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Teacher Resume Review: Landing a UK Teaching Job Starts Here

How to Apply for a Teaching Job in the UK with Requirements

Introduction

Nigerians frequently move in great numbers to other nations in pursuit of employment. If given the chance, more than 73% of Nigerians indicated they would move abroad with their families. Looking at the downtrend economic situation and the unemployment level in Nigeria, unnumbered citizens will opt for migrating to another country for greener pastures.

A  lot of questions keep running through the mind on this bold step about to be taken ranging from the standard of living, accommodation and the job which will make the pasture green in the real sense. The big question is “How prepared are you to face the hurdle of life overseas?”

Getting a job abroad would not be an issue as long as you are skilled, hardworking, smart and humble. Nigerians are thriving in several professional career positions abroad. These jobs include Registered Nurse, Babysitting, Waiters, Labourers, Home care personnel, Tour guides, Security personnel, ICT personnel and the ever-rewarding TEACHING career among other jobs an average educated Nigerian can do.

Teaching overseas can help you earn a reasonable salary and put money in your savings account. As a teacher abroad, earning a respectable living is entirely reasonable and possible. Teaching abroad is an incredible way to fully immerse yourself in a new country and culture. Africans like Nigerians and Ghanaians are loaded with highly skilled educated teachers that can effectively carry out the task. This task includes a lot of benefits like exploring the globe, gaining more experience in a new context and advancing your career by gaining more international educational certificates to your advantage. 

According to the UK government; The demand for teaching professionals has risen since the beginning of 2022 in the UK. The UK Department of Education has promised to increase the salaries of the lowest-paid teachers to about £30,000 in 2023, here is a juicy offer for all aspiring teachers in the UK. Congratulations in advance.

Are you dreaming of travelling and teaching abroad? Want to teach in a world-class education system with unbeatable opportunities for career advancement? Worry less, the requirements to realise this dream are fully packaged in this write-up.

In this blog, we will highlight the requirements to apply for a teaching job in the UK.

Bachelor's Degree and Teaching Qualification

Generally, a bachelor’s degree is one of the requirements for teaching abroad. To work in any part of the world, an average graduate must possess a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university or other degree-awarding institutes in the related field of the occupation such graduate is applying for. 

A Bachelor’s of education serves as a prerequisite for teachers that are aspiring to serve in the UK. Aside from the basic bachelor’s degree, having postgraduate degrees in education will be an added advantage, especially from an internationally recognised institution. These postgraduate degrees include a post-graduate diploma in education, a professional diploma in education, a master’s of education and a doctorate in education.

Bagging professional courses certifications in management and leadership will also be a gain for the applicant. The management and leadership certification is vital to verify the credibility of your interpersonal contact skills because you will be interacting with people from many walks of life and you might be asked to take on a leadership role at the organization you applied to. You don’t want to be caught unaware right? Chartered Institute of Management and Leadership USA got you covered.

Teaching experience (minimum of two years)

Teaching experience is positively associated with student achievement gains throughout a teacher’s career. Teaching experience is important because when teachers have more experience, their students not only learn more, as seen by standardised tests, but they are also more likely to perform better on other success indicators, such as attendance at school.

Teaching experience will help an educator thrive in a teaching career in the United Kingdom as there will be the urge to instruct and teach the students in a dynamic way that might seem easier than other methods of teaching.

Many Ministries are now requiring that teachers hired to teach in international schools must have significant teaching experience before being granted a visa, and the number of countries with these types of requirements is rising. The United Kingdom’s Department of Education recruits teachers with teaching experience of a minimum of two years. Hence, having more years of experience will be an added advantage and is expected to be granted quickly.

Qualified Teaching Status Certification

The Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) certification is a professional teacher’s qualification that allows you to work in different teaching sectors in the UK. You might rise to more senior positions and earn better income as a result. 

Getting QTS certification can also open up vast employment opportunities and help you continue teaching if you plan to relocate to the UK from outside either country. A QTS certification is essential if you’re looking to become a teacher in the UK’s schools. 

You can get a QTS certificate alongside or as part of your postgraduate education, but you’ll typically apply for one after graduating. However, since they’re easy to apply for, it’s beneficial to get one before applying for your first job, if possible.

The QTS certificate is a vital requisite a teacher must possess before applying for a teaching job in the UK. 

