How to Become a Teacher in the UK in 2027: QTS, PGCE and the Overseas-Trained Route Explained
Want to teach in the UK? The qualification at the centre of almost every route is QTS — Qualified Teacher Status. This guide explains what QTS is, compares the main training routes for a September 2027 start, gives the verified fees and bursaries, and covers the overseas-trained-teacher route honestly.
First, one myth to clear up: there is no single QTS exam. The old QTS literacy and numeracy skills tests were abolished in July 2019. You qualify by completing an approved training course — or, if you trained overseas, by having your qualification recognised.
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What QTS is — and who needs it
You need QTS to teach in a maintained primary or secondary school in England. You do not legally need it in independent schools, academies and free schools — though most prefer or expect it — or in further education colleges. An overseas-trained teacher can also teach in an English state school without QTS for up to four years under the "four-year rule" (see below); the rule does not apply to pupil referral units or alternative provision.
QTS is an English qualification. It means the Department for Education (DfE) has certified that you meet the Teachers' Standards — the professional benchmarks for teaching in England. In most cases QTS comes with a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education), but the two are not the same thing: a PGCE is the academic qualification; QTS is the professional status. Some routes award QTS without a PGCE, and some PGCEs are awarded without QTS.
England is not the whole UK
These rules are for England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run separate systems:
| Nation | Registration body | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| England | Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) | QTS (or QTS by recognition for eligible overseas teachers) |
| Scotland | General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) | Scottish registration; QTS is not recognised on its own |
| Wales | Education Workforce Council (EWC) | Welsh registration; QTS from England is recognised |
| Northern Ireland | General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI) | Northern Irish registration; QTS is not recognised on its own |
English QTS is recognised in Wales, but Scotland generally requires a Scottish qualification.
Entry requirements for training
To start teacher training you will need a bachelor's degree (usually at least a 2:2), GCSE grade 4 (C) or above in English and maths — plus science for primary — and the right to live and work in the UK. Overseas degrees need a UK ENIC comparability statement. You will also need an enhanced DBS check and a health declaration, and some providers will require a subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course if your degree is not closely matched to the subject you want to teach.
The routes compared
There are five main ways in. The table is for training starting in September 2027; the undergraduate route is for school-leavers.
| Route | Duration | Fees (UK, 2027–28) | Salaried? | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University-led PGCE | ~9 months full-time | Up to £10,050/year | No — you pay fees; student loans available | Most graduates; widest choice of providers |
| School-led training (SCITT) | ~9 months full-time | Up to £10,050/year | Usually no; some SCITT courses are salaried | Those who want a school base from day one |
| Postgraduate teaching apprenticeship | 1 year (term-time) | No fees — employer pays | Yes — paid as an unqualified teacher | Career changers who need an income while training |
| Teach First | 2 years (leadership programme) | No fees — Teach First pays | Yes — paid as an unqualified teacher | Top graduates willing to teach in schools in low-income areas |
| Undergraduate degree with QTS | 3–4 years | Up to £10,050/year | No | School-leavers (or anyone without a degree) who know they want to teach |
1. University-led PGCE
The most common route. Roughly two-thirds of the year is on placement in partner schools; the rest is at university. You finish with QTS and a PGCE (60 master's-level credits), recognised internationally. You can take tuition fee and maintenance loans; you are not paid during placements, though bursaries can cover much of the cost.
2. School-led training (SCITT)
School-centred training puts you in a school from the start, learning on the job. Most SCITT courses also award a PGCE alongside QTS, with the same fees and funding as the university route. Many trainees are hired by their placement school afterwards.
3. Postgraduate teaching apprenticeship
You are employed by a school as an unqualified teacher and train on the job for about a year, earning a salary while you work towards QTS. Your school pays the training costs, so there are no tuition fees — but also no bursaries or scholarships on salaried routes, and places are limited.
4. Teach First
A two-year salaried programme in schools serving disadvantaged communities. You teach a reduced timetable from September, with intensive training and mentoring, and finish with a PGDE and QTS. Demanding — you are a real teacher from week one — but it suits graduates who want classroom responsibility immediately.
