Certain Commonwealth citizens can apply to be 'working holidaymakers' and are able to work as teachers under this category.Working holiday visas are available to Commonwealth citizens, from selected countries, aged between 17 to 30, although certain restrictions apply with regard to spouses and dependent children. Commonwealth citizens can apply for a visa to come to the UK for up to two years as a working holiday maker. Applicants have to show when completing the visa application that they have sufficient funds to maintain and accommodate themselves without recourse to public funds and that they can pay for their return fare. They also have to show that they intend only to take employment incidental to a holiday, and not to engage in business, or to provide services as a professional sportsperson, and in any event intend not to work for more than 12 months during their stay in the UK. From 7 February 2005 a working holiday maker may only apply to switch their immigration status into the Work Permit scheme, if they have been in the UK for at least 12 months, as a working holiday maker, and the vacancy or role is one listed on the work permit shortage occupation list. An applicant who wishes to move his or her status from being a visa holiday maker to acquiring a work permit will need to contact Work Permits (UK) to check the current legislation prior to making an application.

Citizens from the European Union (EU) are automatically entitled to work in the UK. However candidates wishing to work in UK schools must first obtain a teacher number from the Department for Education (The Teaching Agency). You can do this by phoning them on +44 300 7900225.

Anyone with dual nationality in Britain, or another European Union country, is automatically entitled to work in the UK. A dual second passport is all you require to prove this.

Commonwealth Citizens with a British parent or grandparent are entitled to claim Patriality and therefore have the right to work in the UK for up to four years. Applying for a Patriality Visa you will need the original (or official copy) of your birth certificate, your parent and grandparent's birth certificate and their marriage certificates. Your passport will get a Patriality stamp, which entitles you to work in the UK for four years.

NB: If you have a parent or grandparent who was born in one of the other European Union countries, you may be able to claim partiality through this route.

If you are married to a British national you will be entitled to work in the UK. Likewise, if you are accompanying a spouse who has dual nationality or Patriality you will also be entitled to work in the UK. In most cases the same applies if your spouse is a national of a European Union country or has Dual Nationality or Patriality in other European Community Countries.

If none of the routes mentioned are applicable to you, then you will need to acquire a work permit to be able to teach in the UK. Work permits relate to specific jobs and to apply for a work permit you will need to have been offered a teaching post which lasts for at least 12 months.

Mayflower Education can support you in finding a long term or permanent position, by circulating your CV to schools but we are not allowed by law to apply for a work permit for you. If a school informs us that they would like to employ you for a position they will need to complete the work permit application themselves and we will keep you informed about it’s progress.

From 1 April 2012, teachers who qualified in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States of America (USA) will be recognised as qualified teachers and awarded qualified teacher status (QTS) in England without being required to undertake any further training or assessment. They will still be required to satisfy any UK Border Agency requirements that may apply to them for the purposes of entering or remaining in the UK to work as a teacher. In order to be awarded recognition as a qualified teacher, they will need to have satisfied both of the following conditions in Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA:

(a) they must have successfully completed a course of initial teacher training (ITT) which is recognised by the competent authority in that country; and
(b) successfully completed or satisfied any additional conditions, including any period of professional experience comparable to an induction period, which are required for employment on a permanent basis in government schools (schools wholly or mainly government funded) in Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA.

Teachers who are barred or subject to any restrictions on their eligibility to teach in their country of qualification will not be able to be recognised as qualified teachers in England. To be recognised as a fully qualified teacher in England, you must be able to teach as a fully qualified teacher in the country where you were trained.

Teachers who failed an assessment of the QTS standards as part of an ITT programme in England before 1 April 2012 will not be awarded QTS under these arrangements. They will need to undertake another course of ITT and meet all of the standards before they can be considered for QTS. Teachers who previously commenced but did not complete an ITT programme may still be considered for QTS without further training.

The following websites may be useful:

Check out this website for AUS Post (help with passports)

British High Commission in Australia
British High Commission in New Zealand
British High Commission in Canada
British High Commission in South Africa

Teachers must apply to the National College for Teaching and Leadership (part of the Department for Education) for the award of QTS before they can be recognised as qualified teachers. An on-line application form should be completed and submitted to the National College for Teaching and Leadership with a letter confirming that the teacher is both qualified and eligible to teach permanently in the country in question. Only letters from the recognised authority will be accepted for this purpose.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership will verify that the individual is a fully qualified teacher in Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA and has not been barred from teaching. Subject to satisfactory completion of these checks, the teacher will be issued with a letter confirming the award of QTS. Details of fully qualified teachers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA will be held on the National College for Teaching and Leadership's database of teachers with QTS.

Information for teachers qualified in the EU/EEA
If an EU/EEA member state recognises you as a qualified school teacher you can apply for QTS in England under the terms of Council Directive 2005/36/EC.

