The International Schools Review Forum

If I hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) from the UK what levels, ages and subjects does it entitle me to teach?

Cheers.

QTS simply states that you are a qualified teacher who has done the NQT successfully. The rest is up to the school which hires you, as I believe.

It depends on the context that your asking. In the first context; In the UK QTS or full registration means that youve completed training in professional meds/peds/asst in providing instructional services in the K12/KS environment. it focuses on the 'edu' of teaching not the subject matter content. In that context it is neither age, year or subject specific (with the option of induction differentiating between entry grade and professional grade DTs). Its essentially a K12 'generalist'.
In the second context, your professional DT profile with the TCL has fields for subject matter competence, these are assessed and determined by the EPP/ITT provider program. While a DS could hire a DT with QTS to teach any subject or age/year group, it would be an extremely bad idea for a DS to do so outside of those fields and in the cases that a DS or LEA does substantial documentation of being qualified is required.

If you are looking at the UK, schools actually have substantial leeway in how they employ you in the classroom. Of course they want you teaching your strength. However, when I taught there my strength was not certified, but I had years of experience teaching it and it was what I was hired to teach. It was not a problem in the slightest for my school, my head, or my LEA.

With academies I would argue that domestically in the UK, it is easier to hire someone with skill, but not certified in that area, provided they have QTS.

Overseas, often governments want to see the certification in area. That makes a situation like mine more problematic, but not impossible. Again, no certification in the area, but most of my overseas teaching has been in my area of strength, which are not my areas of certification :-)

@SJ

No they dont. A DS has to qualify a DT and document the means and method in doing so. There is more than one way to be determine being qualified. One is by academic preparation, another is by exam, and yet another is by experience. In your case experience was how your DS determined you were qualified to teach X subject and your QTS that you had the requisite training for delivering instructional services.
Had the scenario been an art DT with no experience, academic or any other evidence in another subject matter proficiency (such as maths) there would be SERIOUS issues with a DS, HOS and the LEA in appointing the DT to that classroom.

In IE, ISs can for the most part (aside from municipal regulated ISs) hire and appoint whoever they want, absent credentials, experience, or academic preparation.

PG - having taught in a domestic UK school, it was made clear to me that the head had a wide latitude of hiring power. I was hired directly by the school, as were others the year I arrived. My contract was not with the LEA, although I did go to a couple of training sessions at the LEA office... it might be because I was an OTT rather than possessing QTS (this was before they granted straight across) that the school was able to do this with me and others.

@SJ

Your HOS was exaggerating, wide latitude isnt absolute latitude. Experience is one route for a DS to qualify a DT, (the MPS even had an unqualified salary level). A DS would have serious issues with Dfe if they appointed a DT they couldnt qualify for their subject some way.

From my UK friends I understand Academies (now the norm) have even more leeway than regular schools had in the past...and that doesn't even get into sixth form colleges...

@SJ

Well yes as of 2012 QTS was no longer a requirement in academies, they removed the language that specific duties must be tasked by someone with QTS. So in the maintained sector where QTS is required the endorsement fields of those ITs is still an issue for appointment, they just cant go out on the street hire some homeless bums and say "want to make £25 come here into this room and read from this book".