Check your eligibility to apply for qualified teacher status (QTS) in England

What QTS is

Qualified teacher status (QTS) is a legal requirement to teach in many English schools, and most schools prefer their teachers to have it.

If you apply for QTS we’ll assess the teacher training and experience you gained outside of England to decide whether you’re qualified to teach in English schools.

Having QTS does not guarantee you a job or give you the right to work in England. You’ll still need to apply for a teaching job separately and have the correct visa or status.

Warning The Department for Education (DfE) does not employ teachers directly. To find a teaching job, you must apply to individual schools in England.

Who this service is for

This service is for qualified teachers who trained to teach outside of England who want to apply for qualified teacher status (QTS) to teach in English schools.

If you trained in England or Wales, or have not yet qualified, learn more about other routes to QTS.

Use this service to:

  • check if you’re eligible to apply for QTS
  • understand the types of evidence you’ll need to provide

We’ll ask some questions to check your eligibility to apply for QTS in England. This should take about 5 minutes.

There’s no charge to apply for QTS. You do not need to be in the UK to use this service.

If you’ve already started your application using this service, you can sign in to continue working on it.