The UK Department for Education has announced that teachers who qualified in Nigeria and Ghana can no longer use the UK's overseas-trained teacher route to apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England. This change, effective September 9, means applicants trained in these two West African countries have been removed from the list of countries whose teachers can seek QTS through the application service.
The decision was made following a review of the conditions countries must meet to remain part of the scheme. The UK Department for Education requires participating countries to have systems that allow the UK authorities to authenticate applicants' qualifications, professional status, and teaching records. A national regulator must confirm a teacher's professional standing and provide verified references.
According to the department, Nigeria and Ghana did not satisfy the requirement relating to the verification of employment references. More than 70% of applications from teachers trained in these countries contained work-history references sent from personal email services rather than official school domains. This creates additional work for assessors, who have to spend more time and resources checking the authenticity of information contained in applications.
The UK authorities stated that around 90% of applications submitted through the service are assessed within 12 months. Nigeria and Ghana are not the only countries affected by the latest change; India was also removed because it does not have a national regulator able to verify teachers' professional standing.
With the changes, South Africa remains the only African country whose teachers are currently eligible to use the QTS application route. To be eligible, overseas-trained teachers seeking QTS must have a valid passport and an undergraduate qualification considered equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree. They must also be professionally recognised as teachers in the country where they received their training.
Applicants must have completed any compulsory induction or registration requirements applicable in their country of qualification. They are also expected to demonstrate that they are qualified to teach pupils aged between five and 16 and have accumulated at least nine months of teaching experience after qualifying. Employment references must confirm an applicant's work history and be provided through an email address connected to the school's official domain.
Despite the removal of Nigeria and Ghana from the QTS application route, the Department for Education said there may still be other ways for overseas-trained teachers to work in England. Teachers in England are employed by individual schools rather than directly by the Department for Education, meaning schools can consider other routes when recruiting teachers.
Key points
- The UK removed Nigeria and Ghana from its overseas-trained teacher QTS route due to issues with verifying employment references.
- The change affects teachers who qualified in Nigeria and Ghana, who can no longer use the UK's overseas-trained teacher route to apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England.
- South Africa remains the only African country whose teachers are currently eligible to use the QTS application route.