5. Undergraduate degree with QTS
If you do not yet have a degree, a Bachelor of Education (BEd) or a BA/BSc with QTS takes three to four years. Fees are the same annual maximum, and final-year undergraduates on secondary maths or physics courses leading to QTS could claim a £9,000 bursary in 2026–27.
Costs and funding — verified figures
Fees change every year. Here are the figures as verified in November 2026 from the Department for Education's Get Into Teaching service:
- Maximum tuition fee, UK students, courses starting 2027–28: £10,050 per year full-time (£7,530 part-time). Providers set their own fees up to this cap — most charge the maximum, a few charge less (for example £9,790).
- For comparison, 2026–27: the maximum was £9,790, and many providers charged £9,535. The calendar figure of ~£9,535 you may see elsewhere was the 2026–27 provider figure, not the 2027–28 one.
- International students pay far more and get no DfE funding: examples for 2027–28 range from about £15,000 at some providers to £25,700 (Exeter) and £30,700 (UCL). Always check the provider's own page — there is no single international fee.
- Tuition fee loans cover the full fee for eligible UK students, repaid only once you earn above the repayment threshold.
Bursaries and scholarships (latest published: 2026–27)
Bursaries are tax-free, paid monthly by your training provider, and you do not repay them. They apply only to unsalaried (tuition-fee) courses and only to trainees who meet student-finance eligibility rules — in practice, most international trainees are not eligible.
| Subject | Bursary 2026–27 | Scholarship 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry, computing, mathematics, physics | £29,000 | £31,000 |
| Design and technology, languages | £20,000 | £22,000 (French, German, Spanish only) |
| Biology, geography | £5,000 | — |
| English, history, art, music, PE, RE, primary | — | — |
Scholarships replace the bursary — you get one or the other, not both — and are awarded by subject bodies (Institute of Physics, Royal Society of Chemistry, BCS, British Council) after a separate application and interview. There was no mathematics scholarship in 2026–27.
Important: the Department for Education had not yet announced bursary rates for 2027–28 at the time of writing (November 2026). Check the Get Into Teaching funding pages before you apply, because rates move between years.
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The overseas-trained-teacher route
If you already qualified as a teacher outside the UK, you may be able to have your qualification recognised as QTS in England — but the rules do not cover every country.
The apply-for-QTS service
The Department for Education runs a free online service, Apply for QTS in England, which assesses overseas qualifications against English standards. To be eligible you must hold a bachelor's degree of the same standard as a UK degree (verified by UK ENIC), hold full professional status as a teacher where you trained, have completed all mandatory requirements there including any induction period, have no conditions or restrictions on your practice, be qualified to teach children aged 5 to 16, have completed level 6 teacher training lasting at least as long as English training (one year full-time), have at least one school year (minimum 9 months) of teaching experience after qualifying, and meet the English-language requirement (for example, an IELTS score or a degree taught in English).
Which countries are eligible — and the 2026 change
The eligible-country list changes, and it changed twice in the year before this article was written. As of October 2026:
- Eligible with no extra conditions: Australia, Canada, the EEA, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Jersey, New Zealand, Switzerland, Ukraine and the USA.
- Eligible with conditions (already working in a teaching role in England, or holding a maths, science or languages qualification for ages 11–16): Jamaica, Singapore and South Africa.
- Removed on 9 September 2026: Ghana, India and Nigeria can no longer use the service.
- Pakistan is not on the list. Teachers who trained in Pakistan cannot currently use the apply-for-QTS service.
From 13 October 2026 the subject restriction was lifted for eligible countries — if you trained in an eligible country, you can now apply regardless of subject. Check the live GOV.UK guidance before you apply — the list is a current snapshot, not a permanent rule: see the official overseas QTS guidance.
If you trained in Pakistan — your realistic routes
Being outside the eligible list does not mean you cannot teach in England — it means you cannot take the recognition shortcut. Your options are:
- Train in England. Apply for a PGCE or SCITT course as an international student. You will need a student visa and the international fee (see above), plus living costs — DfE bursaries and loans are generally not available to international trainees.
