welcome in the UK. Your experience and skills and enthusiasm are much in need.

Coddan aims to guide qualified teachers in finding the right teaching post for them and clearing the way for you to make a successful application towards you and your family to come and live and work here.

There are several options that exist, including:

Sponsored Work Permit
When you have found a UK employer and you wish to take up employment, Coddan can guide you along with your employer and your family through the sponsored work permit process. Have your employer talk to us.

Please also take a look at the new updated Working HolidayMaker scheme and the Highly Skilled Migrant Scheme.

In General

Teachers with overseas qualifications may come to the UK and they will be able to work for up to 4 years and they don’t have to register with the General Teaching Council of England (GTCE) or obtain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

It is left up to the sole discretion of the employer to decide in the end the level and qualifications of the teaching staff it will employ.

However it is highly recommended, In order to increase your prospects of employment all overseas teachers should obtain QTS and GTCE registration.

Registration and Training

Most qualified teachers from EU countries will have qualifications which will be widely recognised around Europe including the UK. All they have to do is just simply register with the GTCE via the fasttrack process and will obtain a DFES number at the end.

If you’re from outside the EU your need to gain a postgraduate entry level status so as to work towards QTS. This will mean you will have a degree or equivalent to UK degree and GCSEs grade C or above in Maths and Science.

If it is the case that you have above entry level qualifications you can then prepare for your QTS.
Throughout your first term at your new school, you will then establish a portfolio of your skills and operational abilities, including lesson plans and pupil assessments.

Without the above mentioned entry level qualifications, It might still be possible to establish your portfolio as detailed above but, you’ll need some additional training. A grant is available of up to £750for this. When the above portfolio and/or training is accomplished they can be assessed in one of two ways depending on your experience.

Less than 2 years experience

1.5 day assessment. Providing you pass you will be QTS however you’ll also then need to complete a full induction year for full GTCE registration again whilst working currently where you are now.

2 years or above experience

Induction year as you will be QTS and GTCE registered. The above process will be subsidized the first time round for you. However should you fail, there will be a charge for retakes. GTCE registration will cost £23. Once again, this will be subsidized for you.

The HSMP Scheme

Just like all other industry sectors, you will find the HSMP scheme will apply equally to teachers with longer and more specific skills. This scheme functions to allow highly skilled people to enter the UK in search of work.

Permit Free Employment

All teachers and language assistants who wish to come to the UK under the approved exchange schemes are eligible for permit-free employment. If you want to know more about permit-free employment, It can be found here.

You must be arriving into the UK education establishment under an exchange scheme approved by the DFEE or administered by the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges or the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers. You are not allowed to take up employment except under the circumstances stated above. You will have to leave the UK at the end of your exchange period. You will be expected to keep and accommodate yourself and any dependents adequately without depending on public funds. All teachers will be then issued with a numbered 'certificate of appointment. This will detail the establishment to which the applicant is to be appointed, the duration of the appointment, and their personal details.

If it’s the case that you are a member of a religious order and you want to come to the UK to teach you will only be allowed to do so, providing it’s at an establishment which belongs to your order.
Please contact us for further information on this matter.