Zimbabwean teachers eligible to apply for qualified teacher status in England starting 2023

The British government has said Zimbabwe-trained teachers will be eligible to apply for qualified teacher status in England starting from February 2023.

This was stated in a guide on how qualified teachers can get employment in England even if they got their qualifications outside the United Kingdom.

This guidance is for non-UK citizens who qualified as teachers outside the UK.

From 1 February 2023, teachers who qualified in the following 9 countries will also be able to apply to TRA for QTS:

• Ghana

• Hong Kong

• India

• Jamaica

• Nigeria

• Singapore

• South Africa

• Ukraine

• Zimbabwe

This change is part of the launch of a new service, apply for QTS in England. From 1 February 2023, teachers from all eligible countries will have to show they meet a consistent set of criteria for the award of QTS. Over time, this route will be opened to qualified teachers from every country outside the UK.

To teach in England you will need:

the correct visa or status teaching skills and experience you can demonstrate to an employer to pass criminal and professional safeguarding checks (these will be organised by your employer)

The correct visa or status could be one of the following:

Irish citizens do not need a visa to work or live in the UK.

It is also very helpful to have:

a teaching qualification (this can be from your own or another non-UK country) English ‘qualified teacher status’ (QTS)

Applying for qualified teacher status (QTS) Qualified teacher status (QTS) is the professional status teachers in England gain at the end of their teacher training.

Teachers who qualified outside the UK can work in English schools for up to 4 years without QTS. However, obtaining QTS will make it easier for you to find work and develop your career as a teacher.

This is because:

in many English state-maintained schools, QTS is a legal requirement when the 4-year exemption period is up in all English schools, QTS is used to assess the quality of candidates for teaching jobs

How to apply Depending on where you qualified as a teacher, you may be eligible to apply to the Teaching Regulation Agency for QTS.

You could also apply for assessment-only QTS while you earn a salary as a teacher or you could apply to train to teach in England.

Visas and immigration You can check if you need a UK visa and contact UK Visas and Immigration for help.

Search for a teaching job and apply for a skilled worker visa The main visa route for non-UK teachers in England is the skilled worker visa.

To apply for a skilled worker visa, you will first need to search for a teaching job in England. You can use the UK government’s Teaching vacancies service to search for available teaching roles.

Before you apply for a teaching job, contact the school to make sure it is a Home Office licensed sponsor. If the school is a sponsor, it can help you apply for your visa. Schools can also become sponsors to employ you.

You’ll be able to apply for your skilled worker visa if:

Salary requirement for a skilled worker visa The salary threshold you must meet depends on whether you have qualified teacher status (QTS) and the region you are applying to work in.

This table shows the minimum salary non-UK teachers must earn to be eligible for a skilled worker visa, by region and status (QTS and non-QTS).

Inner London Outer London London fringe Rest of England

QTS £34,502 £32,407 £29,344 £28,000

Non-QTS £24,254 £22,924 £20,594 £20,480

Working part-time as a teacher You can work part-time, but your salary must meet the threshold for a skilled worker visa. There are 2 requirements:

your part-time salary must be at least £20,480 the full-time equivalent of your salary must meet the minimum set for your region and status (with QTS or without QTS)

Work as a teacher in England without a skilled worker visa This section explains the other visa and immigration routes you may be able to use to work as a teacher in England.

Graduate visa If you’re already an international student in the UK, you can apply for a graduate visa on the successful completion of your degree. To apply, you’ll need to have been sponsored by a Home Office licensed student sponsor over the course of your studies.

The graduate visa will allow you to work, or look for work, in the UK for up to 2 years after completing your studies (3 years for PhD students) without a sponsor. This includes working as a teacher.

You’ll be able to switch from a graduate visa to another visa (such as the skilled worker visa) without having to leave the UK if you meet the requirements for the new visa.

High-potential individual visa To be eligible for a high-potential individual visa, you must:

have a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or PhD from a university listed in the Global Universities list have been awarded your qualification no more than 5 years before you apply have English language skills to B1 intermediate level have personal funds of £1,270 pass a security and criminality check

You do not need an offer of a teaching job to apply for this visa and you’ll be able to stay in the UK for 2 years with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, and 3 years with a PhD.

Youth Mobility Scheme visa The Youth Mobility Scheme allows young people from certain countries to come to the UK each year to study or work without a sponsoring educational institution or sponsoring employer. This includes working as a teacher.

A Youth Mobility Scheme visa lasts up to 2 years. You may be able to switch from a Youth Mobility Scheme visa to another visa route (for example the skilled worker visa) without having to leave the UK. You’ll need to meet the requirements for the other visa route.

Other visas Depending on your personal circumstances, you may be able to work in the UK on alternative visas – for example, a Family visa, a UK Ancestry visa or, if you’re from Hong Kong, a British National (Overseas) visa.

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