Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for Overseas-Trained Teachers: Assessment-Only and iQTS Routes

What QTS is — and why it is not the same as studying education

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is the professional status most state-funded schools in England require you to hold to be employed as a teacher. This guide is for teachers who trained or gained experience outside the UK and want to gain QTS — it is a licensing/status process, not a route to study an education degree from scratch.

QTS specifically covers England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own teacher-registration bodies and rules, so if you are targeting one of those nations, check that nation's requirements separately.

This is general information, not professional-registration advice — confirm every requirement on the official GOV.UK / Get Into Teaching pages before you act.

• QTS = the status most state schools in England require to teach
• For teachers who already trained/taught abroad — not an education degree
• Covers England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland register teachers separately

Route 1 — Apply for QTS (recognised overseas teachers)

The Department for Education runs an 'Apply for QTS' service for teachers who trained to teach or have teaching experience in certain countries. If your country and circumstances are covered, you may be able to apply for QTS in England based on your existing training, without doing a full English teacher-training course.

The list of eligible countries and the exact criteria are set by the DfE and have been revised over time (the policy moved towards a fairer, evidence-based approach to overseas teachers). Because eligibility depends on where and how you qualified, check the current 'Apply for QTS' guidance on GOV.UK to see whether your situation is covered before choosing this route.

• For teachers who trained/taught in certain eligible countries
• Can lead to QTS based on existing training, subject to DfE criteria
• Eligible-country list and criteria change — verify on GOV.UK

Route 2 — the assessment-only route to QTS

The assessment-only route lets experienced teachers who already have a degree gain QTS without completing a teacher-training programme — instead, an approved provider assesses your teaching against the standards for QTS.

Assessment is arranged through a DfE-approved assessment-only provider in England, and the assessment of your teaching is carried out where you work. This route suits teachers with substantial classroom experience who can demonstrate they already meet the required standards. Fees vary between providers (and can be higher if you are outside the UK), so confirm current provider lists and fees on the official Get Into Teaching pages.

• For experienced, degree-holding teachers — no full training course
• Your teaching is assessed by a DfE-approved assessment-only provider
• Provider lists and fees vary and change — verify on getintoteaching.education.gov.uk

Route 3 — international QTS (iQTS), earned abroad

International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS) is a teaching qualification that is treated as equivalent to English QTS, and it can be earned while you live and work outside England — with no need to visit England. It is delivered by DfE-accredited providers to a common quality framework.

Both UK and non-UK citizens can take iQTS, but you must be living outside England to do so. It is a good option if you want to build towards English QTS-equivalent status before relocating, or if you plan to teach at international schools that value it. Course length and fees vary by provider, so check the current provider list and costs on the Get Into Teaching site.

• iQTS is treated as equivalent to English QTS and is earned abroad
• Open to UK and non-UK citizens living outside England
• Length and fees vary by accredited provider — verify on GOV.UK / Get Into Teaching

Suitability, background checks and working in England

Whichever route you use, you must meet the DfE's suitability, qualification and background-check requirements. Gaining QTS is about your status as a teacher; being employed in England is a separate matter — if you are not a UK/Irish citizen you will generally also need an immigration route to live and work here, most commonly employer sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route for a teaching post.

Immigration rules, costs and thresholds change frequently and decisions rest with the authorities. Verify the current position on the official GOV.UK / UK immigration source before relying on it.

This is general information, not immigration advice.

• Meet DfE suitability, qualification and background-check requirements
• QTS ≠ a visa — you generally also need an immigration route to work in England
• Rules change frequently — verify on GOV.UK; this is not immigration advice

Ireland is a separate registration body

QTS applies to England. To teach in the Republic of Ireland you register with the Teaching Council of Ireland. For teachers who qualified outside Ireland, the Council assesses your qualification against Irish standards and may register you with conditions (for example to make up specific shortfalls), and there are separate routes for primary and post-primary teaching.

So England (QTS via DfE routes) and Ireland (Teaching Council registration, possibly with conditions) are two distinct pathways with different bodies, criteria and timelines. Choose your target country first, then follow that authority's official guidance.

Confirm Irish requirements on teachingcouncil.ie and English requirements on the GOV.UK / Get Into Teaching pages.

• England: Department for Education (GOV.UK / Get Into Teaching) — QTS routes
• Ireland: Teaching Council of Ireland (teachingcouncil.ie) — qualification assessment, sometimes with conditions
• Two separate systems, separate primary/post-primary routes in Ireland — decide your destination first