African Teachers Working in the UK 2026 — QTS Registration, IELTS General Training, Skilled Worker Visa Costs and UK Teacher Salary Guide for African Professionals

Before you begin your TRA application, two things define your eligibility and your timeline: your undergraduate degree level and your full-time teaching experience in your source country. British Council and IDP Education both operate IELTS General Training registration services across Africa, and the General Training module is the required English language assessment for teachers applying under the Skilled Worker Visa route. Many African teachers now working in UK classrooms began the entire process with an IELTS General Training booking at their local IDP or British Council test centre and a direct registration with a REC-registered education recruitment agency that already holds live school vacancies with sponsorship packages attached.

This guide covers every stage from TRA eligibility assessment to first UK salary payment, with specific application requirements for teachers applying from Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Uganda.

Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) Registration — QTS Routes, Requirements and Official Application Fees 2026

QTS — Qualified Teacher Status — is the professional credential issued by the Teaching Regulation Agency that authorises a teacher to work in a maintained school or academy in England. Without a confirmed QTS award, a school cannot issue you a Certificate of Sponsorship under the Skilled Worker Visa route, and most REC-registered education agencies will not place an international applicant into a permanent contracted role.

Here is what many African teachers miss at this stage. QTS is not a single examination — it is a status reached through three separate routes, and the route available to you depends on your years of classroom experience and whether you want to complete the qualification before or after arriving in England.

Route 1 — International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS)

The iQTS programme is designed specifically for internationally based teachers. You train with a TRA-approved UK Initial Teacher Training (ITT) provider while remaining in your source country, following a UK curriculum framework and being assessed against the Teachers’ Standards by a lead school partner in England. QTS is awarded automatically on successful completion — no further UK-based assessment is required when you arrive. Training typically runs across one academic year. Fees range from £3,000 to £9,250 depending on the ITT provider and any bursary arrangements available through the Department for Education (DfE). Apply at apply-for-teacher-training.education.gov.uk.

Route 2 — Assessment Only (AO) Route

The Assessment Only route is available to teachers with a minimum of two academic years of full-time classroom experience who can demonstrate they already meet the Teachers’ Standards without additional training. You are assessed through classroom observation and portfolio submission via a TRA-approved AO provider — no coursework, no lectures. This is the most direct pathway for experienced African teachers who are ready to demonstrate competency immediately. AO provider fees range from £2,000 to £5,000 depending on the provider. Processing typically takes 3 to 12 months. The full register of TRA-approved AO providers is available at gov.uk/guidance/assessment-only-route-to-qts.

Route 3 — School Direct and PGCE Training in England

For teachers with a degree but less than two years of full-time teaching experience, the postgraduate Initial Teacher Training route through a UK school is the standard pathway. School Direct Salaried positions pay a salary during training — tuition fees in this route are employer-covered. University-based PGCE programmes combine academic study with extended school placement at approximately £9,250 per year in tuition fees, though the DfE offers training bursaries for shortage subjects including mathematics, physics, computing, and chemistry through apply-for-teacher-training.education.gov.uk.

The TRA does not charge a registration fee for the QTS award itself — the costs sit entirely with the training route you select. From a practical standpoint, the more important question for an experienced African teacher is not which route is cheapest but which route gets you into a UK classroom fastest, given your specific years of full-time teaching practice.

IELTS General Training vs IELTS Academic for UK Teacher Applications — Minimum Scores, IDP Education and British Council Registration Fees and Test Centre Locations

The UK Home Office requires an approved English language test result for Skilled Worker Visa applications where the applicant is not from a majority English-speaking country on the official Home Office reference list. For teachers applying from Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Uganda, the required level under the Skilled Worker Visa route is CEFR B2 — which maps to IELTS band 5.5 minimum across all four modules in the same sitting.

The honest answer on which module to book is this: IELTS General Training is the required module for Skilled Worker Visa applications. The IELTS Academic module tests academic text comprehension and is designed for university entrance — it is not accepted in place of General Training for the teaching visa pathway, and submitting an Academic result where the Home Office requires General Training will produce a visa refusal. Both modules are administered by IDP Education and British Council at the same test centres across Africa. They look identical on the booking page. Confirm that your booking specifies General Training before you pay.

