How to fill out the student application form

Introduction

It should take you around 15 minutes to complete the student application form.

You need to watch the video of the Autumn Talk below before starting the application for provisional registration.

You will not be able to proceed with the application until you have confirmed that you have viewed the presentation.

You can also watch the following video for guidance on completing the form.

You should scan copies of your ID and any documents to support the disability/exceptional circumstance section before you begin. See Step 5 below for information about the ID required.

Sections marked with an asterisk * are mandatory. You need to complete these before moving to the next step.

Pre-populated information

Some information will be pre-populated from the information we have received from your Higher Education Institution (HEI).

Step 1 - Personal details

Name

You cannot edit your forename and surname. Please let us know if your name has changed or does not appear as expected.

Please attach one of the following documents as proof of the name change:

marriage certificate;
civil partnership certificate;
divorce certificate; or
change of name deed.

Scan or photograph this certificate, save it as a PDF using the email subject ‘Change of Name’ and send it to us.

The forename and surname details GTC Scotland holds for you must match the details your HEI has on their records for future processing. Please tell both us and your HEI if your name has changed. Failure to do this may cause a delay in your starting probation.

Mobile number

You must provide at least one mobile number in this section. We will send you important information about your application and probation allocation by text.

Step 2 - Teacher qualifications

Dual qualifications

If you are studying a course leading to dual qualification you will see both subjects listed at the top of the page.

You can complete your TIS year in two subjects if you are eligible for dual qualification. If you do not wish to complete your TIS year in both subjects please still complete your application. Once you have submitted your application, contact us to let us know the subject you want to complete TIS in.

Step 3 - Teacher Induction Scheme

Participate in the Teacher Induction Scheme

Your HEI lets us know if you are eligible to participate in TIS. If you believe the information on this part of the application is wrong, please discuss it with your HEI. They will let us know if we need to amend the information.

Contact us if you are eligible to participate in TIS but do not wish to. You should provide the reason for withdrawing, for example, you wish to follow the Flexible Route instead.

Participate in the Flexible Route

Learn more about The Flexible Route.

Important factors to consider for TIS Probationers

Preference waiver payment

If you select the preference waiver option you have agreed to work in any local authority in Scotland. In return for choosing this option, you will receive a payment of:

Secondary teacher: £8,000 (minus tax and national insurance contributions)
Primary teacher: £6,000 (minus tax and national insurance contributions)

If you select ‘Yes’ to this option, you cannot select the preference to complete your probation in an island authority.

Island authorities

If you are from an island local authority and would prefer to return there for your probationary period select it as your first preference.

The island local authorities are:

Orkney Islands Council,
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) or
Shetland Islands Council

We cannot guarantee your allocation to an island authority.

Preference choices

There are 32 local authorities. You need to choose 5 preferences. View a map of local authorities.

Think carefully about your location and circumstances. You may wish to take this as an opportunity to relocate for your probationary year to see more of Scotland. Thinking through transport links and commuting times is a good idea.

For example, if you live in Edinburgh and would prefer not to relocate for your probationary year choose The City of Edinburgh as your first choice authority and the four authorities closest to Edinburgh.

Remember you could get your fifth choice. You should make sure all your choices are attainable. Discussing this and the implications with friends and family can help – you may need their support!

Fluency in Gaelic

By choosing this option, you confirm that you are fluent in Gaelic.

Fluency is considered as levels C1/C2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. You can check your fluency using the Comasan Labhairt ann an Gàidhlig scale. There is a section addressing language fluency in our So you want to teach in Gaelic? booklet.

Denomination

If you wish to teach in a Catholic school, approval is required from the Catholic Church. Please check the Scottish Catholic Education Service website for the requirements of different local authorities.

Catholic Teaching Certificate

You should indicate whether you have, or are in the process of gaining, a Catholic Teacher Certificate.

