The International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS) is equivalent to English Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), and allows trainees to gain the skills, experience, and knowledge to become an excellent teacher while living and working overseas, with no need to visit the UK.
The University of Warwick’s pilot year will see all teaching, observation and assessment delivered online, except for a final summative teaching observation in person by a University representative. Successful candidates will be able to undertake the iQTS within a year, at school in their own region, receiving face-to-face mentorship from a trained in-school member of staff.
In February 2021, the UK government launched a public consultation which introduced proposals for a new international teaching qualification. This led to the announcement of the iQTS as part of the International Education Strategy 2021 Update to help export excellence in teacher training.
The Department for Education approached a small group of world-class English teacher training providers, including Warwick’s Centre for Teacher Education, to deliver the iQTS pilot programme.
The iQTS will make high quality training accessible around the world, allow trainees to benefit from evidence-based ITT, and allow schools to develop local talent. The qualification is set to increase the global pool of quality teachers and support global mobility within the teaching profession. Furthermore, this will enable international teachers to come back to the UK and help develop schools locally.
Professor Kate Ireland, Director of the Centre for Teacher Education at the University of Warwick, commented:
“We are delighted to be given the opportunity to pilot the iQTS commencing September 2022. This work wholly aligns with our vision and ambition for the Centre for Teacher Education (CTE) to continue the long history of Teacher Education at the University of Warwick where generations of new teachers gain employment in our partner schools and beyond to improve the life chances of the children they teach. ”
iQTS is a unique new opportunity for a range of prospective candidates outside the UK. Prospective candidates may vary from those who have taught but would benefit from a teaching qualification and mentorship, or perhaps practicing teachers who have training but are seeking professional development and an internationally recognised qualification. As long as they are able to secure a suitable placement school for themselves and meet the academic and professional entry criteria, a candidate may even have no previous teaching experience.
For more information on the iQTS programme at Warwick, click here.