Nigerian Teachers Can Now Teach In The UK; All You Need To Know About QTS

How Nigerian Teachers Can Teach In The UK; All You Need To Know About QTS

Teachers from South Africa, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria with equivalent qualifications to their British counterparts and at least one year of teaching experience has a rare opportunity to work in the United Kingdom beginning February 2023.

The offer will also be extended to teachers from Ukraine, Singapore, Jamaica, India, and Hong Kong under the Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) programme as of February next year.

What is QTS?

Qualified teacher status (QTS) is what you need to teach in most primary and secondary schools in England. It is a confirmation that you have the right training and meet the standards required to be a teacher. QTS is a standard that is respected across the world.

QTS offers Teachers from these countries to teach in majority of primary and secondary schools in England.

QTS is the evidence that one has the necessary education and meets the criteria necessary to be a teacher.

Having gained QTS , English teachers complete their professional training through the ECT 2-year induction period. As a non-UK teacher, you’ll also need to complete the ECT induction if you gained QTS : through an application to the Teaching Regulation Agency, if you have less than 2 years experience as a teacher.

SALARY PER ANNUM

As part of retaining teaching staff, the UK intends to have a base salary of about

16,823,386.84 Naira Per Annum for the lowest-paid teachers. This translates into 1,401,948.9033 Naira per month salary and 350,487.2258 Naira Per Week. Quite a decent sum for such teachers who will take advantage of the program.

Countries

Only four African countries are the first to be considered for QTS. They are Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Nigeria.

Teachers from the European Economic Area, Gibraltar, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, the US, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have enjoyed QTS in the past.

According to the UK Government “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,”

The teachers can be recruited directly from their countries of origin provided their employer sponsors a critical skills visa for them.

The visa will be used along with the general or immigration visa.

The UK government said in due course this type of visa would be opened to teachers from all over the world.

The demand for teaching professionals had risen above pre-pandemic levels by mid-summer and the beginning of autumn.

Do you get paid during QTS?

You’ll earn a salary while you train towards your Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) recommendation, and won’t need to pay any tuition fees.

QTS means you have qualified teacher status- this means that you are qualified to teach in any school in England. A PGCE is a post- graduate certificate in education. This means you have a Masters level certificate in the study of education. You can have QTS without a PGCE which will allow you to teach.

Once QTS has been awarded, the teacher becomes an NQT and is required to begin the induction period. Until they have successfully completed this they remain an NQT. If they fail their induction, they are barred from working as a qualified teacher, although their QTS award is not removed.

You must have an undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification to obtain QTS. You also need to have completed a teacher training programme or to have been formally assessed by an approved provider as meeting the required standards – this is known as the assessment-only route.

You need a bachelor’s degree to teach in primary, secondary and special schools in England. This does not have to be a bachelor’s degree in teaching. You also need to gain qualified teacher status (QTS) to teach in most schools which you get through teacher training.

Candidates will need to demonstrate that they are able to meet all the standards for QTS without the need for further training. Once accepted, you should expect to be recommended for QTS within 12 weeks.

The QTS is a requirement for anyone wishing to teach in a state school within England and Wales. It’s not always perceived as an academic qualification when compared to a PGCE, but it is essential for progressing to your NQT year within a state school.

Once you have achieved QTS, it’s legal for you to teach any age range, although it’s not easy to move from one to another.

QTS means you have qualified teacher status– this means that you are qualified to teach in any school in England. A PGCE is a post- graduate certificate in education. This means you have a Masters level certificate in the study of education. You can have QTS without a PGCE which will allow you to teach.

