Registration with the GTC

The Register of teachers contains information about more than 500,000 teachers, all of whom hold qualified teacher status (QTS). The GTC is the awarding body for QTS in England.

Most teachers on the Register work in the maintained or ‘state’ sector. Registration is compulsory for teachers in maintained schools and pupil referral units, and also non-maintained special schools.

Others choose to register. Around one-third of teachers in the independent sector in England are registered, as are many thousands of teachers working as school inspectors, LEA advisers or teacher educators.

The Register is a valuable source of information about the teaching profession. Each year, we prepare an abstract of statistics from the Register to give local and national education stakeholders a clear idea of teacher workforce demographics, an important aid to planning policy on recruitment and retention.

We also use the Register as a source for research on teachers’ views and experience.We are able to draw representative samples from the Register work with partners such as the National Foundation for Educational Research to develop an accurate picture of teachers’ views on pupil learning and their own career development needs.

The GTC is funded by teachers’ registration fees. The current fee is £33.

If you are employed by a local authority or maintained school undertaking specified work you will be entitled to receive a special allowance of £33 towards the cost of your registration fee.

We work hard to ensure that GTC income is carefully managed, keeping administration costs as low as possible.Maintaining an accurate and up to date register is a priority. More than 100,000 teachers change their personal details each year when they move house or change jobs.

We contribute towards supply cover for teachers attending GTC policy events and regulatory hearings, so that schools do not lose out if teachers are absent.

We write to teachers once a term only, with a magazine or an update on GTC activities.We sponsor research and provide materials to schools and to other partners.