• Registration
• About registration
• Apply for registration
• Assessment process
• Cancelling your registration
• Eligibility
• Professional Registration
• PVG scheme and criminal record checks
• Register of Teachers
• Registration fee
• Returning to teaching
• Temporary service provision
• Update your details

Eligibility

You should only submit an application for registration as a teacher or further education lecturer qualified outside of Scotland if you are satisfied that you meet the eligibility criteria set out below.

For primary and secondary teachers qualified outside of Scotland

Academic qualifications required

An applicant must hold

• A United Kingdom degree or a degree which is equivalent to a United Kingdom degree that has followed a period of higher education at a university or equivalent institution of at least three years' duration (full-time or equivalent).

For registration in Secondary Education, an applicant must have studied at least one academic subject appropriate to the curriculum likely to be encountered in a Scottish secondary school to a minimum of 80 Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework (SCQF) points at higher education level, of which at least 40 must be at SCQF Level 8 or above.

Some secondary education subjects have specific academic requirements - a list of these can be found under Secondary Teaching.

Teaching qualifications required

An applicant must have either:

• Completed teacher education equivalent to one academic year of full-time study with any part-time study normally being extended over a period of not more than three years) or
• If academic and teacher education has been undertaken previously (eg, a Bachelor of Education), have completed a course of not less than three years in duration (with any part-time study normally being extended over a period of not more than seven years)

This qualification should extend to SCQF Level 9 or above and should be comparable in terms of organisation and content to the Scottish initial teaching qualification, which means it must include the following elements:

• professional/pedagogic studies
• subject studies
• school experience

Please visit our Primary teaching and Secondary Teaching pages for full details of primary and secondary teaching qualifications in Scotland.

EU/EEA teachers (non UK): if you are recognised in your home Member State as a fully qualified teacher you may be eligible for registration even if you do not meet all of the above criteria. If teaching is not a regulated profession in your home Member State (e.g. France) you should contact us for advice before submitting any application for registration.

There are a number of important policies that may affect your application for registration with us as a primary or secondary school teacher, please refer to our Important Policies page for full details.

For Further Education lecturers qualified outside of Scotland

Academic qualifications required

There are no academic requirements for registration in Further Education.

Teaching qualifications required

Applicants must have completed degree level teacher education in Further Education which is comparable to the Scottish Teaching Qualification (Further Education).

The age range of Further Education in Scotland is 16 years to adult.

Please visit our Further Education pages for further information.