Recruit teachers from overseas
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-22)

Check what you need to do to employ teachers who are non-UK citizens.

1. Check the rules on visas and immigration

Applicants for teaching jobs from overseas need a visa or other immigration status allowing them to work in the UK. This includes those from the European Economic Area (EEA) (https://www.gov.uk/eu-eea) and Switzerland. Non-UK citizens who have completed initial teacher training in England will also need a visa or other immigration status giving them the right to work.

Applicants already have the right to work in the UK if they:
- are Irish citizens
- have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families)
- have indefinite leave to remain in the UK
Most other applicants will need a skilled worker visa (https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa), which their employer must sponsor. The sponsor can be the school where they work, the local authority, or an academy trust. Sponsors must have a ‘worker licence’, sometimes referred to as an ‘employer licence’.

Your school or organisation may already be a licensed worker sponsor. Check the register of licensed sponsors: workers (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-workers).

If you’re not already a sponsor, you can either apply to become a sponsor, or recruit applicants who don’t need to be sponsored.

Apply to become a licensed worker sponsor

You can refer to UK visa sponsorship for employers (https://www.gov.uk/uk-visa-sponsorship-employers) to learn more about how to become a licensed worker sponsor.

To become a licensed worker sponsor, you will need to:
- show you’re suitable to be a sponsor
- appoint a member of staff to manage the sponsorship process
- supply supporting documents
- pay your licence fees
- meet your responsibilities as a sponsor
Recruit applicants who don’t need to be sponsored

Applicants with the following visa or immigration status will not need to be sponsored.
- British National (Overseas) visa (https://www.gov.uk/british-national-overseas-bno-visa)
- Family visa (https://www.gov.uk/uk-family-visa)
- Graduate visa (https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa)
- High Potential Individual visa (https://www.gov.uk/high-potential-individual-visa)
- India Young Professionals Scheme visa (https://www.gov.uk/india-young-professionals-scheme-visa)
- UK Ancestry visa (https://www.gov.uk/ancestry-visa)
- Youth Mobility Scheme visa (https://www.gov.uk/youth-mobility)
Dependents

People who have permission to live in the UK as a dependent (usually partner) of someone on a visa will not need to be sponsored. They can work without a sponsor for the duration of their partner’s visa.

2. Check visa and immigration charges

You will not pay any fees to recruit someone with a visa or immigration status who does not require sponsorship.

The cost of international recruitment that involves sponsorship depends on the size of your school and is made up of the following charges.

Skilled worker licence

This costs from £574 to £1,579, depending on the size of your school and whether it is a registered charity. The requirement to renew a sponsor licence every 4 years was removed in April 2024, so a licence is now valid indefinitely.

Certificate of sponsorship fee

This is a one-off payment of £525 for each teacher sponsored and is only paid again if the visa needs to be renewed.

Immigration skills charge (ISC)

This costs from £364 to £1,000, depending on the size of your school and whether it is a registered charity. It is paid upfront for each year of a teacher’s visa (unless they are switching from a student visa).

Total costs

For example, a small school employing their first overseas teacher on a 2-year visa would need to pay £1,827, consisting of:
- £574 sponsor licence
- £525 certificate of sponsorship
- 2 amounts of the £364 immigration skills charges
Multi-academy trusts are charged a single fee for each skilled worker licence (not a fee per school within the trust).

Visa fees are paid to the Home Office and these fees are subject to change. You will pay:
- the licence fee when you make your sponsorship application
- the certificate of sponsorship fee and ISC when you assign a certificate of sponsorship to each teacher prior to their visa application
For more information about costs, visit :
- UK visa fees - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table)
- UK visa sponsorship for employers: Immigration skills charge - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/uk-visa-sponsorship-employers/immigration-skills-charge)
3. Advertise your teaching job

You can use Teaching Vacancies (https://teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/) to advertise teaching jobs and other school roles to applicants from all over the world. It is free to use for schools and applicants.

When you create a job listing, you can select whether you:
- offer skilled worker visa sponsorship for the role
- would be willing to apply for a sponsorship licence to sponsor a candidate
You can recruit teaching staff from overseas for any subject and most age ranges, as well as special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) practitioners.

To attract high-quality overseas applicants, you should be clear that English schools require teachers with qualities beyond academic excellence and subject knowledge, for example:
- the ability to offer pastoral care
- an appreciation of the ethos of your school
- communication skills
- willingness to participate in the extra-curricular life of the school
4. Shortlist and interview

Many schools now shortlist overseas candidates for potential employment using remote working technology.

You can:
- set written tasks for candidates
- ask to see lesson plans
- request a video portfolio of applicants’ teaching practice
- talk to referees over a video conferencing service like Zoom
Qualification requirements for teachers from overseas

Qualified teacher status (QTS) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/qualified-teacher-status-qts) is a legal requirement in maintained schools in England. The majority of teachers in academies and free schools also have QTS.

