Teachers from outside the European Economic Area (EEA)

Teachers who trained outside of the EEA and who are not nationals of an EEA member state can work for up to four years in England as a temporary teacher without the need for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

If an overseas teacher wishes to be employed on a permanent basis then it will be necessary for them to obtain QTS.

Overseas teachers may gain QTS by using their qualifications to enrol on the Overseas Trained Teacher (OTT) programme.

The OTT programme is an employment-based route to QTS; it allows teachers to follow individualized training and assessment programmes whilst teaching in schools.

Teachers on the OTT programme who have more than two years teaching experience may also be assessed for exemption from the requirement to complete a statutory induction period after QTS is awarded.

For details of the OTT programme, please contact the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).