Introduction
Welcome to GTC Scotland and congratulations on achieving full registration. As a fully registered teacher in Scotland, we want you to feel proud to be part of a regulated profession that plays a vital role in society, values high professional standards and promotes trust in teaching.
Below is helpful information as you embark on your career as a fully registered teacher in Scotland. This information is for fully registered primary, secondary and further education teachers who:
- completed initial teacher education in Scotland and have qualified either via the Teacher Induction Scheme or the Flexible Route
- completed a teaching qualification in another country and achieved full registration through the Flexible Route
- qualified as fully registered teachers of further education after completion of a teaching qualification in further education
...Teaching is complex, relational and intellectual work where teachers work in relationships of authority and trust. It is a profession rooted in highly specialist knowledge and skills, where standards, ethics and values are core to what it means to be a teacher.
- Pauline Stephen, Chief Executive and Registrar of GTC Scotland (2025)
Our role
GTC Scotland was established in 1965 following calls from teachers for a body to ensure teacher standards. It was made a fully independent body in 2012. We are the regulator for teachers in Scotland. We work in the public interest to enhance trusted teaching by setting, upholding and promoting high standards as a safeguard for the quality of education.
Registration
It is a legal requirement for all teachers working in Scottish schools to be registered with GTC Scotland.
GTC Scotland registration is an individual responsibility that honours a collective responsibility. It is about belonging to a regulated profession. Being on the register of teachers reflects your professional standing as a qualified teacher and your commitment to quality teaching and learning through maintaining standards.
An individual who is employed as a teacher must be employed in a role that aligns with their registration category. Registration and registration categories are rooted in law. This ensures that registration is a public protection - that teachers teach who and what they are qualified to teach.
Teaching standards
Together the Professional Standards and the Code of Professionalism and Conduct (COPAC) set out what it means to become, be, and to grow as a teacher in Scotland.
The Standard for Full Registration is the benchmark of competence required of all fully registered teachers in Scotland. The Professional Standards for Lecturers in Scotland’s Colleges provide a clear description of the professional practice, knowledge, behaviours, qualities and capabilities that lecturers in colleges are expected to maintain and enhance throughout their careers. COPAC presents the ethical standards that all registered teachers must uphold.
We encourage fully registered teachers to use our three aspirational standards (Standard for Career-long Professional Learning, Standards for Middle Leadership, Standard for Headship) to support their development.
You can find information about the importance of ethics in teaching below.
Fitness to Teach
Our Fitness to Teach process is about ensuring that standards of conduct and competence are upheld. We investigate serious concerns about people employed as teachers in Scottish schools and colleges.
Watch the following video for a summary of our Fitness to Teach process or visit the Fitness to Teach pages to find out more.
Professional Update
Professional Update (PU) is a requirement for registration with GTC Scotland and is key to maintaining teacher professionalism. You are required to confirm your PU every 5 years.
For teachers that are not in employment or working in an establishment which does not have a validated PU process but who wish to maintain registration, the Professional Update process can be completed via a direct submission process to GTC Scotland.
Professional Review and Development (PRD) is an integral aspect of PU, and provides you with ongoing opportunities to reflect on your practice and personal learning through professional learning dialogue supported by an annual review meeting.
MyGTCS
MyGTCS allows teachers to document their professional learning and record the outcomes of the activity and link this to the Professional Standards, PRD and Professional Update. It enables you to critically reflect and record professional learning throughout your career.
In addition, the Research area in MyGTCS offers access to a wide range of resources, including access to over 1,700 education journals and access to eBooks on themes of assessment, enquiry and research, leadership and more.
MyGTCS is where you go to update your contact and employment details with us. It is vital that you keep these updated throughout your teaching career.
Useful links
Our website has a search function at the top of the page, to help you find any information you are looking for. You can also keep up to date on the latest news from us in the GTC Scotland news and updates area and blog.