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Last updated February 2024
You must have qualified teacher status (QTS) to take up a teaching post in England in a:
The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for Education. They have responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession, including misconduct hearings and the maintenance of the database of qualified teachers.
Once you have QTS, and are employed to teach in a maintained school in England or Wales, you will be paid under the school teachers’ pay scales. You will be subject to the performance management arrangements in schools in the same way as any other qualified teacher.
Getting evidence of your qualified teacher status (QTS) is a really simple procedure. All you need to do is go to the DfE identity page which can be accessed at: https://access-your-teaching-qualifications.education.gov.uk/qualifications/sign-in
1. Sign into your account. You need to provide your name, email address, National Insurance Number and Teacher Reference Number (TRN) to sign in if you already have an account. If you don’t already have an account you will need to create one.
If you’ve forgotten your TRN, you can:
2. A code is then sent to your email address and the information provided is verified.
3. You are directed to a page called ‘Teaching qualifications’.
This includes QTS, and an option to ‘Download QTS certificate’. Clicking on these links will bring up the documents which you can save and/or print as evidence.
We hope this is helpful. If you are having problems with that site or getting your teacher reference number, please contact the DfE directly via teaching.status@education.gov.uk or 0207 593 5394.
Please note that the majority of teachers who obtained QTS after May 1999 are required to complete an induction period of three terms satisfactorily in order to teach in relevant schools in England. Those teachers will need to demonstrate they have completed this period successfully. For the latest information on induction for newly qualified teachers please visit the Government’s page: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/induction-for-early-career-teachers-england