Routes to QTS

There are 4 routes to qualified teacher status for teachers and trainees outside the UK:

apply for QTS through the Teaching Regulation Agency
apply for assessment only QTS
apply for teacher training in England
apply to train for international qualified teacher status (iQTS)

Your eligibility for each route will depend on:

where you qualified
whether you already have teaching experience
your personal circumstances

Apply for QTS through TRA

You can apply for QTS through the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) if you have a teaching qualification from:

the EEA
Gibraltar
Australia
Canada
New Zealand
Switzerland
the USA
Scotland
Northern Ireland

You can apply if you:

submit evidence that you’re recognised as a teacher in the country where you qualified
are not prohibited or restricted from teaching by a professional sanction against you

When you apply to the TRA for QTS you do not need to:

pay a fee
undergo any further training
visit the UK

Check your eligibility to apply for QTS through the Teaching Regulation Agency

Apply for QTS in England and newly eligible countries

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, the way we award QTS will change.

Apply for assessment only QTS

If you’re not eligible to apply for QTS through TRA, assessment only QTS may be the most appropriate route for you.

Assessment only QTS means experienced teachers with a degree can gain QTS without doing a teacher training programme. You can apply to a UK government-approved teacher training provider in England for an assessment showing you meet the standards for QTS. You do not need to visit the UK to be assessed and gain QTS.

Working as a teacher while you undergo assessment only QTS

You can work as a teacher in England and earn a salary while you’re assessed for QTS.

The 4-year rule means you can find a teaching job and apply to a teacher training provider offering assessment only QTS in the region of England where you work. Your employing school can support you with this.

When you apply for assessment only QTS you’ll:

have to pay a fee
not have to undergo any further training
not have to visit the UK

Nigeria has been listed as one of the countries whose citizens can now apply for qualified teacher status through the Teaching Regulation Agency in the United Kingdom, from February 2023

Home 2022/23 – £2,700

The fees need to be met by the candidate or their supporting school or a combination of both. The cost covers the following: application and initial screening; initial assessment day (interview at school with head teacher and university tutor)

Qualifications and experience you’ll need to be eligible for an assessment only QTS

To apply for assessment only QTS, you do not need a formal teacher training qualification.

However, you must have:

a minimum of 2 years’ teaching experience
a first (bachelor’s) degree from a UK or non-UK university
an English language qualification which is the same standard as a grade 4 GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education)
a maths qualification which is the same standard as a grade 4 GCSE
to teach children aged 3 to 11 in primary school, a physics, chemistry or biology (science) qualification which is the same standard as a grade 4 GCSE

A GCSE is an academic qualification awarded for examinations in England, usually taken at age 16.

International qualifications

If your qualifications come from a non-UK institution, your assessment only teacher training provider may want to see a ‘statement of comparability’ showing how they compare to UK qualifications.

You can call us on 0800 389 2500 for:

guidance on the UK equivalents of your qualifications
a free statement of comparability from UK ENIC once you’ve submitted your application, if your provider asks for this

Your teaching experience must:

consist of time spent teaching (as opposed to other responsibilities in a school)
have taken place in 2 separate schools (not 2 classes within the same school or 2 school sites within the same organisation)
demonstrate you’ve taught young people from a range of different backgrounds
demonstrate you’re familiar with different approaches to teaching, learning and school management

Your teaching experience can have been:

gained in any type of school, for example, international schools, schools teaching the International Baccalaureate, and state-maintained schools outside the UK
spent teaching a non-English curriculum (though you may need to show you have knowledge of the subjects taught in the English curriculum)
divided between 2 school settings as long as you have 2 years’ teaching experience in total

British international school organisations

British international schools provide suitable experience for teachers wishing to apply for assessment only QTS. However, it is not a requirement to gain your experience at a British international school. Reputable British international school organisations include:

“To apply for assessment only QTS, you do not need a formal teacher training qualification. However, you must have: a minimum of 2 years’ teaching experience; a first (bachelor’s) degree from a UK or non-UK university an English language qualification which is the same standard as a grade 4 GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education); a maths qualification which is the same standard as a grade 4 GCSE to teach children aged 3 to 11 in primary school and a physics, chemistry or biology (science) qualification which is the same standard as a grade 4 GCSE,” the notice reads.

For more information on how to apply, kindly check here.

Conclusion

Teachers in Nigeria can take now take advantage of the QTS opportunity from February 2023 to begin the process. We hope this information will be useful. Kindly read and share.

Thank You