Job Discussion Forums

[athenssoest]

I've read several post here about American teachers wanting to teach in the UK (I'm thinking about it too), but i'm wondering how many are successful at finding a job and navigating through all of the red tape. Are there Americans teaching in the UK?

[Mr_Monkey]

There are two working at my school. They have spouse visas though.

It's actually very difficult for Americans to get a work visa for the UK.

I think most English teachers in the private sector would fall under Tier 2 of the UK points-based immigration system (PBS). If you were qualified for ESL/EAL work in the US, you might fall under Tier 1, or be able to convince a school, FE college or other public sector institution to sponsor you under tier 2.

The problem with the tier 1 and 2 visas is that you must either be in the country with a form of 'leave to remain' that allows you to switch visa types (tier 1), or you must have a permanent job offer and sponsorship from your employer (tier 2). Naturally, considering the amount of paperwork involved in sponsorship, and the proviso that the job must not be capable of being filled by a British citizen, schools are extremely unlikely to want to sponsor you - there are already more "qualified" candidates (I use the term advisedly) with British passports than there are jobs.

However, I am not an immigration lawyer, and this is just my interpretation of the immigration rules, which is not that of the entry clearance officer, visa-issuing officer or the immigration officer at the airport.

Of course, if you have an EU passport (or can legally obtain one), things are much simpler. Alternatively, you could just marry a British citizen.

[mimi_intheworld]

It's a lot of paperwork and a lot of red tape, but in my experience, the UK is kind of hungry for "qualified" teachers (I agree with Mr_Monkey and also use that term advisedly). I used a recruiter and got work in a school that was clearly willing to pay for the sponsorship for my visa. That's the good thing about using a recruiter - they find the school and therefore the sponsorship for your visa.

I'll be honest and say I both loved and hated teaching in the UK. But you know, lessons learned and all that, and now I feel I have better discernment about what I want in my next overseas job.