FAQs
Click on a question from the list below to jump down to the answer.
1. What should I do first?
2. How do I register with the GTCS?
3. How long does the process take?
4. How can I speed up my applicationto register with the GTCS?
5. What is an academic transcript?
6. Are there police security checks?
7. I am from overseas. Do I need overseas police checks?
8. I can't obtain an overseas police check – what can I do?
9. What if I come to Scotland from outside the European Union?
10. Do I need a work permit to teach in Scotland?
Firstly, all teachers employed in schools in Scotland must be registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) and it would be for the Council's Exceptional Admissions Department to determine if your academic and teaching qualifications will allow you to teach here.
For registration purposes they will need to know the details of your degree, your teaching qualification(s) and your teaching experience. They will also be interested in your proficiency in the English language (oral competence in social communication, oral competence in a classroom environment, reading ability sufficient to enable continuing professional development, and writing competence in both formal and informal communication).
Therefore the first step is to contact the Exceptional Admissions Department of the GTCS.
Call them on +44 (0)131 314 6038 or by e-mail at ear@gtcs.org.uk. Please note that the Exceptional Admissions Dept is an extremely busy department and may not be able to answer your enquiry immediately. For further information have a look at the Council's website: www.gtcs.org.uk
Following successful registration, which may be granted on a conditional or full basis, you would be eligible to apply for teaching posts. Local authorities, the main employers of teachers in Scotland, advertise job vacancies in Scottish newspapers as well as on their websites. These are the contact details for Local Authorities.
2. How do I register with the GTCS?
Simply download the application form and information leaflets from www.gtcs.org.uk. You can also call the GTCS on +44 (0)131 314 6000 if uyou have specific questions about the registration process.
It's important you follow the application instructions very carefully.
When you apply, you'll be given a personal contact within the GTCS – someone who will manage your application.
You will have to pay £40 to cover the initial assessment. If you're offered registration, you'll have to pay another £40.
3. How long does the process take?
The GTCS will look at your case purely on its own merits. From the date they receive your application form and assessment fee, it usually takes 15 working days to make a decision.
However, if your case is complicated, it can take up to eight weeks to reach a decision.
4. How can I speed up my application to register with the GTCS?
You need to provide all the information you feel is relevant to your case.
Their application pack has a checklist to help you.
In particular, you should include:
- Copies of qualification certificates – such as a postgraduate certificate in education or degree certificate
- Copies of official academic transcripts
- If your degree was unusual, you should send in descriptions of the modules
- Completed Disclosure Scotland form
- Police check from each country where you have been resident
You'll need to make sure all of this paperwork is in English. It's up to you to get official translations.
5. What is an academic transcript?
This is a year-by-year record of all the subjects you studied during your degree. These are available from your university or equivalent organisation.
Without your academic transcript, the GTCS won't be able to accept your application.
The UK NARIC (National Recognition and Information Centre for the United Kingdom) is the national agency under contract to the Department for Education and Skills (DFES). It is the official source of information and advice on the comparability of international qualifications from over 180 countries with those in the UK.
For more information, please visit: www.naric.org.uk
6. Are there police security checks?
All teachers working in Scotland, need to go through a police disclosure check with Disclosure Scotland.
The checks are there to protect the safety of pupils, parents and teachers too.
If you applied online, the GTCS will send you a Disclosure Scotland form once they receive your application.
Some of the information you'll have to provide includes:
- A five year history of your addresses
- Two forms of identification which include your date of birth
Once it's been cleared, your Disclosure Scotland check is valid for six months. To find out more, visit www.scro.police.uk
7. I am from overseas. Do I need overseas police checks?
Yes – if you've lived for eight weeks or more in a country outside the UK. In this case, the GTCS will ask you to supply evidence which shows you have no criminal record in the country concerned.
To find out more, call the Criminal Records Bureau overseas enquiry line on +44 (0)870 0100450.
8. I can't obtain an overseas police check – what can I do?
You need to tell the Exceptional Admissions Department of the GTCS immediately.
9. What if I come to Scotland from outside the European Union?
The GTCS welcomes applications from outside the EU.
They'll do everything they can to allow you to register to teach – but at the same time keeping to their strict registration guidelines, to uphold the high standard of education in Scotland.
10. Do I need a work permit to teach in Scotland?
If you are from outside the EU, you may need a work permit to teach in Scotland. To get a work permit, an employer must offer you a job in Scotland and apply to the Home Office for a work permit on your behalf.
The work permit names your employer and you cannot change employer without prior consent from the UK Home Office.
You can apply for indefinite leave to remain if you are employed with a work permit for four years in a row, and if there is work permit employment still available to you after four years.
Once you have indefinite leave to remain, you are free to work without any restrictions.
For more advice on work permits, and how to apply for them, visit: www.workingintheuk.gov.uk or you can email the Work Permits Contact Centre at wpcustomers@ind.homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Or you can write/telephone them at
Work Permits (UK) Contact Centre at:
Work Permits (UK)
PO BOX 3468
Sheffield
Tel: 0114 207 4074