The 4-year rule exemption

Overseas trained teachers do not need QTS to teach in most roles that otherwise require QTS in England for the first 4 years. This exemption is known as the ‘4-year rule’.

To be eligible for the 4-year rule, the applicant will need to have:
- qualified as a teacher in a country outside the UK
- successfully completed a course of teacher training recognised by the organisation that regulates teachers in the country where they qualified
If you are employing a teacher without QTS, including under the 4-year rule, note their salary will have to meet the minimum requirement for a skilled worker visa (#makean), which is slightly higher than an unqualified teacher’s minimum pay outside London.

The 4-year rule exemption does not apply to:
- pupil referral units (PRUs)
- alternative provision academies
- alternative provision free schools, where QTS is required from the beginning of their employment.
Extending the 4-year rule period

Overseas teachers can extend this 4-year period by the amount of statutory leave taken for:
- maternity leave
- paternity leave
- adoption leave
- parental or shared parental leave
- time off because of pregnancy
Exemptions to the requirement for QTS

There are exemptions to the requirement for QTS set out in regulations. The ‘4-year rule’ for overseas trained teachers is one of these. Overseas teachers who are working under one of the other exemptions would not need QTS. It is up to the school to decide whether an overseas teacher qualifies for one of the exemptions to the requirement for QTS.

Overseas teachers do not need QTS to work as teaching assistants.

Getting QTS in England

Depending on where you qualified, the subject you are trained to teach and your qualifications, you may be able to use the Department for Education’s professional recognition digital service, Apply for QTS in England (https://apply-for-qts-in-england.education.gov.uk/eligibility/start).

To get QTS, you must meet strict mandatory requirements fully, exactly as they are set out in the overseas trained teachers: apply for qualified teacher status in England (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-trained-teachers-apply-for-qualified-teacher-status-in-england) guidance.

It is important to note that QTS does not lead to a teaching job or visa. You will need to apply for teaching jobs and visas separately. There are a small number of schools in England that sponsor visas.

Other routes to QTS for overseas teachers

Teachers who qualified or gained experience overseas may be able to apply for the assessment only route (https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/train-to-be-a-teacher/assessment-only-route-to-qts).

Eligible teachers working in England under the 4-year rule can apply for assessment-only QTS alongside their work in school, if they meet the requirements.

You can check whether an applicant has QTS using Teacher Services (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teacher-status-checks-information-for-employers#access-teacher-services) through DfE Sign-in.

Interviewing and appointing overseas teachers

Our research shows schools take a variety of approaches to final selection.

Some schools conduct interviews over a video conferencing service instead of in person. These online interviews are taken alongside all the other information provided about a candidate’s qualifications, experience and suitability to work with children. They can be a successful and reliable way of ensuring candidates are a good fit.

Other schools will make an annual visit to university recruitment fairs in their target country or countries. This generates a shortlist of candidates who can then formally apply.

Schools will also use recruitment agencies to support them through the whole recruitment process, including sifting and interviewing candidates.

When recruiting high calibre international candidates, in-person lesson observation may not always be possible. Especially in shortage subjects, schools may want to consider an alternative, online approach – for example, a lesson delivered via a video conferencing service.

5. Make a conditional offer and check suitability

Any applicant you wish to employ will need a job offer from you before they apply for their skilled worker visa (https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa). They can apply up to 3 months before they start work in the UK as long as:
- you as their employer are a licensed worker sponsor
- you have offered them a job
- they have met the English language requirements for a skilled worker visa (https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/knowledge-of-english)
- their role pays at least £25,000, or the relevant minimum rate for teachers in England (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pay-scales-for-eligible-teaching-and-education-jobs/national-pay-scales-for-eligible-teaching-and-education-leadership-occupation-codes), whichever is higher
- any part-time role pays at least £25,000 when the relevant minimum rate for teachers in England (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pay-scales-for-eligible-teaching-and-education-jobs/national-pay-scales-for-eligible-teaching-and-education-leadership-occupation-codes) is pro-rated
Minimum salary threshold exemptions

Teachers are exempt from the £41,700 salary threshold for a skilled worker visa. However, they must earn the relevant minimum rate for teachers in England (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pay-scales-for-eligible-teaching-and-education-jobs/national-pay-scales-for-eligible-teaching-and-education-leadership-occupation-codes). These rates apply regardless of the type of school a teacher is working in and whether their employment is covered by teachers’ national pay scales.

Safeguarding checks for teachers from overseas

Individuals who have lived or worked outside the UK must undergo the same checks as all other staff in schools. They should also undergo additional checks related to international recruitment and training.

Schools can use a range of information sources and evidence as part of their safeguarding procedures for international recruitment, including the items included in this section.

