The British government has removed Nigeria and Ghana from the list of countries whose teachers can apply directly for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England, citing concerns over the ability to properly verify applicants’ employment histories and professional references.
The new rule, which took effect on September 9, 2026, also affects teachers trained in India and effectively ends the direct overseas-trained teacher QTS application route for qualified teachers from the three countries.
The United Kingdom’s Department for Education (DfE) said the decision followed a review of the eligibility requirements for its overseas-trained teacher service, with particular emphasis on ensuring that applicants’ professional standing, qualifications and employment records could be independently authenticated.
At the heart of the decision is the quality and verifiability of employment references submitted by applicants from Nigeria and Ghana.
According to the DfE, its data showed that more than 70 per cent of applications from teachers in Nigeria and Ghana contained work-history references sent from public email accounts, including Gmail and Hotmail, rather than official school or institutional email addresses.
The department said the practice created difficulties for assessors attempting to establish whether the information provided by applicants was genuine.
“Our data shows that more than 70% of applications from teachers in Ghana and Nigeria include work history references that use public email addresses, such as Gmail or Hotmail, rather than a school’s official email domain,” the DfE said.
It added that the situation meant assessors had to devote additional time and resources to verifying information contained in applications.
The British government said the stricter verification requirement was necessary to protect the integrity of the QTS system and ensure that teachers awarded the status actually possess the qualifications and experience required to teach in England.
“We must be confident that the information applicants provide is genuine,” the department said, stressing that the verification process was intended to ensure that overseas teachers granted QTS had the skills and experience needed to teach in English schools.
Under the revised eligibility framework, countries whose teachers are to retain access to the direct QTS route must have a national regulator capable of confirming teachers’ professional standing and must also provide authenticated employment references.
The decision is significant for Nigerian teachers seeking to build careers in England, where QTS is an important professional qualification and is required in many schools, although it is not legally mandatory in every category of school.
However, the new restriction does not amount to a blanket ban on Nigerian or Ghanaian teachers working in England.
British government guidance provides alternative pathways for overseas-trained teachers who are unable to use the direct QTS service. These include assessment-only QTS, teacher training in England and International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS), depending on individual circumstances.
Teachers may also be able to teach in England for up to four years without QTS under specified conditions.
For countries that remain eligible for the direct route, applicants are required to meet a number of conditions, including holding a valid passport, possessing a degree equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree, being professionally recognised as a teacher in their country of training, completing any mandatory induction requirements and having at least nine months of post-qualification teaching experience.
Applicants must also provide employment references capable of being independently verified, including through official school-domain email addresses.
Among African countries, South Africa remains on the British government’s list of countries whose teachers can access the direct QTS application route, subject to the applicable requirements.
The latest decision therefore appears to have been driven less by a blanket assessment of the teaching qualifications of Nigerian and Ghanaian teachers than by the British government’s concerns over the reliability and independent verification of employment references submitted by applicants from the two countries.
For thousands of internationally trained teachers, the development underscores the growing importance of robust professional regulation, institutional record-keeping and independently verifiable employment documentation in accessing regulated professional opportunities overseas.