Recruitment on overseas trained teachers both overseas and in the UK

Bright Teachers follows the regulations that exist concerning who are allowed to teach in England. These regulations vary depending on the country of original qualification of the overseas trained teacher (OTT) and their eligibility to work in the UK.

Teachers from the EU, EEA and Switzerland
Teachers from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland have the right to have their qualifications recognised in the UK. Teachers from the EU, EEA and Switzerland should contact the English General Teaching Council (GTC) in order to obtain form EC1. Once this has been completed the GTC will assess the qualifications and if approved will award a Qualified Teacher Status for England. Once a QTS has been awarded and registered with the GTC, the teacher is now free to apply for any teaching posts.

Teachers outside the EU and EEA
All teachers who are nationals of countries outside the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) must have their qualifications assessed before seeking to obtain a teaching post. This should be done with the National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC) which will provide comparability information for the particular qualification.

Teaching with or without Qualified Teacher Status
Overseas trained teachers (OTTs) from outside the EEA are able to teach in England for up to four years without the need to gain English Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

All overseas teachers are required to provide a criminal record check from their home country or subsequent domicile. It is possible to obtain a ‘Certificate of good conduct’ form the authorities in some countries and if one is available and the teacher has it we would consider this.

ELIGIBILITY TO WORK IN THE UK – VISAS (Overseas applicants only) – Commonwealth Citizens
Over the past few years there have been a number of new regulations governing entry to and working in the UK. This is particularly the case for supply teachers, where there is currently a shortage in the UK. To take up employment with Bright Teachers the applicant must be legally entitled to work in the U.K. There are a number of visas that we double check to see whether the applicant will be eligible to work in the UK:
• Working Holiday Maker
• Dual Nationality
• UK Ancestry Visa
• Spouse visa
• Right of Abode

WORKING HOLIDAY VISA
The Working Holiday Visa is the most popular route by which the majority of overseas teachers are able to work in the U.K. If the applicant is a Commonwealth citizen they are entitled to a one or two year Working Holiday Visa provided that they are aged between 17 and 30. Under the terms of a Working Holiday Visa "work" must technically be incidental to the applicants visit to the U.K. In other words, the primary reason for visiting the U.K. must be for holiday/ travel purposes and any teaching work is purely to fund travel, and can only be for half of the duration of the visa i.e. a two year visa entitles the applicant to no more than one year's work.

As a teacher holding this visa, they are entitled to work in their chosen profession on a supply basis, but not on a permanent basis.
The applicants will be able to take up day-to-day or long-term work through Bright Teachers, as the employment conditions are similar to that of supply work.

DUAL NATIONALITY
Applicants with an EC passport are automatically entitled to work in the U.K.

UK ANCESTRY VISA - GRANDPARENT
Under the UK Immigration Policy for Ancestry Visas, Commonwealth citizens who can verify their grandparent was born in the UK (including Southern Ireland prior to 31 March 1922) may apply for a visa that will allow them to stay in Britain for a period of four years. As a teacher under this type of visa they will be able to obtain day-to-day, long-term or permanent employment.
After four years the applicant is eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (residence), provided they continue to meet the requirements of the rules for United Kingdom Ancestry.

SPOUSES
If the applicant is married to a British national they will be entitled to work in the U.K. Likewise, if the applicant is accompanying a spouse with dual nationality they will also be entitled to work in the U.K. In most cases the same applies if the spouse is a national of a European Community country or has dual nationality in other European Community countries.

RIGHT OF ABODE
The Right of Abode means that the applicants are entirely free from United Kingdom immigration control. These applicants are able to work without restriction. These are usually for people who have a parent born in the UK.

If the applicant does not possess one of the visa’s listed above, we are unable to further consider the application for teaching appointments.