We expect schools to draw on a varying range of sources on a case-by-case basis, depending on the individual in question. It is good practice to carry out a risk assessment, recording the evidence you have gathered to reach your decision and showing you have no grounds for concern about the applicant.

How to complete safeguarding checks for teachers from overseas

Follow the statutory guidance in part 3 of keeping children safe in education (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2).

Apply for an enhanced DBS certificate (https://www.gov.uk/dbs-check-applicant-criminal-record/get-a-standard-or-enhanced-dbs-check-for-an-employee) with Children’s Barred List information on behalf of the applicant, even if the applicant has never been to the UK. Note that a DBS check can only be performed if the applicant can submit proof of right to work, for example a visa. This means that schools may need to make a conditional offer in order for a visa application to be approved and a DBS check performed.

Check that the applicant is not subject to a prohibition order issued by the Secretary of State for Education in England, (the ‘Prohibited List’) via the Teaching Regulation Agency. (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/teaching-regulation-agency)

Make further checks appropriate to applicants from outside the UK. This could include criminal records checks for overseas applicants (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants). Where this information is not available, schools should seek alternative methods of checking suitability.

Perform an online search on shortlisted applicants – anything you’re concerned about can then be raised at interview. This is particularly important as non-UK countries have different policies relating to the types of offences on a criminal record, and how long they are stored for.

Request at least 2 references, one of which should be from the trainee’s most recent employment. References must be obtained directly from the referee, who should be a senior person with appropriate authority. ‘To whom it may concern’ references must not be accepted unless they are validated as genuine by the referee. References obtained via email must be sent from a verifiable email address. Concerns arising from the reference should be discussed with the referee and, where appropriate, the applicant.

Request an employment history to investigate any inconsistencies and unexplained gaps in employment and, if the applicant is currently unemployed, contact their most recent employer to find out why they left their last job. Recent graduates do not need to supply an employment history, unless they have carried out part-time work, which they should declare.

Request evidence of professional standing, for example, a letter from the organisation that regulates teachers in the country where the applicant qualified, confirming their status as a teacher. Ideally, this document should also confirm that the applicant’s authorisation to teach has never been suspended, barred, cancelled, revoked or restricted and that they have no sanctions against them. Teachers eligible for QTS recognition, can find tailored advice and organisations that regulate teachers in the country where the they qualified, through the Apply for QTS in England (https://apply-for-qts-in-england.education.gov.uk/eligibility/start) service.

Recruiting teachers from Ukraine

If you’re carrying out safeguarding checks on Ukrainian citizens they can apply to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (https://vytiah.mvs.gov.ua/app/landing) for a criminal record check. This will be emailed to them. They can then contact the Ukrainian Embassy in the UK (https://uk.mfa.gov.ua/en) for a translation of the criminal record check and a letter confirming its validity.

You can find information about the Ukrainian education system at the Ukrainian Ministry of Education (https://emergency.mon.gov.ua/).

Checking your applicant’s right to work

Whatever your successful applicant’s visa or immigration status, you are responsible for checking their right to work (https://www.gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work). You can do this online, or by checking their documents.

You do not need to do checks for existing employees from the EU, EEA or Switzerland if they came to the UK before 1 July 2021.

Irish citizens can use their Irish passport and passport card to prove their right to work.

6. Improve retention

You may wish to consider the following checklist as you prepare for the arrival of an international teacher.

As they plan their move, you can help with information about:
- finding somewhere to live (https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/renting-privately/private-renting/finding-a-home-to-rent/)
- opening a bank account (https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/banking/getting-a-bank-account/)
- registering with a GP (https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/gps/how-to-register-with-a-gp-surgery/)
- setting up utilities (https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/moving-home-your-energy-supply/moving-home-dealing-with-your-energy-supply/)
- applying for a national insurance number (https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number)
Overseas teachers may be unprepared for pastoral duties, the English curriculum and teaching to different abilities. Before term starts, you should:
- allocate a mentor to offer personal and professional support
- share teaching resources, lesson plans, exam specifications
You should also put together an induction pack including:
- your school’s ethos and values
- the expectations related to SEND, pastoral care, extra-curricular activities and other non-pedagogical responsibilities
- school policies on safeguarding, behaviour management, data protection
- professional expectations
- school calendar and staff
- performance management and probationary procedures
Overseas teachers can find information on training to teach in England if you’re a non-UK citizen (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/train-to-teach-in-england-non-uk-applicants/train-to-teach-in-england-if-youre-a-non-uk-citizen#further-reading).

7. Contact us

For more information, to give us feedback or to take part in user research, please email us xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx). We aim to respond within 5 working days.

The Get into Teaching website (https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/non-uk-teachers) contains helpful information for non-UK teachers.