Coming from Outside the UK

Who Can Teach in England?

To teach in the UK, you must:

  • Be legally entitled to work in the UK - have a valid UK visa. (See links below)
  • Be a fully qualified teacher (Bachelor degree, Diploma of Education or Higher Diploma in Education) from a recognised training institution. Early Childhood teachers require a 3 or 4 year Bachelor degree. You will need to provide your original teaching qualification.
  • Have a valid passport.
  • Provide an updated CV with no gaps in employment including details for at least 2 referees who have seen you teach within the last 2 years. Click here for a CV template.
  • Provide an updated original police clearance from your country of origin and from any other countries you have resided in for more than 6 months since the age of 18.
  • Obtain an enhanced DBS (UK police check). Your local REd consultant will explain how to obtain one whilst still residing in your country of origin.
  • Provide 2 x passport sized photos
  • Have proof of your current address such as a bank statement or utility/phone bill

Visas
To ensure you are eligible to work in the UK and to obtain the correct working visa i.e. Youth Mobility Visa, Ancestry, Right of Abode, Dependent Spousal Visa, European Community Citizenship or a Work Permit, check out your local British High Commission website by selecting your country below from the following links:

If you have any queries regarding visas please do contact one of the team who will be more than happy to help you.

Qualifications
As well as being eligible to work in the UK, overseas trained teachers (OTTs) will need to have a fully recognised teaching qualification and, in some instances, registration from their country of origin. Teachers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the USA, who are fully qualified and registered in their own country, can apply for UK Qualified Teachers Status (QTS) by completing the following form:

QTS Application for Teachers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

Teachers trained and qualified in Ireland can apply for QTS once they are fully registered with the Irish Teaching Council. This usually involves completing a certain number of hours in the classroom following your training. The form you will need to complete once you are registered is:

QTS Application for Teachers from Ireland

Starting the Process…

Your first step towards teaching in the UK is to register with us by using the link to the right of this page or contact your local office via the contact details at the bottom of the page.

Our overseas based offices guide teachers from the beginning of the recruitment process with advice on working visas, national curriculum, travel and accommodation, to processing all necessary documentation such as CVs, references, qualifications and police checks. Most importantly, our overseas offices ensure that teachers arrive in the UK fully informed and 'raring' to go. What exciting times there are ahead for you!

Useful Information for Overseas Teachers

Accommodation
Accommodation varies tremendously in price and quality.

The best form of initial accommodation is ‘couch surfing’ – a term used to describe sleeping arrangements in a friend's house, normally involving a couch and not a bed! The standard ‘couch surfing’ rate is £5.00 - £10.00 per night and is obviously the cheapest option available. The benefit of this type of accommodation is that you get to know the ‘nitty gritty’ of UK life first hand – working out the tube, what side to stand on the escalator, devouring the legendary TNT magazine, and finding out the cost of food (including mushy peas served with your fish ‘n’ chips) and beverages, most importantly, the cost of a pint of beer! Your friends will be an invaluable source of information and ‘know how’. Despite not having the best sleep on earth, this is a great way to be introduced to life in the UK.

Once you get over your jet lag and have found your feet, you will need to secure long-term accommodation. The best website we have come across is www.gumtree.com - this lists accommodation available in all areas and is aimed at all travellers. Other good long-term accommodation websites are www.loot.com, www.tntmag.co.uk, www.roomsforlet.co.uk, www.spareroom.com and www.findaproperty.com. For your own room in a flat share (most common type of accommodation), you’re looking at paying between £80 and £120 per week. For those of you living out of London, another good source of accommodation is to check out the local newspapers.

Travel and Transport
Transport links in the UK are excellent. London in particular, has an extensive transport system with the majority of people using the underground rail network (the tube), British Rail and buses. Buses and trains can take you to all destinations across England. The following contacts will help you to organise your journey:

  • National Rail Enquiries – 03457 484950
  • Eurostar – 03432 186186
  • London Travel Information – 03432 221234
  • National Express (coaches) – 08717 818181

Eating and Drinking
The big name supermarket stores are best value – Tesco, ASDA and Sainsbury’s. Local street markets are normally good value for fresh produce. Inevitably, the costs of restaurants and pubs vary hugely – best bet is to ask the locals. Pubs often offer really cheap meals such as a Sunday roast for just a few pounds.

Telecommunications
Having a mobile phone in the UK is essential. REd teachers will provide you with a free sim card for your mobile on arrival. Check out Vodafone, The Link, The Carphone Warehouse, Virgin Mobile and The Orange Shop for deals and packages. Shop around and find out what suits your needs best.

To call home, check out the numerous calling cards available in local newsagents and off-licences. Again, shop around and hunt down a bargain. You can pay as little as 8 pence a minute to call home. Alternatively get yourself linked up with Skype to enjoy free video calling back home to your friends and family.

Important Calling Numbers:
Operator – 100
Directories – 118 118 (chargeable service)
International Operator – 155
International Phone Numbers – 153

International Dial Codes:
Australia – 0061
Canada – 001
Ireland - 00353
New Zealand – 0064
South Africa – 0027

Healthcare and National Insurance (NI)
The British National Health Service is available to all overseas teachers, with National Insurance contributions automatically deducted out of your pay. Our UK team will advise you on how to apply for a National Insurance number.

Once you have established yourself in England, we advise you to register with a local doctor. If you do not register, the hospitals can refuse to admit you. Visiting a doctor is free; however, there is a prescription charge of £7.65 per item.

It is important to consider appropriate medical cover prior to departure, as your travel will no doubt take you beyond the UK to countries that do not have reciprocal arrangements similar to those that exist between Britain and the Commonwealth countries.

Tax, Umbrella Companies and Salaries
You will be taxed at UK taxation rates on teaching work you undertake in the UK. This is deducted from your weekly pay. It is financially more viable for our teachers to register themselves with an umbrella company before they leave their country of origin as this means teachers take home more pay in their back pockets at the end of each working week. Registering with an umbrella company before you leave home, means you can claim back on expenses such as flights to the UK, rent, meal allowances and travel.

For more information about Umbrella Companies and Salaries see our section on Salary Information.

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Contact REd

United Kingdom (Kent)
01634 823344
office@redteachers.com

United Kingdom (Herts)
020 3004 9251
admin@redteachers.com

Ireland
01 657 1035
ireland@redteachers.com

Australia
04 0541 1871
aus@redteachers.com

New Zealand
049 747 607
nz@redteachers.com

South Africa
031 100 2468
sa@redteachers.com

Canada
416 907 4192
canada@redteachers.com

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