UK Recruits Nigerian Teachers: Here’s How To Apply

Uk recruits Nigerian Teachers following scarcity of staff abroad. Find out everything you need to know, including application processes and Visa requirements.

The UK government has revealed the latest recruitment in the UK open to certified Nigerian teachers. Not many Nigerian teachers are aware of this new development, even as news of it keeps making rounds. To qualify for the UK recruitment for Nigerian teachers, there are certain criteria to be met. We’ll delve into them shortly.

In line with the DfE(Department for Education), and UK government policy to Uk recruits more qualified teachers to fill up its sparse teaching positions, a qualification will be obtained by all eligible Nigerian teachers. An English Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is a professional teaching certification acquired in the UK. The qualification is a legal requirement to teach in some state-funded, and special English schools. QTS is also a highly regarded certification for teachers in the majority of schools in England. Although most primary and secondary schools in the UK waive this requirement.

The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) is responsible for this certification. TRA awards QTS to both qualified teachers within and outside England. Once teachers from Nigeria or any of the other eligible countries meet the qualification, they apply for a teaching job and visa. The individual schools will then offer employment. It is important to note that these schools employ qualified teachers, not the DfE.

The Department for Education simply sponsors the TRA agency to register and regulate teachers with QTS certification, investigate cases of misconduct, and maintain records of teachers. As well as other things related to the teaching profession.

How To Apply As UK Recruits Nigerian Teachers

To enlist for UK recruitment for Nigerian teachers, qualified teachers will need a QTS, alongside a skilled worker visa. There are 4 ways to acquire a QTS qualification in the UK, but applicants must ensure the check to know if they meet the criteria.

New Online Teacher Self-service Portal

One is through the teacher self-service portal, which is effective from February 1, 2023. Prospective applicants from over 40 countries including 30 EEA countries, and 4 African countries are eligible. Nigerian prospects skilled in languages, mathematics, or science subjects, as well as experience teaching 11 to 16-year-olds, are open to apply. Including teachers from Ghana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Currently, Uk recruits only Nigerian Teachers and a few other eligible countries and regions can apply. Qualified teachers from Nigeria don’t need to undergo further training, pay any fee to a training provider, or be physically present in the UK to apply. QTS certificate will be available online from February 1, 2023.

Assessment-only QTS

Another way of getting a QTS certificate is by applying for assessment-only QTS. Nigerian applicants who cannot access QTS through the self-service website can apply to UK government-approved teacher training institutions. Unlike the QTS application for those utilizing the online service portal, assessment-only QTS is not a teacher training program. All that it requires is 2 years of teaching experience, a university degree, and a GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) in English, maths, physics, chemistry, or biology. AS well as experience teaching  3 to 11-year-old primary school pupils.

The assessment doesn’t require applicants to travel to the UK. Instead, a physical examiner affiliated with your teacher training institution will be assigned to your place of employment for the assessment. Depending on the provider, applicants will be looking at £1,500 and above for the assessment-only QTS fee. In the eventuality of getting a teaching job in the UK without QTS, teachers can apply for the assessment-only QTS while they work for up to 4 years. After 4 years, they’re expected to have secured an assessment-only QTS.

However, failure to meet the standards required for assessment only QTS means re-application. This is after acquiring more teaching skills and experience that’ll ramp up your application. Another option is to apply for teacher training in England.

Applying For Teacher Training In England

Applying for teacher training in England is another ideal route to secure a Qualified Teacher Status certification. Only those with a university degree, a GCSE in English and maths, as well as a clean criminal record slate, are eligible to train to teach. Requirements for teacher training courses involve relocating to the UK. Additionally, getting an immigration status equally grants unequivocal access to teaching in England.

Furthermore, applicants will need a visa to train to teach. The visa for teacher training in England can be a student visa or a skilled worker visa. Applicants can carry out teacher training either in a school or at a university. Depending on the duration of training suitable for the applicant, training to teach in England may be full-time or part-time. Full-time study is over a year, while part-time is for 2 years or more.

How To Train To Teach In England

There are two ways to study as a teacher in England; fee-paying or salaried teacher training. In most cases, applicants pay as high as £12,000 to train to teach in England for a year. The fee is paid to the school or university they’re studying at and covers tuition, but not living expenses.

Some of the courses offered to fee-paying teacher trainees are;

• university teacher training programs
• school-centered initial teacher training (SCITT) programs
• School Direct unsalaried teacher training programs

Meanwhile, a salaried teacher trainee receives payment to work in a school while learning to teach. To apply for teacher training, applicants must have at least 3 years of relevant work experience. Since the courses offered to salaried teacher trainees are very limited and competitive course, applicants need to have an excellent academic background, with a bachelor’s degree.

Some of the courses offered to the teacher trainees include;

• School Direct salaried teacher training programs
• the Teach First Leadership Development Program
• postgraduate teaching apprenticeships

Apply For international Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS)

Lastly, to obtain the QTS in the UK, applicants can apply to train for international qualified teacher status (iQTS). A new international teaching qualification that allows applicants to train in their home country. Since iQTS is provided online by English teacher training providers in partnership with schools in Nigeria, there is no need to travel to the UK.

iQTS is the only international teacher training course that leads to the automatic award of QTS, as long as Nigerian applicants meet the same standards as English QTS, they’re eligible to apply. Although the iQTS has some limitations. Only 6 teacher training providers currently provide an international Qualified Teacher Status, but from September 2023, it’ll be more widely inclusive.

Visa Requirements For Nigerian Teachers To Teach In The UK

To teach in the UK as a qualified Nigerian teacher, applicants will need a Skilled Worker visa. This visa grants Nigerian applicants access to live and work in the UK as a teacher in government-approved schools.

A Skilled Worker visa lasts up to 5 years before it can be extended. To apply for a Skilled Worker visa, applicants also need a valid passport, health, and criminal records, as well as a certificate of sponsorship from the English school he/she is getting accepted at.

FAQs