Guides
Teaching abroad: plain-English guides
Short, sourced answers to the questions teachers ask before signing with an agency or a school abroad.
- Do teachers pay international recruitment agencies?Who pays when you use an international teacher recruitment agency: what the firms say themselves about candidate fees, and the questions to ask first.
- Can you teach abroad without QTS?Is QTS needed to teach abroad? What GOV.UK says, how iQTS works, and why the real requirement is set by each country and each school.
- Teaching abroad and your UK pensionWhat happens to your Teachers' Pension and State Pension record if you teach abroad: the TPS rules, the COBIS exception and voluntary NI contributions.
- Tax-free teaching jobs: what the label hidesAre tax-free teaching jobs abroad really tax-free? How UK tax residence works under the statutory residence test, and what the UAE says about income tax.
- How to vet an international school before you signCheck a school's accreditation (BSO list, COBIS, CIS, IB), read its inspection report, read GOV.UK travel advice and review the contract before you commit.
- International school recruitment calendarWhen international schools hire: Search Associates fair dates from November 2026 to April 2027, plus the UK resignation dates teachers need to hit.
- Teaching abroad with a familyMoving abroad to teach with a partner and children: how dependant visas work (Singapore as an example), partner work rights and what to ask the school.
- Teaching jobs in Dubai: how to get one as a UK-trained teacherHow hiring works for Dubai private schools: the KHDA Appointment Notice, attested degrees, police certificates and the visa your school arranges.
- Teaching jobs in Qatar: how hiring, licensing and visas workWhat Qatar's education ministry regulates, how the visa route works for non-tourism travel, and what to ask a private school before you accept an offer.
- Agency, recruitment fair or applying direct: how each route worksThree ways into an international school job compared, using the organisers' own pages: online platforms, in-person fairs and direct applications.
- What is a British School Overseas (BSO) and why it matters for teachersThe DfE's voluntary BSO accreditation, how COBIS fits in, and what accreditation means for early career teacher induction and for your due diligence.
- Teacher salaries abroad: where to find real figures and how to compare offersFew reliable salary tables exist for international schools. Here is what is published, what is not, and a checklist for comparing housing, flights and tax.
- Primary teaching jobs abroad: what early years and KS1-2 teachers needWhat primary and early years teachers need for jobs at British and international schools abroad, with Dubai's published minimums and BSO early years rules.
- How to choose an international teacher recruitment agency: a checklistChecklist for judging a teacher recruitment agency: candidate fees, countries filled, live vacancies, claimed memberships and contract checks.