According to The UK Department of Education, Nigeria, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Singapore, and South Africa have been listed as part of the countries whose citizens can now apply for qualified teacher status through the Teaching Regulation Agency in the United Kingdom officially starts on  February 1st, 2023. You can now apply for the QTS Certificate. This information is essential before applying.

  • Only University Degree is allowed. NCE, Grade II from Nigeria does not meet the requirements.
  •  The teachers should be qualified to teach children aged 11-16 in one of the following subjects (Maths, Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, French, Music, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish). Your qualification (Certificate or transcript) must show you can teach one of the above subjects or at least 50% of the applicant’s university degree should reflect one of the subjects above. 
  • You will need to upload your proof of qualification (University Certificate and Transcript) and Proofs of Identity (International Passport,  Birth Certificate, National ID)- A marriage Certificate as a supplement document can be uploaded for our females that have changed their names.
  • You will need to provide a Letter of Professional Standing from the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN). You will need to apply via Lops@trcn.gov.ng. The Letter of Professional Standing must be dated 3 months after the applicant applies for QTS online. It must be received in the UK within 90 days, if not the application for QTS will be closed. Please do a proper follow-up on TRCN to send it on time.
  • Nigerian Teachers do not need to write any Test of English(e.g. IELTS) as long as your course was wholly taught in the English Language. So, you need to request an “English Language Proficiency” document from your University. 
  •  Once you apply for your QTS online, a reference number will be generated. This reference number must be given to TRCN as proof of your application. TRCN will require you to pay them a fee. The references will be required to confirm that you are a qualified Teacher- The name and Email Addresses of your referees will be required.

Once you apply for QTS, this does not automatically take you to the UK. Once you have gotten your QTS, you will apply for teaching jobs in the UK. With your QTS, you have a high chance of being shortlisted for an interview once you apply for jobs

Once the school finds you suitable for the job, you can then be sponsored on a work visa permit.

Detailed Curriculum Vitae

A thorough curriculum vitae or CV is the initial point of contact between a candidate and a potential employer. Your CV or resume must be well-written, free of errors, and tailored for the specific job you’re looking for.

The utmost attention to email, phone number, location, LinkedIn addresses, labelling, number of pages, years of experience, qualifications, structure, layout, and keywords will give an edge to an applicant above others. 

It’s essential to be mindful of common mistakes when writing your CV/resume. By avoiding these mistakes, you can increase your chances of making a positive impression on potential employers. Remember to include accurate information and relevant skills like digital skills for teachers, use a clear structure and layout, and include keywords that are relevant to the job.

International Passport

International passports are identification documents that are issued by a government or governing authority. An international passport is used to verify a person’s identity and citizenship and to make it easier for citizens to move between other nations.  The majority of countries require an official passport before a traveller can cross an international border.

A passport is required for international travel by automobile, airline, train, or boat. The government requires every person to have one to leave or re-enter the country. Passports are also necessary because of how convenient they make travelling. It is good to check your passport index to know how many countries you can travel to with your passport vice-free. And the ones you need to have a vice. You can’t go through ticket check-ins or security checkpoints without a passport, and you won’t be allowed to board your plane if they don’t have one on file.  

If your passport is out-of-date, you could encounter problems with customs agents or even miss out on exclusive flight discounts. For example, if your passport expires within six months after a visit to another country and doesn’t allow entry to people with passports that will expire in less than six months, you may be denied entry. In other cases, A US citizen who does not have a valid US passport may not be allowed back into the United States from another country even though they hold citizenship status there too. That is because their passports will expire before their return flight home, which would cause them problems at customs upon returning home (USA).

If you intend to travel abroad, it is imperative that your passport be current. If it’s expired, lost, or stolen, you need to replace it as soon as possible because this document is the key to your entrance into another country and will allow customs officials to verify who you are when entering their borders. you need to replace it as soon as possible because this document is the key to your entrance into another country and will allow customs officials to verify who you are when entering their borders

While the passport process is usually pretty simple, sometimes bureaucratic matters get in the way and cause everything to take much longer than you thought.

The Bottom line

The processes and requirements involved before applying for a teaching job in the UK can be quite lengthy and exhaustive. Still, the important requirements have been highlighted and expatiated above in this blog. Remember “You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one”. Working towards the listed requirements and becoming a teacher in the UK will become a reality in the space of a few months.

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