School Teacher

Regulators
  • General Teaching Council for Scotland
Nations
  • Scotland
Sectors
  • Education

Regulatory or professional bodies

Primary regulator

Address

Clerwood House, 96 Clemiston Road
Edinburgh
EH12 6UT

Email address
gtcs@gtcs.org.uk
Phone number
+44 (0)1313 146 000

Regulation

Regulation summary

Teachers are registered with and regulated by The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS). GTCS's functions are set out in the Public Services Reform (General Teaching Council for Scotland) Order 2011.

GTCS sets the Professional Standards for teachers and regulates the teaching profession in Scotland through its Fitness to Teach (FtT) process. This ensures public protection and the maintenance of proper teaching standards.

GTCS investigate and make decisions about a registered teacher’s fitness to teach in line with its Fitness to Teach Rules, which set out the process GTCS follows.

Regulation type

Licence

Reserved activities

Employment as a teacher in a public authority or independent sector school.

More about regulated activities and titles
https://www.gtcs.org.uk/

Qualifications and experience

New professionals

Routes to qualification

Registration is qualifications based. It is a legal requirement for all teachers working in Scottish schools to be registered with GTC Scotland.

Registration criteria is set out in the GTC Scotland Registration and Standards Rules 2015.

If you have qualified inside Scotland, you will require to have obtained a recognised teaching qualification and successfully complete a period of probationary service as required by GTCS, be recommended for full registration and achieved the Standard for Full Registration.

Professionals from other UK nations

Routes to recognition within the UK

Anyone who has qualified outside Scotland, including within the UK, must meet the Qualified Outside Scotland requirements as set out in Schedule 2 of the Registration and Standards Rules 2015.

Professionals from outside the UK

Recognition for professionals outside the UK
Some - qualifications from some countries may be recognised, but professionals from other countries will have to re-qualify
Summary of routes

We provide the Qualified Outside Scotland route to registration. This enables teachers from outside of Scotland to have their qualifications assessed. Where their qualifications meet our requirements for registration, we will award registration in the appropriate part of our register and the individual will be eligible to take up teaching posts in Scottish schools in line with their registration upon payment of the annual registration fee. Where qualifications awarded in a particular country do not meet our requirements this will mean that teachers qualified in that country will not be able to gain registration and become eligible to take up teaching posts in Scottish schools. These individuals would require to obtain qualifications that meet our registration requirements before being able to gain registration and teach in Scotland. Information about applying to register as a teacher qualified in Scotland is provided on our website.

More about recognition for professionals outside the UK
https://www.gtcs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/registration-and-standards-rules.pdf

Registration

Registration requirements

It is a legal requirement for all teachers working in Scottish schools to be registered with GTC Scotland.

You must maintain your registration in line with the Registration and Standards Rules 2015. This includes, among other things:
- completing 'Professional Update' requirements;
- remaining a member of, or be approved in terms of, such disclosure or vetting scheme as may be in place in Scotland in order to protect children and vulnerable groups;
-adhering to the relevant GTC Scotland relevant professional standards;
- payment of annual fee


Legislation

Title of relevant act or charter

Public Services Reform (GTC Scotland) Order 2011

Licence Finder

You may need licences and permits to carry out certain activities in the UK. These are called authorisations. Use the licence finder to find what you need.