- iQTS — International Qualified Teacher Status. Train from Pakistan with an English provider, mostly by distance learning, with your placement in the country where you live. iQTS is the equivalent of English QTS. Fees range from £7,950 to £9,950 for a 9-month full-time course, and you need the English level your training provider sets (for example, IELTS 6.5 or equivalent) plus GCSE-standard maths (or equivalent) plus GCSE-standard maths — and science to teach ages 3–11. No DfE funding is available.
- Teach first, qualify later. If you secure a teaching job in England, you can teach for up to four years without QTS under the four-year rule, and during that time complete assessment-only QTS — a provider assesses your classroom practice (typically over about 12 weeks) and recommends you for QTS. Fees are roughly £1,500–£4,000.
- Skilled Worker visa. QTS alone is not a visa. To work in England you need a job offer from a licensed sponsor school and a Skilled Worker visa — get the job offer first.
Whichever route you choose, gather your documents early — they take the longest: degree certificate and transcripts plus a UK ENIC statement of comparability, your teaching qualification certificate, proof of professional registration and a regulator's reference, employment references covering at least one school year after qualifying, and proof of English proficiency if your degree was not taught in English.
Application steps and timeline for a September 2027 start
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| October 2026 | Applications open on the DfE's Apply for teacher training service. Shortlist providers; check fees, bursary eligibility and placement schools. |
| November 2026 – January 2027 | Apply. Providers recruit on a rolling basis and popular courses fill early. |
| Within weeks of applying | Interviews (a short teaching task, a subject-knowledge check and a panel interview). Prepare with our UK primary teacher interview guide. |
| On offer | Accept, arrange your DBS check and health declaration, and take an SKE course if required. If you need a visa, apply once you have your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). |
| September 2027 | Training starts. PGCE and SCITT courses run to June–July 2028. |
| Summer 2028 | QTS awarded. You then begin your two-year Early Career Teacher (ECT) induction in your first teaching job. |
The overseas recognition route has no fixed window, but gathering documents and the ENIC statement typically takes several weeks, so start early.
Checklist for Pakistani and international applicants
- Check the eligible-country list on GOV.UK today — do not rely on a blog post (including this one) for a list that changes.
- Choose your route: train in England (PGCE/SCITT), iQTS from Pakistan, or teach-then-qualify via assessment-only QTS.
- Get your UK ENIC statement for your degree and teaching qualification before you apply.
- Book your IELTS test early — you will need it for iQTS (at the level your provider sets), for most PGCE providers, and for your visa. Practise with our free IELTS Academic practice test.
- Budget honestly: international PGCE fees (£15,000–£30,000+) plus living costs, with no DfE bursary or loan. iQTS (£7,950–£9,950) is cheaper but unfunded too.
- Brush up subject knowledge: our PGCE literacy revision for primary trainees covers the English subject knowledge providers expect.
- Compare with Canada: our Canada teacher route guide explains provincial certification and Express Entry.
Frequently asked questions
Can I teach in the UK without QTS? In England, yes, for a limited time: overseas-trained teachers can teach in state schools for up to four years without QTS. In practice, most state schools ask for QTS as a condition of employment.
How long does a PGCE take? About nine months full-time. Part-time PGCEs take up to two years.
Do I need a PGCE as well as QTS? No — QTS is the legal requirement, and some routes (SCITT, apprenticeship) award QTS without a PGCE. But a PGCE carries master's credits and is valued by employers in the UK and abroad.
Can a Pakistani B.Ed get me QTS directly? Not through the apply-for-QTS service — Pakistan is not on the eligible-country list. The realistic paths are training in England, iQTS, or assessment-only QTS once teaching in England.
What to do next
- Decide your route from the comparison table — PGCE for most graduates, SCITT for a school base, a salaried route if you need to earn while training.
- Apply early through the DfE's Apply for teacher training service; popular courses fill months before September.
- If you need English proof, take a timed mock first: our free IELTS Academic practice test gives you a band score to work from.
Fees and bursary figures were verified in November 2026 against Get Into Teaching and GOV.UK; 2027–28 bursary rates had not yet been announced — confirm them on the official pages before you apply.