An urgent task force is needed to manage, monitor and support international teacher recruits in England, a major subject body has told the government.

Many international trainees are facing “significant barriers” to remaining in the country, the Institute of Physics (IOP) has warned.

Its call for a task force comes as the 2025-26 initial teacher training census showed the number of physics teacher trainees has increased by 36 per cent, and the majority of new trainees are international candidates.

It also comes after Tes revealed that some international trainee teachers are sleeping in libraries and resorting to food banks to survive the costs of training in England, with many struggling to find jobs after completing their training.

Increase in international physics trainees

Speaking exclusively to Tes, Hari Rentala, IOP’s associate director of education and workforce, welcomed the increase in physics teachers, which is the highest total number on record.

The number of physics teacher trainees increased from 804 last year to 1,094 this year. This included a 71 per cent rise in international trainees over the same time period.

However, Mr Rentala warned that many international trainees are facing “significant barriers, including securing a Visa and finding jobs in schools once they have qualified”.

An All-Party Parliamentary Group-commissioned poll found that, from a sample of over 70 recently qualified international physics teachers, only 47 per cent had found jobs as of October.

Homegrown recruitment numbers ‘stagnated’

Mr Rentala said: “We risk large numbers of trained teachers leaving the country, which would be a massive waste of talent and of public investment in bursaries.”

He called on the government to urgently establish a cross-departmental task force to manage, monitor and support international recruits - and “to ensure they are properly supported and can find teaching jobs following their training”.

The number of international trainees is also now exceeding homegrown talent for the first time. Physics saw its proportion of UK nationals decrease from 49 per cent to 37 per cent this year.

Some 59 per cent of entrants in physics are nationals from non-UK, non-European Economic Area countries.

“We also need to ask ourselves whether we are doing all we can to boost the number of domestic teacher trainees whose numbers have more or less stagnated,” Mr Rentala added.

The IOP has called on the government for a 10-year plan to recruit, retain and retrain the next generation of physics teachers.

‘Little known’ about international teachers after QTS

Mr Rentala’s comments come as a report by the Association for Science Education (ASE) reveals challenges facing physics teaching providers and trainees “risk undermining” the positives.

While it found training providers were positive about the strength of applicants from overseas and the benefits for schools serving diverse communities, the report notes that application processes are “overwhelmed”.

There are “potentially hundreds of international applications per course provider, inconsistent screening standards and rising use of artificial intelligence-generated statements”, the report warns.

ASE also said that financial pressures are “substantial”, with “considerable tuition fees, high housing costs, Visa fees and the loss of the international relocation payment (IRP)”.

The IRP was designed to cover the cost of a Visa, the immigration health surcharge and other relocation expenses that individuals may incur, but it was cut by the government last year.

Tracking gaps in government data collection means “little is known about how many international trainees with [Qualified Teacher Status] secure employment, remain in teaching or progress over time”, the report further warns.

Financial support for international trainees should be “strengthened”, ASE said, as well as improved mentorship, training and placement support.

The report further calls on the government to establish a centralised trainee Visa route and strengthen monitoring and workforce planning.

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