The Department for Education (DfE) in the United Kingdom has identified priority subjects for Nigerians and citizens of other qualified nationals seeking to work in the territory through te UK Teaching Regulation Agency.
Application for the programme (available here) starts from 1 February and is open to teachers in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Singapore and Ukraine.
The DfE announced changes to the process for granting qualified teacher status to foreign-born teachers in June 2022.
On the priority subjects, DfE noted that a “teaching qualification that meets the standard of a Level 6 qualification qualifying you to teach children aged 11 to 16, and a Bachelor’s degree made up of at least 50 percent Mathematics, Science or a Language (excluding English) taught in English state schools”.
DfE also listed the priority subjects to include French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish, excluding English Language.
According to the report, some subjects which are much needed in the UK will be prioritised.
DfE said that under retained European Union and domestic legislation, teachers from some countries can easily apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), but others cannot, even if they have equivalent skills and experience.
It added that the new legislation will make this process consistent and fair, adding, “it will also support the movement of well-qualified teachers to the English workforce”.
Announcing a new development on the visa status and how to apply, the Government of UK on its website, DfE said: “A new professional recognition service, called ‘apply for qualified teacher status in England’, will set consistent standards so the qualifications and experience of overseas teachers can be fairly assessed.
“It will eventually be open to qualified teachers from all countries outside the UK.
“From 1 February 2023, applicants with a teaching qualification from the following countries and regions (Australia, Canada, the EEA, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the USA) will be able to use the new service to check if they meet the requirements for Qualify Teacher Status and apply.
“From 1 February 2023, to be awarded QTS as a non-UK teacher, you must: have an undergraduate degree of the same academic standard as a UK bachelor’s degree, as verified by UK ENIC have completed teacher training that meets the standard of a level 6 qualification and is of at least the same length as an English initial teacher training course – for example, a Bachelor of Education or a Postgraduate Certificate in Education have completed a course with content that is practically and pedagogically focused be qualified to teach children aged between 5 and 16 years have at least one school year (a minimum of 9 months including school holidays but excluding time out taken for any other reason) of professional experience working as a teacher after qualifying have the professional status needed to be a teacher in the country where you qualified, and not be subject to any conditions or restrictions on your practice meet a certain standard of English language proficiency (e.g.CEFR B2 level of English proficiency, IELTS SELT Consortium – 5.5, LanguageCert – 33/50, Pearson – 59, Trinity College London – Pass, PSI Services (UK) Ltd – Pass”.
It further explained that applicants with a subject specialism in languages, mathematics, or science and a teaching qualification to teach 11 to 16-year-olds from Ghana, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Jamaica, and India will be able to use the service to check if they meet the requirements for QTS and also apply.
DfE listed the priority subjects as French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish, excluding English Language.
It, however, added that there will be an update on other subject specialism by May.
