Teaching Jobs in England with Sponsorship
Currently Teachers that qualified in Australia, New Zealand and Canada can enter England and work for up to two years on a Tier 5 Youth Mobility Visa. To access this visa, you need to have a passport from the above three countries and be under the age of 31. Graduates and experienced teachers across Primary and Secondary levels are in demand. Obviously, if you happen to have UK Ancestry or access to a British Passport a visa is not necessary.
Some teachers decide later in life to explore options to teach in England. This is where it gets a little bit tricky! At this point and time teachers that have qualified in their home country to teach Computer Science, Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and General Science will have access to a Tier 2 Visa. To get this visa you need to secure a job offer in England with a School. The hiring school will then apply for a CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship) so you can take the next steps and apply for your visa. Not all schools in England are licensed sponsors so you will certainly need to partner with a teaching agency that knows which schools are hiring and have the capacity to sponsor you.
There is currently a skills shortage in England in the STEM Teaching subjects. There is currently a programme called the ‘International Teacher Framework’ for Teachers to gain employment and Sponsorship in England provided they trained and qualified in New Zealand, Jamaica, South Africa, USA, Canada or Australia. The reason behind this initiative is to attract and retain new talent into schools across England. Contracts will vary from 1 – 5 years. The programme offers excellent CPD and ongoing training and mentoring.
To prepare for a potential sponsored teaching position there are a few things you can do to get organised:
- Apply for your criminal history checks for any country you have lived in for longer than 12 months in the last 10 years
- Collate your travel history for the last 5 years
- Save! Save! Save! Ensure you have the equivalent to £945 in the bank for a minimum of 90 days (don’t dip into it!)
- Plan to have enough savings to pay for your visa which is currently £464 for up to 3 years.
- Ensure you can pay for your healthcare surcharge at the time of submitting your application £400 per year upfront (ie £1200 for a 3 year visa)
- If you are planning to travel with family or dependents you will need to pay for each person travelling.
- Teachers from Jamaica should always apply for a NARIC assessment to ensure the teaching qualification is mutually recognised in England
- Fully registered or licensed teachers from the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand should gain their QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) to be recognised in England (Graduate Teachers do not need this step – you are covered by the 4 year rule!)
Before booking and paying for flights and individual wanting to relocate to England on a Tier 2 visa really should have at least £3000 saved up approx:
- $6000NZD
- $5500AUD
- $5000 USD/CAN
- $500,000 JAM
- $55,000 Rand
It’s important to realise that in England Teachers are paid monthly. You will need to be able to travel to school, rent accommodation and eat well for at least one month before your first pay packet. The above amounts are a ‘minimum’ so do what you have to do before departure; sell a car, sell off your furniture and excess clothing and items and prepare for your new adventure in England.
Going through the visa application process is a commitment and a financial investment. If you feel nervous about doing it alone you can always spend a little extra to have a immigration lawyer support you. We can highly recommended a trusted immigration lawyer for you to contact.
Relevant Links
- https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-k-shortage-occupation-list
- https://www.gov.uk/tier-5-youth-mobility – Under 31’s application and eligibility
- https://www.gov.uk/tier-2-general – Tier 2 visa application and eligibility
- https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/how-much-pay – Health care surcharge
- https://NARIC.org.uk/naric/individuals/compare qualifications/Statement of Comparability.aspx – for Jamaican Teachers
- https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/qualified-teacher-status-qts – QTS
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