Relocating to the UK as a Qualified Teacher

All applicants for teaching jobs from overseas need a visa or other immigration status allowing them to work in the UK. Applicants will need a High-potential Individual Visa or Skilled Worker Visa. Multilang is willing to provide relocation services to qualified teachers from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe to the UK. We also assist our clients from the aforementioned countries, with a sponsor or a school where they can work and earn as a teacher.

So if you are interested in teaching in the UK or looking to relocate as a qualified teacher, you might want to finish reading this article. We will explore the eligibility criteria, visa options, and requirements for relocating to the UK as a teacher.

Eligibility Criteria:

The following requirements if met qualifies you to apply as a qualified teacher in the UK, include, having:

  • Teaching skills and experience you can demonstrate to an employer.
  • To pass criminal and professional safeguarding checks (these will be organized by your employer)
  • A teaching qualification from any non-UK country
  • The ability to teach children aged 3-18 science and language subjects equivalent to grade 4 GCSE
  • English ‘qualified teacher status (QTS)

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS):

A QTS certificate is a legal requirement for teachers who want to teach in the UK. This certificate opens up vast employment opportunities and helps you get a better salary and advancement into an authoritative position. Many state schools require teachers to have a QTS certificate.

Schools where QTS is a legal requirement are called ‘maintained schools’. These schools are state-funded schools in England – funding and oversight are generally provided by a local authority.

  • Community schools or voluntary controlled schools (where the local authority employs the school’s staff and is responsible for admissions)
  • Foundation and voluntary-aided schools (where the school’s governing body employs the staff and is responsible for admissions)

A QTS certificate is a legal requirement for teachers who want to teach in the UK. This certificate opens up vast employment opportunities and helps you get a better salary and advancement into an authoritative position. Many state schools require teachers to have a QTS certificate.

Schools where QTS is a legal requirement are called ‘maintained schools’. These schools are state-funded schools in England – funding and oversight are generally provided by a local authority.

Visa Options for Teachers:

There are two main visa options for teachers who want to relocate to the UK - the High-potential Individual Visa and the Skilled Workers Visa. For both visas, language proficiency is required, and the applicant must pass a criminality check.

To be considered eligible for the high-potential individual visa, you must:

  • Have a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, or Ph.D. from a university listed in the global universities list
  • Have been awarded their qualification no more than 5 years before they apply
  • Have English language skills to B1 intermediate level
  • Have personal funds of £1,270
  • Pass a security and criminality check

To be considered eligible for the skilled worker visa, you must have:

  • You have a job offer from a school that is a licensed Home Office sponsor
  • You can speak, read, write, and understand English
  • Your salary meets the requirements for a skilled worker visa

Multilang services

Multilang offers a wide range of services that will make relocation to the UK as a qualified teacher much easier, such as:

  • Free Consultation
  • Job search and application / help securing a Visa sponsor
  • Job search and application / help securing a Visa sponsor
  • Guidance and support with relocation and integration into the UK system
  • Mentorship

Our ‘Relocate to the UK as a Qualified Teacher’ service is limited to qualified teachers with recognisable teaching qualification from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Do you consider yourself eligible? Book a free consultation with us