The government has outlined plans to boost teacher recruitment by encouraging candidates from any country in the world to apply to teach in England.
The Department for Education said a new service, called “apply for qualified teacher status in England”, will begin work in early 2023 and will “set consistent standards so the qualifications and experience of overseas teachers can be fairly assessed”.
This would mean all overseas teachers would be awarded qualified teacher status (QTS) and permitted to work in any school in England.
The scheme will replace the current model, which only allows teachers from a set number of countries - those in the European Economic Area, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland and the USA - to apply for QTS, while those from other nations still have to undergo initial teacher training or the assessment-only training route.
Boosting teacher recruitment with overseas candidates
But under the changes, teachers from every country in the world will be able to apply to the new service, which will assess an individual’s qualifications and experience against a set criteria.
The DfE said the move sits alongside its aim to deliver 500,000 high-quality training opportunities by 2024 to “level up” the educational experience for all children.
Under the plan, international teachers early on in their career will get the same induction period as teachers in England, such as reduced timetables and access to a mentor and development as part of the Early Career Framework.
Although the application service is intended to be available to teachers around the globe, the DfE said only a “small number of new countries” not currently in the existing model to achieve QTS would be included initially.
It said it would confirm which nations these were in the autumn, although it has already said Ukraine would be one of the first nations included.
Currently, teachers from Ukraine can work in England as a teacher without QTS for up to four years in a maintained school, or indefinitely in an academy or free school.
Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said the scheme was welcome, but warned it was a “sign of the very severe teacher shortages” in schools, which are struggling to recruit and retain staff because staff are “worn down and underpaid”.
”The government repeatedly misses its own initial teacher training targets and far too many teachers are then leaving the profession early in their careers. This situation often means that schools are left struggling to fill vacancies, and this particularly affects those which face the greatest challenges,” she said.
Ms McCulloch added that the government is “attempting to remedy the situation with various initiatives but it is all a bit lacklustre and piecemeal”.
“The scale of the problem requires a more strategic approach backed up with more investment,” she said.
International Qualified Teacher Status
The DfE has said that the changes set out today are designed to “streamline” the process of transitioning the new International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS) into QTS, enabling overseas teachers to teach in England, too.
The “apply for qualified teacher status in England” service will complement this new international training route, launched by the DfE in February 2022.
The DfE confirmed that this would include ensuring that anyone who receives the iQTS qualification “with an approved provider will be automatically awarded QTS”.
Colin Bell, CEO of the Council of British International Schools, told Tes this was a welcome development for the international sector and schools in England. “This is a really positive step to recognise overseas initial teacher training to the same level of England and it shows the growing recognition of the international market and its quality.”
The pilot for iQTS is due to launch in September 2022, prior to a possible complete rollout in September 2023.
The aim for the pilot is for five initial teacher training providers to take part in delivering the training, which will be done through a mix of remote teaching, in-school placements with approved international schools and feedback from mentors and assessment.
Providers who wish to offer iQTS can apply to the DfE to become an iQTS provider for delivery in the academic year 2023-24.
Currently, providers must already be accredited by the DfE to offer initial teacher training courses leading to QTS to be eligible to apply.
Commenting on the proposed changes, schools minister Robin Walker said he wanted England to be “the most attractive place in the world to be a teacher”, providing “world-class training”, “high standards” and “opportunity”.
The DfE has outlined that these high standards will include the need to have completed teacher training of “at least the same academic standard as that in England” and a “requirement to demonstrate a proficient level of English”.
He added that the “expertise we draw upon shouldn’t be limited by geographical location”.
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