Teachers assemble it’s your time to shine.
The United Kingdom has decided that it’s time for teachers and it’s time for them to glow and blind the world. Okay, maybe I am a little too dramatic but I am just excited at the good news and the doors it opens. It is Christmas after all and who does not like Santa bringing presents because this sure feels like one heck of a Christmas present? A couple of days ago news broke that the United Kingdom has now opened routes for teachers and those with teaching experience outside the United Kingdom. One of the countries that is a beneficiary is our very own Nigeria so let’s get into it.
What Is QTS?
The QTS is short for Qualified Teacher Status and you can teach in the UK if you’re a qualified teacher. You can work as a teacher for up to four years without the QTS but after the first four years, the QTS is a legal requirement for you to be able to teach in many English schools and is actually advisable and required for teachers in a lot of schools in the United Kingdom.
To be able to work and teach in the United Kingdom You will need a skilled worker visa and this visa is one which the employer must sponsor. The sponsor could be the school of authority or an academic trust.
What Types Of Visa Can Get Me Into The United Kingdom?
You can get into the United Kingdom through two visas namely the
- High Potential Visa and
- The Graduate Visa.
The High Potential Visa means you need to have been awarded your qualification no more than 5 years before you apply. You must have a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree or a doctorate from a university that is listed in the global university list. Your English language skills have to be intermediate level and you must pass a security and criminality check and finally have personal funds of $1, 270 pounds.
The graduate visa can be applied for by international students after the successful completion of their degree. They would need to have been sponsored by an eligible home office licenced student sponsored throughout their studies. This visa will allow them to look for a job in the UK for 2 years after completing their studies.
With any of these two visas, you can get into the United Kingdom and from February 1st 2023, teachers from not just Nigeria but countries such as
- Ghana,
- Hong Kong,
- India,
- Singapore,
- Jamaica,
- Ukraine,
- South Africa, and
- Zimbabwe.
You will be eligible to teach in the United Kingdom and will also be able to apply to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) for the Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
According to the United Kingdom website, You can apply if you are recognised as a teacher in the country where you are qualified,
- if you submit evidence to back this up,
- if there is no professional sanction against you that is prohibiting or restricting you from teaching.
 It is also worthy of note to know that you do not have to undergo any further training,
- you do not have to pay any amount of money and
- you do not need to visit the UK to be able to apply for the TRA for your QTS
Anyone who wants to teach from any of the eligible countries will have to show that they meet the criteria for the award of the QTS.
You may have to go through the Assessment Only QTS road if you’re not eligible to apply for QTS through TRA. Basically, the Assessment Only QTS means that as an experienced teacher with a degree you can gain your QTS without having to do a teacher’s training program. All you have to do is apply to a UK government-approved teacher training provider in England for an assessment that shows you meet the standards for QTS. You also do not need to visit the UK to be assessed and to gain QTS.
You don’t need a formal teacher training qualification to be able to apply for Assessment Only QTS. Some of the things that you do need though,
- is a bachelor’s degree from a UK or non-UK University
- an English language qualification
- a maths qualification
- a minimum of 2 years of teaching experience and
- to teach children aged 3 to 11 in primary school physics, chemistry, and biology.
It does feel like Santa showed up early and if you have had the dream that you could teach in the United Kingdom, the door is now wide open for you to walk through, waiting for you to seize your destiny by the neck, and go for it.
The government has promised that this route will be open to other countries and not just the aforementioned countries alone soon enough.
Let us know if this is for you. Is it right up your alley? We’d love to hear from you.
Join our Lagos Tour/Hangout: Click here
Need Proof of Funds or Proof of Entry?: Click here
