Are you interested in moving to teach in Scotland – but aren’t quite sure where to begin?

In this post, we’ll tell you what you need to know, from some classroom differences to how to register your teaching qualification.

Classroom Differences

Before deciding to relocate to teach in Scotland, there are a few important classroom differences teachers might like to know about.

  • Scottish schools are inspected by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education (HMIE) and receive a letter explaining their strengths, areas needing improvement, and targets. Whereas other schools in the UK are inspected by Ofsted and rated on a scale from “Outstanding” to “Inadequate.”
  • Scottish schools follow the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), which is a more flexible framework allowing students to take a wider range of subjects based on their interests. Other schools in the UK follow the National Curriculum, a prescriptive system which has students specialise in a few chosen subjects.
  • The educational structure is slightly different. In Scotland students aged 4-5 begin school with Primary 1. Secondary school starts at the same age, but in Scotland students will finish after 6 years, even if that means they’re still 17. In England, for exmaple, students aged 4-5 begin school with Reception before Year 1.

How to register with the GTCS

If you wish to teach in Scotland, you must register with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS). There are a few fees involved for registering and joining the necessary schemes, and it may take some time for a decision to be made on your application.

Each application is reviewed on an individual basis, but if you are qualified to teach elsewhere in the UK, you stand a good chance of being approved to teach in Scotland.

It is not possible to confirm whether or not you are eligible for registration before submitting your application. If you have any questions, however, you can consult the GTCS website, which answers some frequently asked questions from teachers qualified outside Scotland.

Get Started!

Ready to register? Visit the GTCS website to begin the registration process.

And if you want to browse teaching jobs in Scotland, search on the myjobscotland website today.