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Prior to your offer of employment, checks on personal details such as your health, your qualifications and your permission to work in this country are all likely to be checked.
The following checks are likely to be undertaken prior to your offer of employment.
Identity: an employer may verify your identity by reference to a passport or birth certificate.
Permission to work in this country: prudent employers, agencies and schools will ensure that employees have permission to work in the UK.
Qualifications: you are likely to be asked to produce a notification from the DfE, (or any of its predecessors, such as the DfEE, or from the Department of Education Northern Ireland or the Welsh Assembly) that you hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
Health: you must be mentally and physically fit to be able to teach. You may be required to attend a medical.
References: your employer or the agency is likely to check with your previous employer and with other referees.
Employment history: your employer will wish to see your track record and may ask you to explain any gaps in your employment history.
QTS: your employer will seek documentary proof of QTS or evidence that you fall within one of the exceptions from QTS, such as teachers trained outside the European Union for example. Such teachers can work for four years in the UK without QTS.
Verification of non-European Economic Area (EEA) qualifications: advice on the level and standard of non-EEA overseas teaching qualifications is available from the UK National Academic Recognition Information Centre (UK NARIC).
Induction: If you obtained QTS after 7 May 1999, the employer will wish to see evidence that you have successfully completed a statutory induction period.
Proof of registration with the General Teaching Council (GTC): all teachers working in maintained primary, special and secondary schools and non-maintained special schools along with pupil referral units are required to register with the GTC. Supply agencies are likely to require proof of registration with the GTC as a requirement before offering work.
Criminal records: The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 does not apply to teachers and you should be aware that, if requested, you must give details of all criminal convictions (including cautions) and those that would normally be regarded as spent. You must ensure that the details you provide are correct and up to date. The declaration you make will be verified by the document you receive from the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), your employer and the supply agency. This document (known as an ‘enhanced disclosure’) will also show whether you are on 'List 99'. For more information about this, see the CRB page on the ATL website.