Teaching in England: What You Need to Know Before You Travel

As a qualified teacher, the world is your oyster. You can travel to far-flung locations and teach your specialist subject to kids and adults. In many countries, you don’t even need a teaching qualification to become a teacher. Native English speakers are always in demand, and as long as you have a desire to help others learn English and other skills, you will be welcomed with open arms. This is certainly the case in Third-World countries, but if you want to teach in England, what do you need to know? Let’s find out.

The Benefits of Teaching in the UK

Teaching in England has a lot of advantages. For starters, the UK is a beautiful country with a long and proud history. England is small enough to travel from north to south in one day, so you take up a teaching post in, say, London, and then travel to other parts of the UK on your days off. It only takes two hours and 20 minutes on the train from London to York, one of the most historic cities in Europe, and if you want to venture up to Edinburgh, you could do this in a weekend via train.

English schools also have long holidays, so you will only be expected to teach for 38 weeks per year. As long as you are contracted to a school, holidays are paid pro rata, so you can travel and sightsee, whilst still being paid a healthy salary.

A Visa to Teach

The English teaching system is open to foreign teachers, but you will need a visa to live and work in the UK if you don’t have a UK or EU passport. If you need more information, check out the latest information about the latest visa requirements on the Home Office website.

With an appropriate visa in hand, you can take up a teaching post anywhere in the UK. There are great teaching jobs in Bedfordshire, England, but many foreign teachers head to London first, where there are always teaching positions available.

Supply Teaching

If you have never taught in English schools before, supply teaching is a useful way to acclimatise to English schools and the UK education system. Supply teaching is paid at a daily rate. It works on a supply and demand basis. As a supply teacher, you are filling in for absent/sick staff, so in most cases, you rarely work in the same school for more than a few days at a time, but if you prove to be a good fit in a school and a more permanent position becomes available, you might be offered a long-term job.

Your other option is to look for a permanent teaching position in a school of your choice. Maths, English and Science teachers are always in demand, so look for vacant positions in February, November, and June/July.

UK teachers must have a Qualified Teacher Status certification, but foreign teachers can work in the UK for up to four years before they need to earn QTS.

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