Step 4 - Fitness to Teach

As part of the registration process, GTC Scotland will receive certain information from Disclosure Scotland about criminal convictions you have or criminal charges you are currently facing.

We ask you to tell us about criminal charges or convictions, as part of your application.

Don’t panic if you fall into this category – it is better to be open and honest from the outset.

There is comprehensive guidance on the student application form and about what should be disclosed and the information we require about the disclosure.

If you don’t declare to us or Disclosure Scotland and we get vetting information back stating a criminal conviction, then questions could be asked about your honesty and subsequent professionalism.

Some criminal conviction information may be exempt from disclosure so will not be included in the information that Disclosure Scotland provides and therefore you do not have to declare it.

So that you are fully aware of which convictions you do and do not need to tell us about, we would recommend that you review the Disclosure Scotland Guidance on criminal convictions.

You must tell us about:

Criminal charges that have been raised against you but have not yet resulted in a conviction or caution.
Unspent convictions or cautions – a conviction which has not yet passed what is known as the ‘rehabilitation period’ and so it can be disclosed at any level of disclosure. The guidance here may assist you in assessing whether your conviction is unspent.
Spent convictions that are listed on the Disclosure Scotland A1 list. If the conviction is on this list, it must always be disclosed. These convictions, although spent will never become protected.
Spent convictions listed on the Disclosure Scotland B1 list. A spent conviction for these offences should be disclosed to us unless either of the following rules apply: you received the conviction more than 15 years ago and were 18 years or over at the date of the conviction; or you received the conviction more than 7½ years ago and were under 18 years at the date of the conviction.

If you have successfully applied to a Sheriff Court to have a conviction removed from your Disclosure Certificate you do not need to declare this conviction, whether it is on the A1 or B1 list.

If you are unsure of whether you need to disclose something, please seek independent legal advice.

In addition to the above, there is now a question regarding overseas police clearances.

This will ask you to confirm, if you have spent 3 months or more, in a single period, outwith the United Kingdom during the last 10 years.

Step 5 - Upload ID documents

All teachers need to be a member of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme.

You will have joined the PVG Scheme through your Higher Education Institution as part of going out on student placement. GTC Scotland needs you to apply for an Existing PVG (EPVG) certificate when you apply for provisional registration with us.

You need to upload three ID documents to confirm your name, date of birth and current address. One of these ID documents must include a photograph.

Examples of valid documents include:

Date of birth and name: birth certificate, passport, national ID card, driver’s license
Photographic: passport, national ID card, photo driver’s license
Current address: a bill, bank statement, credit card statement

Please ensure that the address you provide to Disclosure Scotland matches the address you provide to GTC Scotland. Any inconsistencies between the addresses may cause a delay in the commencement of your probation.

You will receive an email containing a link from Disclosure Scotland inviting you to apply for an EPVG certificate.

You must complete your EPVG application within 14 days of receiving the email from Disclosure Scotland. The link will expire after this time. Please advise us of any expired links as soon as possible to avoid delays in your application.

You may not receive the link for several days after you have submitted your application. We advise you to keep a close eye on your inbox and regularly check junk mail in the days following the submission of your application.

Always keep your EPVG certificate safe as you will need information from it in the future.

Step 6 - Disability and exceptional circumstances

If you tick the Disability and/or Exceptional Circumstances boxes it does not guarantee placement in your first or second choice Local Authority. A panel will consider your circumstances and make a decision. We try to be as fair as possible.

Disability

This part of the application is voluntary. We will deal with the information provided confidentially. We will pass the information to your allocated Local Authority so that they can arrange to make any reasonable adjustments.

Exceptional circumstances

Let us know if you have any exceptional circumstances to tell us about (e.g. you are a carer or have a medical condition) so we can consider it.

The following are not classed as exceptional circumstances:

No driving license
No personal transport
Having dependents without special care needs

You can upload supporting documentation for this step of the application.

Step 7 - Declaration

You need to read and tick this page before submitting the application form.