UK Removes Nigeria, Ghana-trained Teachers From Teaching Eligibility Qualification List

Teachers trained in Nigeria and Ghana are no longer eligible to apply directly for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England under the United Kingdom’s overseas teacher recognition scheme.

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The change took effect on September 9, 2026, removing both countries from the list of nations whose teachers can use the direct QTS application route.

The UK Department for Education (DfE) said the decision followed concerns about the verification of employment references submitted by applicants from Nigeria and Ghana.

According to the department, more than 70 per cent of applications from the two countries contain work-history references sent from public email services, including Gmail and Hotmail.

The DfE said this creates difficulties for assessors trying to establish whether applicants’ employment records are genuine.

“Applications must contain information that can be independently verified before QTS is awarded,” the department said.

It added that the use of personal email addresses instead of official school domains means officials often have to spend additional time checking the information provided.

The department said about 90 per cent of applications under the overseas teacher route are assessed within 12 months.

Nigeria and Ghana were removed after failing to satisfy the requirement for authenticated references from schools or employers, while India was also taken off the list because it lacks a national regulator capable of confirming teachers’ professional standing.

South Africa is now the only African country remaining on the UK’s eligible-country list for the direct QTS application route.

The DfE said the requirements are designed to ensure that teachers awarded QTS have the qualifications, professional experience and teaching skills required in English schools.

Requirements for QTS application

Teachers seeking QTS through the overseas route must meet several conditions, including holding a valid passport and an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree.

Applicants must also be recognised as qualified teachers in the country where they completed their training and have completed any mandatory induction required for full teacher registration.

They are required to show at least nine months of teaching experience gained after becoming qualified. Their references must also verify their employment history and come from an email address linked to the school or employer.

Depending on their country of training, applicants may need to demonstrate that they are qualified to teach pupils between five and 16 years old.

Some applicants must also have qualifications covering the 11-to-16 age range and a teaching specialism in subjects such as mathematics, science, biology, chemistry, physics, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Russian or Spanish.

The latest change does not mean teachers trained in Nigeria or Ghana are automatically barred from teaching in England.

Because schools in England employ teachers individually, rather than through the Department for Education, some schools may accept teachers through alternative qualification routes.

However, QTS remains a status sought by many schools when recruiting teachers trained overseas.

The UK education department said teachers who no longer qualify for the direct QTS application service can consider other available routes into teaching in England.