International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS)

The School of Education at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) are delighted to have been accredited by the Department for Education (DfE) as a provider of International Qualify Teacher Status (iQTS) initial teacher training programme.

Access the link below to download the Department for Education’s iQTS Trainee leaflet:

Download iQTS Trainee leaflet (PDF, 471KB)

If you are an international school and interested your staff gaining iQTS status or hosting an iQTS trainee teacher, access the link below to download the Department for Education’s iQTS Schools leaflet:

Download iQTS Schools leaflet (PDF, 480KB)

The iQTS is a minimum 36-week course that includes a minimum of 120-days of school experience, with face-to-face school-based mentoring, and online training and supervision. Trained school-based mentors support trainees, following a bespoke mentoring programme.

Watch this space for more information about the iQTS at LJMU. Further information about the iQTS and how to apply can be found on the Get Into Teaching website.

Who is iQTS for?

The LJMU iQTS course is available to applicants who meet the Department for Education’s iQTS requirements.

iQTS is suitable for candidates who wish to train to teach and qualify outside the UK, including:

  • UK citizens currently working abroad who wish to start teacher training or develop their teaching career
  • Non-UK citizens who wish to begin teacher training or build on existing teaching experience
  • UK and non-UK teachers without QTS who wish to improve their employability in England and internationally with a UK government-backed and approved professional qualification.

Will LJMU find a placement for me?

No. We are currently developing a partnership in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and the LJMU iQTS course will initial be available to unqualified teachers already employed in a school in the region from early in 2025. In future years, we aim to extend the offer to candidates who are not employed as unqualified teachers.

Entry Requirements

To apply for iQTS you will need to have:

  • a bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, from a UK or non-UK university
  • achieved a standard equivalent to grade 4 in GCSE mathematics
  • for teaching children aged 3 to 11 (equivalent to English primary school), achieved a standard equivalent to grade 4 in a GCSE science (biology, chemistry, or physics) subject
  • demonstrated proficiency in the English language (you’ll need an IELTS score of 6.5 or higher, the equivalent score in another English language testing system, or to have completed some of your education in English, for example, a degree studied in English)
  • be deemed suitable to train teaching in England and in the country in which you will train teaching (passing a range of relevant background checks including an International Child Protection Certificate and/or Letters of Good Conduct)
  • two references (from previous employers and/or your university if you have only recently graduated) confirming your suitability to train teaching and work with children