IELTS General Training — minimum requirements and IDP Education / British Council test specifications

Minimum score for Skilled Worker Visa: Band 5.5 in Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking — each module must individually reach 5.5 in the same sitting
Recommended target for competitive applications: Band 6.5 to 7.0 — schools reviewing multiple international candidates for one sponsorship slot give clear preference to higher scores
Computer-delivered results turnaround: 3 to 5 business days from test date
Paper-based results turnaround: 13 calendar days from test date

Test centre registration and fees by African city

Nairobi, Kenya: IDP Education Nairobi — register at idp.com. British Council Nairobi — register at britishcouncil.org. Fee: KES 32,000–36,000 per sitting
Lagos, Nigeria: British Council Nigeria Victoria Island Lagos and IDP Nigeria Lagos. Fee: approximately NGN 100,000–120,000 per sitting
Accra, Ghana: British Council Ghana Accra and IDP Ghana — test dates available monthly
South Africa: British Council South Africa and IDP South Africa — test centres in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Pretoria. Fee: approximately ZAR 3,500–4,200 per sitting
Kampala, Uganda: British Council Uganda Kampala and IDP Uganda — tests scheduled throughout the year

Both the British Council and IDP Education offer official IELTS preparation resources through their platforms — the British Council’s Road to IELTS programme and IDP Education’s IELTS Ready Premium tool are the most widely used structured preparation resources for African applicants targeting the General Training module. Either is a legitimate starting point if your current English level is below band 6.0 and you want a structured preparation path before your first sitting.

UK Teaching Role Application Requirements Compared — Overview for African Professional Applicants 2026

The three main routes to a UK teaching role produce different financial commitments and different timelines to classroom placement. Understanding which route fits your profile before approaching a REC-registered education agency means your first conversation moves straight to job matching rather than eligibility clarification. Each block below sets out the key variables for one route.

iQTS Route — Qualifying Before Entering the UK

Teaching experience required: None formally specified, though ITT providers prefer applicants with some classroom involvement
Training duration: Approximately one academic year
Applicant training cost: £3,000 to £9,250 depending on ITT provider and DfE bursary eligibility
IELTS General Training required for visa: Yes — minimum band 5.5
Typical total timeline to UK classroom: 14 to 20 months from application

Assessment Only (AO) Route — For Teachers with 2+ Years of Experience

Teaching experience required: Minimum 2 academic years of full-time teaching in a recognised school
Assessment duration: 3 to 12 months through a TRA-approved AO provider
Applicant assessment cost: £2,000 to £5,000
IELTS General Training required for visa: Yes — minimum band 5.5
Typical total timeline to UK classroom: 8 to 14 months from application

School Direct Salaried Route — Training in England with Employer Salary

Teaching experience required: Variable — some salaried positions accept graduates with limited prior classroom experience
Training cost to applicant: Zero — salary is paid throughout the salaried training period
IELTS General Training required for visa: Yes — processed as part of visa application
Typical total timeline to UK classroom: 4 to 8 months from job offer

UK Skilled Worker Visa Application Process — Step-by-Step for African Teachers Applying to English Schools

The Skilled Worker Visa is the immigration route used by English schools to sponsor internationally trained teachers. The Department for Education maintains a register of approved sponsoring schools, and the Home Office processes the visa application after the school confirms the role and issues the Certificate of Sponsorship. Every step below carries a specific action, an associated body, and a confirmed cost.

Step 1 — Secure a confirmed job offer from a licensed sponsor school
Before any visa application can begin, a licensed UK school or academy trust must offer you a teaching position and confirm their intention to sponsor your Skilled Worker Visa. Most African teachers reach this stage through a REC-registered education recruitment agency that pre-screens international candidates, verifies qualifications, and maintains active relationships with schools carrying sponsor licences. Legitimate REC-registered agencies are paid entirely by the hiring school — never by the candidate. Verify every agency’s REC membership at rec.uk.com/find-a-recruiter before submitting any documents.

Step 2 — Receive your Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS)
Once the school formally offers you the role, they issue a Certificate of Sponsorship reference number through the Home Office sponsorship management system. This digital record confirms your role title, salary, and the school’s sponsorship commitment. The Certificate of Sponsorship cost is fully employer-covered. You cannot begin the visa application without this reference number.