If you trained outside the EU/EEA you can also apply for QTS in England. An EEA member state needs to recognise your qualifications and you will need 3 years of experience as a teacher in that state. Swiss nationals are also eligible to apply for QTS in England. It may take up to 4 months to process your application. You won’t need further training and will be exempt from having to serve a statutory induction period.

EU/EEA trained Teachers must apply to the National College for Teaching and Leadership (part of the Department for Education) for the award of QTS before they can be recognised as qualified teachers in England.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

The EEA includes EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It allows them to be part of the EU’s single market. Switzerland is neither an EU or EEA member but is part of the single market - this means Swiss nationals have the same rights to live and work in the UK as other EEA nationals.

If you are an overseas trained teacher from outside the EEA/EU and Commonwealth with a UK Naric Qualification then you can teach in state schools for up to 4 years but you will have to acquire QTS before the end of this period. You will not have a teacher number in this case. In addition since April 2012 you can also teach in a secondary state school if you are post 16 qualified and hold QTLS (Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills) in this case you will not have a teacher number but will be registered with the Institute for Learning. The Teacher information line run by the Department of Education is helpful regarding qualifications. The phone number is +44 800 3892500.

UK Naric is a commercial organisation that compares overseas academic, professional and vocational qualifications with those issued in the UK. If you qualified as a teacher outside of the EU/EEA and Commonwealth. It is a good idea to get your qualifications compared with UK Naric as it can greatly improve your chances of getting a job. Their phone number is + 44 871 330 7033.

Schools regularly call us requesting day to day supply teachers and support staff to cover a variety of temporary absences ranging from short term sickness, staff attending INSET or external training days, school trips, sporting events, jury or other public service. For candidates who prefer flexible working arrangements and don’t particularly want the commitment of a long term position, day to day supply work is the perfect choice.

For some candidates a long term position will provide extra peace of mind and security, perhaps for those with families, mortgages and other long term financial commitments. These posts often range anywhere between two months to the full academic year and invariably cover maternity leave of absences, teacher sabbaticals, unfilled vacancies or long term staff illness. If you decide that a long term position is what you are looking for please give us a call and one of our consultants will be happy to discuss your preferences and any positions available.

If it’s a permanent position you are after, Mayflower Education can certainly help. We have developed strong relationships with many schools across the Education sectors including Primary, Secondary, Special Schools and Alternative Education providers who are often looking for permanent staff and our consultants will be only too pleased to discuss such vacancies with you. Sometimes candidates already placed in schools by us are invited to move from being a temporary worker to becoming a permanent member of staff. If a school expresses an interest in taking you on full time whilst working through us in a temporary capacity, you can simply ask the school to call us to facilitate the transition.

We have lots of jobs available in Special Educational Needs in mainstream provision, special schools, referral units (PRU’s) and alternative education providers for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCO’s) SEN teachers, learning mentors, one to one tutors and support staff. Special educational needs (SEN) teachers and support staff work with children and young people who have learning difficulties or disabilities. These children find learning more difficult than for most other children of the same age. For this type of work you will need to be able to deal with challenging behaviour and have good organisational skills, including an awareness of best practise classroom management strategies and subject differentiation. If you are looking for a role in special education needs, this work could be perfect for you.

When you attend our offices to complete the registration process a consultant will discuss the following with you:

You can either register online uploading your details using the link on the front page of our website and one of our consultants will contact you within 24 hours to arrange a follow up face to face interview at our offices, or alternatively you can call us directly and a consultant will take your details over the telephone and arrange a time for you to come in to discuss the type of work you are looking for and to complete the necessary paperwork. When an appointment is agreed, it is essential that you bring with you the following documents:

•proof of identity ( Passport or National Identity Card)

•a valid enhanced Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Certificate. Candidates will have the fee of £45 reimbursed to them after working for us for 21 consecutive days.

•two references (one from your most recent employer) on school letterhead paper written by someone in a senior position who is not a direct co-worker e.g. a Head teacher, Deputy Head or Head of Department.

•overseas teachers who have lived abroad for 3 months or longer during the past 10 years will require a local police report not older than 3 months and a work reference from last employer

•original copies of all academic and professional qualifications

•an up to date CV with no unexplained gaps (unless you have sent it to us online when registering)

•proof of candidates right to work in the United Kingdom (ie work visa or residency permit)

When you attend our offices to complete the registration process a consultant will discuss the following with you:

•Work experience
•Subject knowledge
•Special Educational Needs Policy
•Subject Differentiation
•INSET/Vocational qualifications

•Assessment & Attainment statistics
•Classroom management strategies
•SATS knowledge & experience
•Extracurricular activities/interests