October 2026 - On the Culture

UK teaching suits teachers who want pay scale security and QTS progression, while international teaching suits those seeking travel and tax-free salaries. Both options fill your week with lessons, yet they influence your money and your next promotion very differently.

Most teachers compare these two paths far too late, usually after an application deadline has already slipped past. At On The Culture, we connect teachers with UK and international school roles, and we hear that same regret from working teachers at the end of every hiring season.

This teaching abroad comparison weighs pay, qualifications, classroom life, and the job hunt across both paths, using figures you can check yourself. Here’s how the two paths compare.

Salary and Benefits: How UK Teaching Jobs and International Teaching Pay Compare

Professional sitting at a wooden home desk in late afternoon light

Real gaps sit in deductions, housing, and flights. The table below sets the main money lines beside each other for 2024/25 entry salaries, drawn from the DfE pay scales.

Pay factor	UK teaching	international teaching
Starting salary	£31,650 in the West Midlands, £36,745 in inner London	£28,000 to £45,000, with no income tax deducted
Deductions	20% income tax plus a 9.6% pension contribution	0% income tax in the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait
Housing	You pay rent, near £900 a month outside London	Furnished apartment or a housing allowance included
Added extras	Yearly pay point rises and funded professional development	Annual flights home, medical cover and school fees for your children

Those columns only make sense against your own rent, loan payments and savings goal (the flights allowance alone can shift your whole budget). A UK teacher clearing student debt reads these rows very differently from a teacher who carries none.

Do UK Teaching Jobs and International Teaching Careers Ask for the Same Initial Teacher Training?

Young teaching trainee standing at the back of a school classroom

Pay aside, UK teaching jobs usually require Qualified Teacher Status, while international teaching jobs often accept a degree plus a teaching certificate. That single difference decides how many months you wait before you stand in front of your own class.

Qualified Teacher Status and QTS Routes for a New Teacher in the UK

Qualified Teacher Status, or QTS, is the licence you need before you teach in the UK state system across England and Wales.

You can earn it through a university PGCE, School Direct, or an apprenticeship PGTA that pays you while you train. Each route runs for about one year and ends with assessed placements in two different schools. Once qualified, you complete a separate statutory induction year in your first teaching position. That induction leads to pay scale progression and a permanent contract.

Independent schools and further education colleges can hire without QTS, so the rule isn’t universal.

What International Teaching Employers Ask of Overseas Trained Teachers

International teaching employers usually ask for a bachelor’s degree, two years of classroom experience, and a recognised teaching certificate.

Many British curriculum schools in Dubai and Shanghai still want QTS. Bilingual schools accept a PGCEi or a state license from Canada or Australia instead. Recruiters we work with screen overseas teachers for subject shortages first, so a science teacher clears interviews faster than a generalist does.

Your visa then rests on attested documents, so budget about six weeks for degree verification before the term starts.

Where Should You Check Teacher Training and International Education Rules?

Check government sources before agency blogs, because entry rules for teacher training change at the start of most academic years.

Get Into Teaching lists funded routes and bursaries, and the official teaching vacancies site shows jobs posted by schools across the UK. For international teaching, each ministry of education publishes its own licence rules (ministries often change these rules without any public notice).

School career pages also list entry requirements, so check those alongside the government sources before paying any agency fee.

Comparing Classroom Life in the UK Education System and International Teaching Schools

Primary school classroom during morning lesson time

Comparing classroom life early helps you pick a school environment where you can teach at your best.

Class Sizes, Contact Hours and Support Staff

In UK teaching, a secondary school timetable runs near 22 contact hours a week, and Ofsted inspections affect how you plan. Class sizes average 27 in a Primary School, and early years rooms add teaching assistants for phonics groups.

By contrast, international teaching schools often cap classes near 18 and hire learning support staff for each year group, because parents pay fees and expect quick replies. Your classes hold students from around the world, so you repeat instructions in plain English and check understanding twice. This habit carries over to any classroom with mixed reading levels or English as an additional language.