Step 3 — Submit your Skilled Worker Visa application online
Apply at gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa. Your application must include your CoS reference number, your IELTS General Training result at band 5.5 or above, your degree certificate, your police clearance from your source country, and your TRA QTS award reference or written confirmation that an approved qualifying route is currently underway. Visa application fee: £247 for roles up to 3 years, £479 for roles over 3 years. Immigration Health Surcharge: £776 per year of the visa duration.

Step 4 — Biometric enrolment at a UKVI application centre
Book your biometric appointment at a UK Visas and Immigration service point in your country — operated by VFS Global. The appointment service fee varies by country. In Kenya, book at vfsglobal.com. In Nigeria, VFS Global UKVI service points operate in Lagos and Abuja. In South Africa, appointments are available in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Pretoria.

Step 5 — Receive visa decision and travel to England
Standard Skilled Worker Visa decisions are typically issued within 3 to 8 weeks from the biometric appointment date. Priority processing at an additional fee of approximately £250 reduces this to approximately 5 business days. Once issued, you receive a vignette sticker valid for 30 days, and you collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) from your registered UK address within 10 days of arrival in England.

Many African professionals reach Step 3 and make a costly error that delays their application by months — submitting an IELTS Academic result when IELTS General Training is specifically required by the Home Office for the Skilled Worker route. A second common error is arriving at the biometric appointment without an apostilled police clearance certificate from the source country. Both errors result in immediate refusal and require the full application to restart.

UK Teacher Salary Scale 2026 — What African Professionals Earn on Arrival and After Three Years in England

English teacher salaries are governed by the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, updated annually by the Department for Education. The 2025–2026 academic year pay award has moved starting salaries above £31,000 for newly qualified teachers in most of England, with London carrying a mandatory weighting addition. Every Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship arrangement must meet the minimum salary threshold set by the Home Office for the teaching occupation code — schools confirm this in the Certificate of Sponsorship before you submit the visa application.

England national pay scale outside London — approximate 2026 figures

M1 — Newly Qualified Teacher / Early Career Teacher Year 1: £31,000 – £32,500 per year
M3–M4 — Main Scale mid-range (3 to 5 years experience): £35,000 – £41,000 per year
UPS1–UPS3 — Upper Pay Scale (experienced teachers and subject leaders): £43,500 – £47,000 per year
Leading Practitioner / Assistant Head of Department: £48,000 – £65,000 per year

London weighting addition above national scale

Inner London: additional £8,000 – £9,000 above the national scale figure for the same grade
Outer London: additional £2,800 – £4,000 above the national scale figure
London Fringe (surrounding boroughs and counties): additional £1,300 – £1,700 above the national scale figure

As a direct comparison point, a Kenyan Teachers Service Commission teacher on P1–P3 scale earns approximately KES 20,000–45,000 per month — approximately £117 to £264 at current exchange rates. A Nigerian secondary school teacher earns approximately NGN 120,000–350,000 per month — approximately £75 to £220. Measured against the UK M1 annual salary of £31,000 to £32,500, the full cost of the AO application route is recovered within three to five months of the first UK salary payment.

Once you are receiving your first UK teacher salary, international money transfer services including Wise, WorldRemit, and Remitly allow you to send a portion of your monthly income home to your family in Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, or Uganda at competitive exchange rates. Setting up a transfer account before your first paycheck arrives eliminates the administrative delay at month one.

Applying From Your Country — UK QTS and Teaching Requirements by Source Country

Every stage of the QTS application and Skilled Worker Visa process requires source-country documentation that must be obtained, certified, and in some cases apostilled before submission. The five country blocks below detail the specific professional body, test centre, national clearance document, and visa application point for each source country.

