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The UK government is offering £10,000 to foreign teachers in an effort to address chronic staffing shortages in English schools. The recruitment drive will focus on hiring maths, science, and language teachers from countries such as India and Nigeria. Additionally, changes will be made to recognize teaching qualifications from countries including Ghana, India, Singapore, Jamaica, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

To cover visa and relocation expenses, the Department for Education has already provided £10,000 (IRP) “international relocation payments” to physics and language teachers. Last year, the government fell 40% short of its secondary teacher recruitment target, with a significant shortfall in physics and foreign languages teachers.

What Is An International Relocation Payment (IRP)?

IRP is a type of grant designed by the UK government to repay some of the costs of moving to the country. It aims to magnify the influx of overseas teaching staff in the nation and it includes:

Qualified trainees from outside the UK
Foreign languages educators
Physics teachers

Expenses covered in IRP Grant

The £10,000 (IRP) international relocation payment will cover for the following:

Costs of visas
Immigration health surcharge
Other relocation expenses

While the recruitment initiative aims to address staffing shortages, concerns have been raised about its potential impact on education in the source countries. Critics argue that actively recruiting teachers from African countries, where a significant percentage of children struggle with literacy, could hinder progress.

Therefore to be eligible for this grant, you are required to meet UK stated Requirement and Eligibility Criteria.

Eligibility Criteria

Degree from a recognised teacher-training qualifications,
1 year experience in Teaching field
Speak English to the UG level.
Willing to live in the UK in FY 2023-24 to work in the UK

The Department for Education stated that the recruitment initiative is part of a one-year training, providing the opportunity for up to 400 teachers from around the world to teach in UK schools. The government is exploring multiple options to ensure that every child has access to excellent teachers.

How This Scheme Work

The scheme is meant to work differently for fee-paying trainees, teachers, and salaried trainees. Here is a detailed breakdown of all the three types:

Fee-Paying Trainees

Non-UK candidates can expect to pay training fees ranging from £9,250 to about £32,000, which vary between training providers.
Living costs will also need to be covered.
Some non-UK candidates may be eligible for a reduction in fees to the rate paid by UK applicants (maximum £9,250). However, most non-UK candidates are not eligible for this support.

For trainees enrolled in fee-paying courses, there is no need to apply for the International Recruitment and Placement (IRP) grant. The course providers will automatically disburse the IRP grant to the trainees at the end of the first year, alongside any bursaries they are eligible for.

The UK government collaborates with various organizations to offer a limited number of bursaries with the following amounts:

£27,000 for trainees in physics, mathematics, chemistry, and computing courses.
£25,000 for trainees in German, French, and Spanish courses (no other languages).
£15,000 for trainees in English language courses.

The training bursaries are based on the subject they are trained to teach rather than the subject of the academic qualification. Furthermore, these awards are fixed for the duration of the program and are not affected by the length of training. Apply for a course now

Salaried Trainees

Non-UK candidates can apply for a salaried teacher training course where they do not have to pay a fee and can earn money while training in a school.
These courses are limited in number and highly competitive. Learn more about this

Salaries trainees will receive the IRP once they step into the country and apply for the DfE and taken up their training program.

The salaried trainees must be trained to teach one of the following subjects at a secondary level:

Any language except English including courses that combines languages with another subject as long as they take up at least 50% of the course content
Secondary-level courses combining English language as long as the non-English language courses make up at least 50% of the course content
Physics including Engineers teach physics and any courses that involve 50% of physics course content

Teachers

Teachers should apply for DfE in autumn 2023, and they will receive the IRP after they enter the country and start their teaching role. If eligible teachers also will receive the IRP at the end of first term if their DfE application is successful.

How To Apply?

You will be able to apply for the IRP from 1 September to 31 October 2023. To apply you can email IRP.ExpressInterest@education.gov.uk to confirm your interest in applying for the IRP. You will be asked to fill in a form submitting your details and you will be contacted when IRP applications open. If you are eligible, you’ll receive the money around the end of your first school term of employment.

How is the Grant Paid?

To receive the international relocation payment (IRP), certain eligibility requirements must be met, which can only be verified after arriving in England. Therefore, the payment cannot be made prior to starting your teacher training or teaching job.

To be eligible for the payment, you need to have a UK bank account (which can be digital). If you are a teacher or a salaried teacher trainee, you must also have a UK National Insurance number, which can be obtained after arriving in England and having the right to work with a confirmed job.

The Department for Education will make a single payment around the end of your first term of training or employment. The payment will be processed once your eligibility requirements have been checked, but an exact payment date cannot be guaranteed.

You do not need to provide any justification or submit receipts or other evidence of relocation costs you have incurred.

The Department for Education has the right to withhold payment if you are no longer enrolled in an eligible course or employed in an eligible teaching job on the payment date.

Once you have received the international relocation payment, there is no requirement to repay it, even if you leave England, your training course, or your teaching job