Teaching in the UK FAQs

The UK has three terms in the academic year, starting in September and finishing around mid-July. Each term is approximately 12 weeks with a one-week half-term break in the middle. To see the term dates for this academic year click here.

Yes. To apply for our UK-based teaching roles, you will need to evidence that you have the right to work in the UK. This means you are:

• a British or Irish citizen
• a person with settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme
• a holder of a valid UK visa or immigration status that allows you to work
• a refugee or asylum seeker with permission to work

No 🙂

Prospero Teaching does not charge you a fee to find you work.

How much you get paid will vary depending on the type of work you do, the location of your school and how many years of experience you have. Teachers doing daily supply or contract work through Prospero Teaching will be paid on a daily pay rate. Those that take on a permanent role will be paid according to the Main PayScale.

QTS stands for ‘Qualified Teaching Status’ and is achieved at the end of the training period and is a legal requirement for teaching in most state schools in England.

QTS certificates show that you meet the national standards for teaching and are fully qualified to lead a classroom. While some independent schools and academies may not require this qualification, it is still highly desirable.

To achieve QTS you can partake in an undergraduate or postgraduate teaching training programme. This method blends classroom placements with academic study to provide a well-rounded learning experience and a deep understanding of effective teaching.

No, holding Qualified Teaching Status does not automatically give you the right to work in the UK. If you are not a British or Irish national, you will still need to obtain the appropriate work visa or have immigration status that permits employment.

Sponsorship in the UK refers to a process where the Home Office licenses a UK-based employer to employ foreign nationals who do not have an automatic right to work in the UK.

The employer becomes a “sponsor”, and the jobseeker receives a sponsored visa, usually under the Skilled Worker visa route.

Prospero Teaching does not offer sponsorship at this time, so you will need to ensure you have the right to work in the UK prior to applying for roles with us.

To train to teach in primary and secondary schools in England you’ll need GCSEs at grade 4 (C) or above in English and Maths (and science if you want to teach primary). You will also need a bachelor’s degree in any subject.

Your degree can be in any subject to teach primary or secondary. If you wish to teach secondary, your employer will also want to make sure you have strong subject knowledge in the subject you want to teach e.g. History.

To train to teach in primary and secondary schools in England, you will need a bachelor’s degree. Full-time bachelor’s degree courses that include QTS typically cost £9,535 per year and can take up to 4 years to complete. You may be able to receive funding for your training.

 

You can also apply to do a Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (TDA), which is a new course where you can work in a school and earn a salary while getting a bachelor’s degree and achieving QTS.

 

For more information, please visit https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/train-to-be-a-teacher

No, anyone can apply, but depending on the length of the position and the level of fitness required (e.g. PE teacher) there may be an ideal age range best suited to the role.

Teaching is usually a full-time position that takes place in person on school grounds whereas tutoring is often more flexible and may take place online. Teaching typically covers a broader curriculum, and they must deliver structured lessons to groups of 30 students following the syllabus provided.

 

Tutoring focuses on supporting individual students on a 1:1 basis or in small groups, helping them understand specific topics or overcome learning barriers. This usually supplements what they’re taught in class. Tutoring is more adaptive and personalised to the learner’s needs. Teachers usually need to provide tasks that are targeted towards different learning abilities so that everyone in the group can participate.

DBS is a background check used by employers who work with children or vulnerable adults. It is a record of a person’s criminal convictions and cautions issues by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

 

Schools have a legal and moral duty to safeguard their pupils, school staff require a DBS to prevent individuals with a history of abuse, violence and other serious offences from working with children.

 

Most schools will pay for your DBS check upon making you a conditional job offer; your offer of employment is subject to satisfactory DBS clearance.

 

If you are doing work experience with a school and do not hold a DBS, you will only be permitted to work whilst supervised by a teacher or teaching assistant.

While there is no official expiry date, schools and other employers usually require a recent check that reflects the last 3-6 months.

We recommend signing up to the DBS Update Service, which costs £16 per year. This service checks your records once a week for any new information such as convictions, cautions and being added or removed from any barred lists. If there is no change you do not need a new certificate but if something changes, you’ll need to apply for a new one.

Read our blog to find out more!

In England, the academic year is divided into three terms, each split by a half-term break. These breaks typically include one- to two-week holidays, such as the Christmas and Easter holidays.

The school year consists of 190 teaching days for pupils, while teachers are required to work an additional 5 inset days for training and professional development. Schools are also closed on public bank holidays, which are observed throughout the year.

In the UK, you don’t necessarily need prior experience working with children to become a teacher, but having some experience is strongly recommended.

For some teacher training routes, like Teach First or some PGCE providers, a minimum amount of experience (e.g., 1–2 weeks in a school) is often required.

You can reach out to local schools to see if you can observe lessons or volunteer.

The Government website also has a great tool to help you organise work experience in schools: Get school experience | Get Into Teaching GOV.UK