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Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is required in England and Wales to become, and continue being, a teacher in the state and special education sectors. Similar statuses exist in the rest of the United Kingdom (Scotland and Northern Ireland), but under different names.

Contents 1 Gaining QTS 2 Routes to qualification 3 Scotland and Northern Ireland 4 External links

A candidate must have completed and passed a teacher training course, such as a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) or a teaching degree (BEd), and, in England only, pass the QTS Skills Tests in literacy, numeracy, and ICT.

The General Teaching Council for England and General Teaching Council for Wales maintain all registrations, as well as issuing QTS certificates (a task previously undertaken by the Department for Education and Skills).

QTS is technically only recognised in the country it was awarded (England or Wales), but teachers can normally apply for QTS in the other country with relative ease. QTS is also recognised by many other countries once the relevant paperwork has been completed. Teachers trained outside England and Wales must also apply to be awarded QTS if they wish to teach in England and Wales.

After having being awarded QTS teachers must normally still pass an induction period (previously called 'probation') – normally their first year of teaching. Those who fail the induction still retain their QTS, but cannot teach in state-run schools. The induction period normally lasts a year (three school terms). Such teachers are often known as a Newly Qualified Teacher or NQT.

All training which leads to Qualified Teacher Status in England or Wales requires trainees to specialise in two Key Stages of the National Curriculum. However, once awarded, the status allows the teacher to teach across all Key Stages without further training.

Country	First degree	Teaching qualification	Sector
England and Wales	-	Bachelor of Education	Mainly primary
	Bachelor of Arts	Postgraduate Certificate in Education or Graduate Teacher Programme	Primary and Secondary
	Bachelor of Science	Postgraduate Certificate in Education or Graduate Teacher Programme	Primary and Secondary
	-	Bachelor of Arts with QTS	Primary and Secondary
	-	Bachelor of Science with QTS	Primary and Secondary
Northern Ireland	-	Bachelor of Education	Mainly primary
	Bachelor of Arts	Postgraduate Certificate in Education	Primary and Secondary
	Bachelor of Science	Postgraduate Certificate in Education	Primary and Secondary
Scotland	-	Bachelor of Education	Mainly primary
	Master of Arts or Bachelor of Arts	Professional Graduate Diploma in Education	Primary and Secondary
	Bachelor of Science	Professional Graduate Diploma in Education	Primary and Secondary
	-	Master of Arts (Concurrent)	Secondary
	-	Bachelor of Science (Concurrent)	Secondary

QTS as such does not exist in Scotland or Northern Ireland. However, like in England and Wales, all teachers in Scotland and Northern Ireland are required to register with either the General Teaching Council for Scotland or the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland; the General Teaching Councils will only consider graduates with a teaching qualifications (such as the PGCE or PGDE) for registration.

In Scotland a one-year probation period (equivalent to induction in England and Wales) must be completed.

Those holding English or Welsh QTS (or an equivalent from another country) must apply for registration with the relevant General Teaching Council. Each case is considered individually and even those with English or Welsh QTS are not guaranteed to be allowed to teach in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

• Standards for the Award of Qualified Teacher Status
• General Teaching Council for England
• General Teaching Council for Wales
• General Teaching Council for Scotland
• General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland