Overseas Teachers
The following information should help you determine whether you will need permission to work in the U.K.
To teach in a state maintained school or non-maintained special school in England it is generally necessary to hold Qualified Teacher Status. To achieve this teachers will normally have undertaken a recognised course of initial teacher training.
European Economic Area (EEA)
A teacher who is a national within the EEA or Switzerland and has qualified as a state school teacher in an EEA country or Switzerland does not need permission to work and can be employed on the same basis as a UK national but will need to register with the General Teaching Council.Commonwealth
Some Commonwealth nationals may work full time without a work permit if a parent or grandparent was born in the UK.Commonwealth nationals who have been admitted to the UK as working holiday makers, may take casual work without the need for a work permit (they will be granted a working holiday visa). This means that they can work as a supply teacher until their working holiday visa expires. They will then only be permitted to continue working in the UK with a full work permit.
Other Countries
Nationals of countries not in the EEA or Commonwealth will need a work permit for employment in the UK.
People with dual nationality in Britain or another EEA country, this includes being married to a British national or a spouse with dual nationality will not need permission to work in the UK.
The immigration service is responsible for deciding whether someone may enter the UK and what they are allowed to do. People outside the UK who need advice on whether they need a work permit should contact their nearest British Embassy, British Consulate or High Commission. People already in the UK the Home Office will advise, www.homeoffice.gov.uk.
Work permits
Applications for work permits can only be made by the prospective employer. Teacher employment agencies are not eligible to apply for work permits; this must be done through a school who agrees to take a teacher on a permanent contract for a minimum of four months.
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Teachers from outside the EEA
Teachers who trained (and qualified) outside of the EEA and Switzerland and who are not nationals of an EEA member state can work for up to four years in England as a temporary teacher without the need for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
To continue teaching after four years overseas trained teachers must obtain Qualified Teacher Status.
If an overseas trained teacher wishes to be employed on a permanent basis then it is necessary for them to obtain QTS.
Overseas teachers may gain QTS by using their qualifications to enroll on the Overseas Trained Teacher (OTT) programme.
The OTT programme is an employment-based route to QTS; it allows teachers to follow individualized training and assessment programmes whilst teaching in schools.
Teachers on the OTT programme who have more than two years teaching experience may also be assessed for exemption from the requirement to complete a statutory induction period after QTS is awarded.
For details of the OTT programme contact the Training and Development Agency for Schools, www.tda.gov.uk.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families produces a publication which contains the legal position of overseas trained teachers which can be downloaded from www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications (search using reference: 00898-2007LEF-EN)