Discipline, Diversity and Daily Routines

Discipline differs as well, since UK teaching leans on written policies and logged detentions that follow a pupil through school. International teaching leans on parent meetings instead. A teacher we placed in Madrid rebuilt her whole class routine during week two, and her overseas teacher experience now impacts every lesson plan.

You’ll feel that contrast on your first wet break duty. Both settings also expect teachers to take diversity and inclusion seriously, since every roll call now holds several home languages and a wide spread of reading ages.

The Job Hunt Looks Different for UK Teaching Jobs and International Teaching Careers

Once you know which path suits your classroom style, the next step is the job search itself. Each market runs on its own calendar, so one identical CV sent everywhere wastes about six weeks of your year.

Four practical differences decide where you should spend your application time this season.

Hiring Calendar: Posts for UK teaching jobs peak between January and May for a September start, while international teaching fairs run from October to February. Miss that window, and you wait a full year. So set reminders for both calendars in September so you can apply to either market without scrambling.
Where Roles Appear: Schools in the UK post on the government service and council boards, including teaching jobs in London. International teaching roles sit on platforms like Search Associates, Schrole, and TES International, most of which charge a registration fee. Register on two platforms and set alerts for your subject rather than browsing listings manually each week.
Interview Format: Expect a taught lesson observation and a panel interview for UK teaching. International schools typically ask for a 10- to 15-minute recorded teaching clip and a video call with the head of department. Choose a clip that shows you managing a mixed-ability group, since that’s the scenario most panels want to see.
Contract Length: International teaching usually signs you for two years with a completion bonus paid at the end. UK teaching offers rolling permanent posts you can hold for a decade. Read the early-exit clause before you sign an international contract, since leaving mid-year can cost you the bonus and your return flight.

Supply teaching gives new teachers a low-risk look at UK schools, and agencies place Supply Teachers in most boroughs within a week. Any teacher who likes a school often hears about its permanent posts first.

Also, make sure to match your calendar to the market you want, since a September start needs spring applications and a two-year overseas contract needs October fairs. Teachers who review both calendars in the same week keep every option open.

Take Your Next Step in Teaching and Leadership

Both paths build the same core skill: holding a room of thirty students for a full hour. The difference lands in your payslip, your contract length, and the paperwork you file each year. A pension compounding for thirty years and a route to head of department points to UK teaching. No mortgage, fast savings, and travel within five years point to international teaching.

Ready to weigh both paths against real vacancies? Visit On The Culture to line up teaching jobs and school partnerships at every stage of your career.

The difference between PGCE and QTS can confuse anyone exploring teaching qualifications in the UK. Both often appear on the same course page, but they serve different purposes. A PGCE is an academic qualification, while QTS is the professional status you need to teach in most state schools in England.

Some people even apply for teacher training without checking if their course offers a PGCE, QTS, or both. Here at On The Culture, we help aspiring teachers understand their qualification options before choosing a training route.

This guide explains each training route and its costs. You’ll also learn how much classroom time each option involves.

PGCE vs QTS: What Each Term Means for You

Young graduate in a university office holding their postgraduate

A PGCE and QTS serve different purposes in your teaching career, even though they often appear together. Once you know what each one offers, you can choose the right training route.

The next three sections explain what each qualification means and how they differ.

PGCE: The Academic Qualification Explained

A PGCE stands for Postgraduate Certificate in Education. It’s a university-awarded qualification that you can study for after completing your first degree.

It also carries 60 credits at master’s level, and those credits count toward a full master’s degree later.

As part of the course, you’ll study teaching theory, assessment and child development. Universities assess your academic work through written assignments rather than lesson observations. Most providers in England offer a PGCE alongside teacher training, though the certificate alone doesn’t qualify you to teach.

QTS: The Status You Need to Become a Teacher in England

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) confirms you’re qualified to teach in most state schools in England. You’ll usually need it to secure a permanent teaching position in these schools.