If You Are Applying From Kenya
Local professional body: Teachers Service Commission (TSC) — request a certified letter of good standing confirming your TSC registration number and years of service before beginning your TRA application or engaging an AO provider
IELTS General Training registration: IDP Education Nairobi (idp.com) or British Council Nairobi (britishcouncil.org). Fee: KES 32,000–36,000 per sitting
Required national document: Certificate of Good Conduct from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) — obtained through the eCitizen portal at ecitizen.go.ke. The Certificate of Good Conduct must be apostilled for UK submission
Degree verification: Certificates from University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, and Moi University are accepted directly by TRA-approved AO providers. Include your official transcript and a certified copy of your teaching certificate
Visa application: British High Commission Nairobi — biometric appointment booked through VFS Global at vfsglobal.com
If You Are Applying From Nigeria
Local professional body: Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) — obtain your TRCN Professional Certificate and a letter confirming your standing in good status before beginning TRA assessment documentation
IELTS General Training registration: British Council Nigeria Victoria Island Lagos or IDP Nigeria Lagos. Fee: approximately NGN 100,000–120,000 per sitting
Required national documents: NYSC discharge certificate — mandatory for all Nigerian university graduates who have completed national service — plus National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) NIN for identity verification
Degree verification: Certificates from University of Lagos (UNILAG), University of Ibadan, and Covenant University Ota are accepted by UK AO providers. Transcripts must be certified by the issuing institution with an official stamp
Visa application: British Deputy High Commission Lagos or British High Commission Abuja — biometric appointment booked through VFS Global
If You Are Applying From Ghana
Local professional body: National Teaching Council (NTC) Ghana — the NTC issues professional teacher licences and the letter of good standing required by TRA-approved providers and REC-registered education agencies. Obtain both before beginning your application
IELTS General Training registration: British Council Ghana Accra or IDP Ghana — test dates available monthly in Accra
Required national document: Ghana Police Service clearance certificate — obtained through your regional or district police headquarters
Degree verification: Certificates from University of Ghana Legon and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) are accepted directly by UK AO providers. Ghana Education Service (GES) employment letters serve as supporting evidence of full-time classroom experience
Visa application: British High Commission Accra
If You Are Applying From South Africa
Local professional body: South African Council for Educators (SACE) — SACE issues your professional teacher registration certificate and the letter of good standing required by TRA-approved AO providers and REC-registered agencies operating in the UK teaching recruitment space
IELTS General Training registration: British Council South Africa or IDP South Africa — available in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Pretoria. Fee: approximately ZAR 3,500–4,200 per sitting
Required national document: SAPS (South African Police Service) police clearance certificate — apply through the SAPS Criminal Record Centre. The clearance must be apostilled using the South African Department of Justice apostille service before UK submission
Degree verification: Qualifications from University of Cape Town (UCT) and University of the Witwatersrand are well recognised. The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) evaluation letter is recommended for holders of qualifications from smaller institutions to strengthen the TRA application file
Visa application: British High Commission Pretoria or British Consulate Cape Town
If You Are Applying From Uganda
Local professional body: Education Service Commission Uganda (ESC) and Ministry of Education and Sports Uganda (MoES) — obtain your Uganda teaching certificate and a letter from MoES confirming your qualification level and full years of classroom service
IELTS General Training registration: British Council Uganda Kampala or IDP Uganda — tests scheduled regularly throughout the year in Kampala
Required national document: Uganda Police clearance certificate — obtained through the Uganda Police Force headquarters in Kampala
Degree verification: Certificates from Makerere University and Uganda Martyrs University are accepted by UK AO providers. Include your official transcript alongside a certified copy of your Uganda teaching certificate
Visa application: British High Commission Kampala
REC-Registered Education Recruitment Agencies — How to Verify Legitimacy and What Fees to Expect

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) is the professional body that regulates education recruitment agencies operating in England. A REC-registered agency holds a mandatory code of conduct, carries professional liability insurance, and operates under the Employment Agencies Act 1973. When an African-trained teacher is placed into a UK school by a REC-registered agency, the agency fee is paid entirely by the hiring school or academy trust — not by the candidate teacher, at any point, for any reason.

Verify every agency’s REC membership at rec.uk.com/find-a-recruiter before submitting your teaching certificates, degree documents, passport scan, or police clearance certificate. If an agency cannot provide a verifiable REC membership number in response to a direct request, that agency is not operating under the regulated framework and should not receive your personal documents.

