‘Teachers visa’ and agency regulation: 5 ways to improve overseas recruitment

Teachers from overseas have played a “key role” in helping fill schools’ vacancies in England, a study has found, but complicated visa rules and pricey recruitment agencies are causing barriers for leaders.

A new government-funded evaluation of the recruitment of international teachers also found some recruits were “unprepared to manage behaviour in English schools”, while many “expressed difficulties adjusting to the culture and behaviour” in our system.

Leaders who took part in the study have now called for a specific “teacher visa” – which could work similarly to the health and care worker visa and is viewed as less complex.

The research was commissioned after the previous government introduced a £10,000 relocation payment to encourage overseas physics and language teachers to take jobs in England and extended some training bursaries to international trainees.

The relocation payments were scrapped last spring after just a year.

The DfE surveyed overseas teachers who successfully gained QTS in England and those who had successfully applied to train here. And researchers interviewed 38 leaders, 30 teachers, 10 recruitment agencies and 15 teacher trainers.

It follows an increase in the proportion of trainee teachers coming from outside of England.

The proportion of secondary trainees not from the UK or the EU doubled from 3 to 6 per cent between 2019 and 2024. And the proportion of modern foreign language teachers from outside the UK and EU soared from 6 to 38 per cent.

This year, 87 per cent of secondary trainees are from the UK. Five years ago that figure was 92 per cent.

1. Calls for a ‘teacher visa’

The study a “general consensus” that information about visas on the government’s website was “hard to understand”. Trainees and teachers “both experienced challenges with the cost of visas, and the cost of relocating”.

“Many interviewees said a specific teacher visa could help streamline the application and selection process,” the study said.

“Some interviewees felt this could operate similarly to the health and care worker visa which was viewed as less complex and cheaper than the skilled worker visa route.”

The requirements for a health and care worker visa are more tailored to staff in that profession, while teachers must apply for a general skilled work visa.

2. Recruits ‘unprepared’ for behaviour in England

Teachers and trainees held a “held a strong, positive perception about the quality of England’s education system before they arrive”, the report found.

But some leaders said many international recruits were “unprepared to manage behaviour in English schools”. Many teachers and trainees “also expressed difficulties adjusting to the culture and behaviour in English schools.

“Professional development before starting a teaching role was used successfully by some schools, and some recruitment agencies, to manage this transition,” the report said. “Training providers also provide support and guidance to help trainees integrate.”

The research concluded that creating “realistic expectations” could help teachers and trainees effectively adjust and “do so more quickly”.

3. Scrapped relocation payment ‘exerts weak influence’

Researchers found support and incentives were “effective to a point”.

But the relocation payment was “often less important than a bursary on a decision to train in England”. The IRP was closed to trainees last year by the previous government.

“A genuine impact analysis would be necessary to measure additionality, but the qualitative evidence suggests in year 1 that IRP exerts weak influence on the choice to teach in England.”

The study found 26 per cent of surveyed teachers were aware of the payments, while only 40 per cent of those teaching in eligible subjects received it.

4. Leaders want central portal for recruitment info

The study found many school and training provider leaders “were unsure which qualifications were equivalent to those needed by British nationals to train or teach in England”.

This made decisions on who to recruit or enrol “difficult”, and researchers said information that clearly maps equivalency at a subject level across all key countries “would help”.

Leaders and teacher trainers also reported that “realistic, honest information on life in England”, for example on the cost of living, “could help teachers and trainees make informed decisions about migration”.

Leaders told researchers they would like an “in-one-place system” for international recruitment advice and recruitment.

“Simplified advice in one, easy-to-navigate place could improve valuable help for prospective teachers or trainees,” the study concluded.

5. Regulate ‘expensive’ recruitment agencies

Leaders reported “mixed experiences” working with recruitment agencies.

Some found agencies effectively filled vacancies, while others felt agencies “provided poor-quality candidates”.

Investigation: teacher deregulation, by the back door

Leaders said they wanted agencies regulated to ensure value for money and reduce “perceived sharp practices, including forwarding unreviewed CVs and ineffective candidate screening”.

“All felt agencies were very expensive, but many felt they had no other option to find teachers.”

Leaders “felt regulation is required to ensure a high standard of quality amongst recruiters”.