If you qualified as a teacher in a different country and want to continue your teaching career in the UK, you will need to attain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Academics’ unique provision in helping overseas-trained teachers (OTTs) achieve this recognition has attracted significant praise – indeed, over the past two years, we have gained QTS for more OTTs than any single local authority in the UK.

Our programme for QTS is designed to make it as easy as possible for you, the teacher, to achieve your qualification goals. We invest significantly in the programme which is free for all teachers working through Academics. The programme is also available to teachers not registered with the company but a fee is charged for the service.

This section of the website gives you all the information you need to gain QTS.

What is QTS?

A set of standards issued by the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) for all teachers, both British and overseas-trained, to meet in order to gain qualified status as a teacher in England and Wales. The Teacher Development Agency (TDA) is responsible for overseeing the QTS process and allocates each assessing organisation (Designated Recommending Body or ‘DRB’, with a number of QTS places. All teachers must meet the Criteria for QTS and then collect evidence in a Portfolio, against the Standards. The OTTS are assessed by a DRB, who are entitled to charge for this service, fees range from £288 to £500 depending on the DRB.

Why gain QTS?

If you want to teach in England for four years or more, and the clock starts ticking on the first day you teach in a state maintained school.
If you want to leave England and come back to teach here at a later date.
If you require an extension to your Work Permit, Holiday Visa or Working Visa.

Entrance Criteria:

You need your original certificates verified by UK NARIC www.naric.org.uk

your school certificate and transcript that is the equivalent of Maths and English GCSE grades A to C (Science too if you are a primary teacher)
your teaching qualification and degree (if appropriate) plus the transcripts

You must have the originals of all your qualifications to show the DRB assessor at Stage Two of the process
Australian, Canadian, New Zealanders, South Africans or Americans need your up-to-date teacher’s licence or registration from your home country.
Evidence of your teaching experience in two English schools (one will be the school you are presently teaching in) and from your home country (if possible).
Evidence of teaching: across two consecutive key stages, 3 & 4 or 4 & 5 if you are secondary, and four consecutive year groups if you are a primary teacher.
70% of your timetable must be spent teaching the subject or age group you qualified in.

Timescale:

Minimum two terms, but this will depend on whether you have all your documentation available in this country.

The TDA recommends one academic year.
Verification of your documentation by NARIC can take up to 6 weeks.
At least one term preparation of your QTS Portfolio.
Approximately one term for the assessment process.

This is what you need to do...

Gather all documentation for verification: photo copies of certificates to NARIC; make sure you have an up-to-date licence to teach; and original certificates for DRB assessor.
Send in a copy of your teaching timetable to the Academics CPD team to arrange an initial observation.
Academics will then send you a copy of the Expectations document and the QTS process so that you are clear about the process.
Then we’ll visit your school to observe you teach; give you feed back; complete your QTS Action Plan; set tasks for you to complete before Academics’ next visit; and the consultant will feed back to a senior member of staff to arrange for the necessary observations by the school.
Once you have achieved these tasks you need to contact Academics for your second visit by the education consultant . Then we’ll sort out a realistic timescale for gaining QTS and start the process of putting your evidence into your QTS Portfolio.
After this Academics staff will sort out your DRB assessor and help you complete the application form.
The finals stage is to complete the Skills Tests and be assessed by the DRB.