Four specific warning signs that identify fraudulent teacher recruitment operations targeting African professionals:

Candidate fee demands: Any request for a placement fee, registration fee, or document processing fee paid by you — the teacher — before a formal job offer is issued. Legitimate REC-registered agencies are funded by the employer throughout
Guaranteed outcomes: Any offer of a guaranteed teaching position, a guaranteed Skilled Worker Visa approval, or a guaranteed QTS award in exchange for advance payment. No recruitment agency has authority over Home Office visa decisions or TRA award determinations
Cash or mobile money payment demands: Any request for payment through mobile money transfer, cash, or informal channel without a formal written invoice and receipt issued by a registered company
No verifiable sponsor licence: An inability to provide the hiring school’s Home Office sponsor licence reference number on request. Confirm any school’s active sponsor status at gov.uk/check-if-an-organisation-can-sponsor-you before agreeing to any arrangement

Placement timelines through REC-registered education agencies typically run from 6 to 16 weeks between initial candidate registration and a confirmed school offer, depending on subject specialism. Mathematics, physics, computing, chemistry, and design and technology teachers receive the fastest placement timelines because UK schools with active Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship licences compete directly for shortage subject candidates from international recruitment pools.

Total Cost of UK Teaching for African Professionals — Complete Budget Breakdown 2026

Planning your budget before beginning the process prevents the two most common application failures: running out of funds mid-assessment and arriving in England without enough in hand to cover the first month before salary arrives. All figures below are in the currency of payment required at each stage.

QTS qualification route (applicant-paid unless noted)

iQTS with TRA-approved UK ITT provider: £3,000 – £9,250 (DfE bursaries available for shortage subjects — check apply-for-teacher-training.education.gov.uk for current rates)
Assessment Only (AO) route via TRA-approved provider: £2,000 – £5,000
School Direct Salaried route: Zero applicant cost — salary is paid during training (employer-covered)

English language assessment (applicant-paid)

IELTS General Training — IDP Education Nairobi or British Council Nairobi: KES 32,000 – 36,000 per sitting
IELTS General Training — Lagos, Nigeria (British Council or IDP): approximately NGN 100,000 – 120,000 per sitting
IELTS General Training — South Africa (British Council or IDP): approximately ZAR 3,500 – 4,200 per sitting
IELTS preparation course — British Council or IDP Education (Kenya): KES 15,000 – 30,000

UK visa and immigration costs

Skilled Worker Visa application fee — roles up to 3 years (applicant-paid): £247
Skilled Worker Visa application fee — roles over 3 years (applicant-paid): £479
Immigration Health Surcharge — IHS (applicant-paid, frequently reimbursed by school): £776 per year of visa duration
Certificate of Sponsorship: employer-covered in full
Priority visa processing (optional, applicant-paid): approximately £250

National police clearance and document authentication (applicant-paid)

Kenya — Certificate of Good Conduct via DCI eCitizen portal: KES 1,050
South Africa — SAPS police clearance certificate: approximately ZAR 140
Apostille service for source country documents (all countries): approximately USD 30 – 80 per document

Travel and initial UK settlement (applicant-paid)

Economy airfare from Africa to UK: approximately USD 900 – 1,400 depending on departure city
First month UK accommodation: approximately £700 – £1,400 depending on location

Estimated total applicant investment by route

iQTS route — total applicant cost spread over 14 to 20 months: £4,500 – £12,000
Assessment Only route — total applicant cost excluding travel and settlement: £3,500 – £8,000
School Direct Salaried route — total applicant cost (visa, IELTS, travel only): approximately £1,500 – £3,000

At an M1 annual salary of £31,000 to £32,500, the full applicant-paid investment for the AO route is recovered within three to five months of the first UK salary payment when compared directly against source country teacher salary levels in Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Uganda.

Frequently Asked Questions — African Teachers Applying to Work in the UK 2026
What is the TRA Assessment Only (AO) route fee for African teachers applying for QTS in 2026?

The Assessment Only route fee varies between TRA-approved providers and currently ranges from £2,000 to £5,000 depending on the provider and the level of support included in the assessment package. The Teaching Regulation Agency does not charge a separate fee for the QTS award itself — the cost sits entirely with the TRA-approved AO provider you engage. The full register of approved AO providers is listed at gov.uk/guidance/assessment-only-route-to-qts. Request written quotes from at least two providers before committing, as fees differ substantially between institutions.

