Teaching in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa

Teachers from overseas can work in UK schools on a Skilled Worker visa if a school or trust with a sponsor licence offers them a job. Because teaching is paid on national pay scales, the salary rule is at least £25,000, or the national pay scale rate if that is higher. Qualified teachers on the main pay range in England clear that comfortably; unqualified posts may not. Getting qualified teacher status (QTS) recognised is a separate step through the Teaching Regulation Agency.

The salary rule for teachers

Since 22 July 2025 the general Skilled Worker threshold is £41,700, or the going rate for the occupation if higher, and most eligible jobs must be at degree level (RQF 6) or above. Healthcare and education jobs on national pay scales are treated differently: the minimum is £25,000, or the rate on the relevant national pay scale if that is higher. Gov.uk publishes separate tables for teaching and education leadership roles.

The 2026/27 recommended teacher pay levels in England, which apply from 1 September 2026, compare with that rule like this:

Post	England excl. London	Inner London
Unqualified teacher (minimum)	£23,732	£29,336
Main pay range M1	£34,069	£41,729
Main pay range M6	£46,940	£54,131
Upper pay range U1	£49,134	£59,650

A qualified teacher starting at M1 outside London is well above £25,000. An unqualified teacher at the bottom of the range outside London is below it, which is one reason schools usually sponsor teachers who already hold or are eligible for QTS. The STPCD 2026 that sets these rates in law was still in draft in October 2026 and is expected to be backdated to 1 September 2026. The teacher pay scales guide has the full ranges.

Getting QTS recognised

To be paid and employed as a qualified teacher in England, you need QTS. Teachers trained outside the UK can apply to the Teaching Regulation Agency through the “apply for qualified teacher status” service if they hold a teaching qualification that lets them teach in their home country, along with a degree and relevant experience. The service decides whether your qualification is equivalent; if it is, you are awarded QTS without retraining.

If your qualification is not accepted, there are other routes, including assessment-only QTS through a provider while you work in a school. The QTS guide explains the different ways to get it.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are separate. Wales has its own QTS recognition; Scotland requires registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland; Northern Ireland requires registration with the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland. Each has its own process for overseas qualifications.

Finding a sponsoring school

Only a school or trust with a sponsor licence can employ you on this visa. Not every school has one, and adverts sometimes say “visa sponsorship available”. In England, the free Teaching Vacancies service lets schools say whether they will consider sponsorship.

Some teaching subjects are harder to fill than others. Maths, physics, chemistry, computing and modern languages are shortage areas, which is also reflected in the size of training bursaries for UK trainees (£29,000 for chemistry, computing, maths and physics in 2026/27). Teachers of these subjects tend to find sponsoring schools more easily.

Applying for the visa

Once a school offers you a job, it assigns you a certificate of sponsorship with the job details, occupation code and salary. You then apply for the visa online, proving your identity, English language ability (a degree taught in English or an approved test usually covers this), and any other requirements such as a tuberculosis test if you are coming from certain countries. You will pay the application fee and normally the Immigration Health Surcharge; the amounts are on gov.uk.

Partners and children can often apply as dependants. The Home Office decides the visa; the school cannot influence that decision.

Pre-employment checks

Before you start, the school must check your right to work, usually through the Home Office online service with your eVisa share code. Under safer recruitment rules, the school will also want an enhanced DBS check with children’s barred list once you are in the UK, and a criminal records certificate or letter of good conduct from any country you have lived in. References, qualification checks and a prohibition check follow. The right to work checks guide and safer recruitment guide cover these.

After you arrive

You are employed on the same terms as other teachers at the school, including its pay policy and the Teachers’ Pension Scheme. In maintained schools in England, full-time classroom teachers work 195 days and up to 1,265 hours of directed time a year; academies set their own conditions, though many follow the same pattern. Whether you need to complete statutory induction depends on how you got QTS, so ask the school and check the DfE induction guidance.

Your visa is tied to your sponsor. Changing schools means the new school must sponsor you and you apply to update your visa before starting. For questions about your own immigration status, an OISC-registered adviser or an immigration solicitor can give advice. If you work in health instead, see the Health and Care Worker visa guide.