You earn the status by meeting the Teachers’ Standards while a mentor watches you teach across two school placements.

The Teaching Regulation Agency records QTS on a public register, so any school can check it before an interview. Headteachers can check this register when they shortlist candidates, so your QTS status plays an important role in their hiring decisions.

Can You Hold Both Teaching Qualifications UK Providers Award?

Most trainees ask if they need both qualifications, and many training courses offer them together. University-led training often lets you earn a PGCE and gain QTS within the same year.

But a school-based route can award QTS alone. We’ve seen career changers add the PGCE credits later through part-time study (most of them finish that top-up within one extra year).

Comparing Teacher Training Routes: PGCE versus QTS on Cost and Time

Person at a kitchen table with a laptop and spread

Cost is one of the main differences between these two teacher training routes. Fees, funding options and course length can vary depending on whether your training includes a PGCE.

The four points below will help you compare your options:

Comparison point	PGCE	QTS
Typical tuition fee	£9,535 for the 2025/26 year	£0 on salaried school-based training
Time to complete	9 to 12 months full-time	9 months, or 2 terms assessment-only
Master’s credits earned	60 credits at level 7	No academic credits
Recognition outside England	Accepted by many international schools	Required for English state schools only

Training providers may charge different fees, so check their fee tables before you apply. A PGCE can offer an advantage if you plan to teach overseas.

However, a salaried QTS route may suit you better if you can’t afford to study without an income. You can find funding details on each provider’s website (funding rules usually change at the start of every academic year).

Which Gives More Practical Classroom Experience: A PGCE or QTS-Only Route?

Trainee teacher standing at the front of a secondary school classroom

The time you spend in the classroom can affect how prepared you feel when you start teaching. Both routes offer practical classroom experience, but the balance between academic study and teaching practice can differ.

You’ll notice three main differences in the classroom experience of each route:

Placement Hours: Each route requires a minimum of 120 days in school. PGCE trainees split those days around university seminars and assignment deadlines, while QTS-only trainees run them alongside paid classroom work.
Mentor Contact: On a PGCE course, you’ll receive support from a school mentor and a university tutor who assesses your written work. QTS-only trainees also meet regularly with a mentor to review their progress against teaching standards.
Teaching Practice Depth: PGCE trainees usually observe lessons before they start teaching independently. Salaried QTS trainees often take responsibility for their own classes earlier in the course.

Your starting confidence influences which route feels more suitable. Theory eases you in on a PGCE, and the QTS-only route drops you into teaching practice straight away. Neither pace shortens those 120 days.

How Does the Difference Between PGCE and QTS Affect Your Teaching Career?

Your long-term career goals should guide your choice of teacher training route. Many career changers don’t realise how this decision can affect their future opportunities (especially if they plan to teach abroad).

Consider a teacher with a PGCE who applies to an international school in Dubai. The school may ask for proof of their 60 master’s-level credits. In the United States, QTS alone doesn’t qualify you to teach, as each state has its own licensing rules.

If you plan to take on a leadership role in England, QTS and a few years of teaching experience can help you progress. And after three years, you may be ready to apply for roles like head of department, depending on your experience.

With your career goals in mind, take time to compare what each training provider offers. Course descriptions often focus on the benefits, so check the fees and qualification details yourself.

You can also use the Get Into Teaching website to compare training routes. A quick warning, though: if you use an external training site, check each provider’s Privacy Policy before sharing personal details.

Take Your First Step Into Teacher Training

A PGCE gives you academic credits, while QTS confirms you’re qualified to teach in most state schools in England. Once you understand this difference, it’s easier to decide which qualification suits your career goals.

If you plan to teach abroad within five years, a PGCE will give you more options when applying to international schools. On the other hand, if you need an income during training, a salaried QTS-only route could be a better fit.

At On The Culture, we share helpful resources to guide you through your teacher training options and career choices. Contact us for guidance on your application.

UK Teaching or International Teaching: Which Career Path Fits You Better?