Nigeria has been listed among African countries whose citizens can now apply for qualified teacher status through the Teaching Regulation Agency in the United Kingdom, from February 2023.
Other foreign countries which the offer extends to include Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Singapore, South Africa, Ukraine and Zimbabwe.
A publication early December on the UK government’s website, by its Department for Education, announced the application for interested non-UK nationals.
The applicants do not even necessarily require initial teaching qualifications as the country offers a training programme for the potential migrants.
The notice read, “From February 1, 2023, teachers who qualified in the following nine countries (listed above) will also be able to apply to the QTR through the TRA.
“Teachers from all eligible countries will have to show they meet a consistent set of criteria for the award of the QTS. Over time, this route will be opened to qualified teachers from every country outside the UK.
“To apply for assessment – only QTS, you do not need a formal teacher training qualification.
“However, you must have: a minimum of two years teaching experience, a first (bachelor’s) degree from a UK or non-UK university, an English language qualification which is the same standard as a grade four General Certificate of Secondary Education, a maths qualification which is the same standard as a grade four GCSE to teach children aged three to 11 in primary school, a physics, chemistry or biology (science) qualification which is the same standard as a grade four GCSE.”
The two visa categories through which Nigerians can apply for this are the Graduate Visa and the High Potential Visa categories.
Graduate visa: International students can apply for this graduate visa upon successful completion of their degree. To apply, they need to have been sponsored by an eligible Home Office licensed student sponsor throughout their studies.
This visa will allow them to work, or look for a job in the UK for up to 2 years after completing their studies (3 years for PhD students) without a sponsor. You can do the following jobs:
Working as a teacher
Training to teach on a salaried course or through a teaching apprenticeship
The graduate visa holder can also switch to another visa (such as the skilled worker visa) without needing to leave the UK if they meet the requirements for their new visa.
New UK Visa Exempts Nigerian University Graduates
High Potential Individual Visa: Another category is the high potential individual visa, for teachers who need to:
Teachers can be given this visa even if they do not have an offer of a teaching job, yet it will enable them to stay in the UK for 2 years with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, and 3 years with a PhD.
Apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England: Another change the UK is making is the way it awards its Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) to teachers from overseas.
