Teachers trained in Nigeria, Ghana and India can no longer use the United Kingdom’s direct online service to apply for qualified teacher status in England.
The change took effect on 9 September 2026 after the Department for Education updated the eligibility rules for its “Apply for QTS in England” service.
However, the decision is not a blanket ban on teachers from the three countries working in England. It removes access to one route for obtaining qualified teacher status, while other routes remain available.
Why the eligibility rules changed
Under the revised rules, a country must have a national regulator capable of confirming a teacher’s professional standing. It must also be able to provide employment references that meet the department’s verification requirements.
The Department for Education said India does not have a national regulator that can provide the required confirmation of teachers’ professional standing.
For Nigeria and Ghana, the department said more than 70 per cent of applications contained employment references sent from public email services such as Gmail or Hotmail rather than official school email addresses.
It said this made the information harder to verify and required assessors to spend additional time and resources checking applicants’ work histories.
The department added that it must be satisfied that documents and information supplied by applicants are genuine before awarding QTS.
What QTS means
Qualified teacher status is the professional qualification normally required to teach in maintained primary, secondary and special schools in England.
It is not legally required for every teaching position. Academies, free schools and private schools may employ teachers without QTS, although many still prefer candidates who hold the qualification.
QTS also does not provide a teaching job or immigration permission. Overseas applicants must secure employment and obtain the appropriate visa separately.
The rule applies to England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate separate systems for recognising teachers and regulating the profession.
Other routes remain available
Teachers trained in Nigeria, Ghana and India may still pursue QTS through other recognised routes, depending on their qualifications and experience.
An experienced teacher with a degree may be eligible for the assessment-only QTS route. This allows a teacher to demonstrate that they meet the required professional standards without completing another teacher-training programme.
Applicants generally need at least two years of teaching experience and must meet the required academic and professional standards. Fees for this route vary between approved providers.
Teachers may also apply for a teacher-training course in England or study for international qualified teacher status while living and working outside England.
The international QTS route combines online learning with practical experience in a school. Those who complete it receive a qualification equivalent to English QTS.
Overseas teachers may work under four-year rule
Teachers who qualified outside the UK can generally work in England for up to four years without QTS under an exemption known as the four-year rule.
The exemption applies to many school roles but does not cover every setting. After the four-year period, QTS is required for continued employment in many state-maintained schools.
The latest decision therefore closes the direct professional-recognition service to teachers trained in the three affected countries, but it does not prevent them from seeking teaching jobs or obtaining QTS through another approved route.