What IELTS General Training band score do African teachers need for the UK Skilled Worker Visa in 2026?

The minimum Home Office requirement for the UK Skilled Worker Visa is IELTS General Training band 5.5 in all four modules — Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking — each individually meeting the threshold in the same sitting. A combined average is not sufficient. Both IDP Education and British Council administer IELTS General Training across Nairobi, Lagos, Accra, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Kampala. Most REC-registered education agencies advise targeting band 6.5 or above to strengthen your competitiveness with schools reviewing multiple international candidates for a single sponsored role.

Can African teachers submit an IELTS Academic result instead of IELTS General Training for the UK Skilled Worker Visa?

No. The Skilled Worker Visa route for UK teaching positions requires IELTS General Training, not the Academic module. Both are administered by IDP Education and British Council at the same test centres across Africa and are booked through the same registration portals — but the reading and writing components test entirely different skills. The Academic module is designed for university entrance and is not accepted by the Home Office in place of General Training for professional visa applications. Submitting an Academic result will produce a visa refusal. Confirm the exact module requirement with your REC-registered agency before booking.

What is the difference between the iQTS programme and the Assessment Only route for African teacher applicants?

The iQTS programme allows internationally based teachers to train with a TRA-approved UK Initial Teacher Training provider while remaining in their source country and to receive QTS automatically on successful completion. Training costs range from £3,000 to £9,250. The Assessment Only route is for teachers with a minimum of two academic years of full-time classroom experience who can demonstrate they already meet the Teachers’ Standards through portfolio and observation — without additional training. AO fees range from £2,000 to £5,000. For experienced African teachers with confirmed classroom service records, the AO route through a TRA-approved provider is typically faster and more cost-effective than the iQTS path.

How long does the UK Skilled Worker Visa process take for a teacher applying from Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, or Uganda?

Standard Skilled Worker Visa processing is typically 3 to 8 weeks from the date of biometric enrolment at the VFS Global service point in your country. Priority processing at an additional fee of approximately £250 reduces this to around 5 business days. The total timeline from first contact with a REC-registered education agency to standing in your UK classroom is typically 8 to 14 months when the Assessment Only route is taken, or 14 to 20 months when the iQTS programme is completed first.

Which teaching subjects give African professionals the fastest placement through REC-registered UK education agencies?

Mathematics, physics, computing, chemistry, and design and technology are the subjects where REC-registered education agencies place internationally trained teachers with the fastest timelines. UK secondary schools have sustained critical staffing shortages in these disciplines that domestic graduate supply has not resolved. Schools carrying active Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship licences compete directly for shortage subject candidates from international teacher pools. The DfE publishes the annual shortage subject list at gov.uk/guidance/teacher-vacancies-service. Teachers qualified in shortage subjects also receive stronger employment packages more consistently — including Immigration Health Surcharge reimbursement of £776 per year — compared to teachers in non-shortage subjects.

What are the red flags when approaching UK teacher recruitment agencies targeting African professionals?

A legitimate REC-registered education recruitment agency is paid entirely by the UK school — never by the candidate at any point. Any request for a candidate-paid placement fee, registration fee, or document processing fee before a confirmed job offer is a clear signal that the agency is not operating under the REC code of conduct. Verify every agency’s REC membership at rec.uk.com/find-a-recruiter before submitting teaching certificates, degree documents, or police clearance. Additional red flags include guaranteed visa approval promises, mobile money or cash payment demands without formal invoice, and an inability to provide the hiring school’s Home Office sponsor licence reference number on direct request.

For African teachers — whether applying from Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, or Uganda — the QTS pathway into UK schools follows the same core framework: confirm your qualifying route through the Teaching Regulation Agency, complete your IELTS General Training registration with IDP Education or British Council, secure your job offer through a REC-registered education agency holding an active sponsorship relationship with a UK school, and process your Skilled Worker Visa through the Home Office at gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa. The outcome is a UK teacher salary of £31,000 to £47,000 alongside full professional recognition across England’s maintained schools and academy trusts. The concrete next step is registering with at least two REC-registered education agencies — including one that specialises in international teacher placement — and booking your IELTS General Training sitting with IDP Education or British Council within the next 30 days.