A matter of degrees

Most countries have a government department, such as a Ministry of Education, tasked to define who can and cannot work as a teacher in their country. Some countries are more prescriptive than others, and job seekers should not assume that because they are qualified to teach in one country, they can teach in any country.

Examples of requirements on foreign teachers include:

  • Allowing only teachers who hold specific passports
  • Requiring a particular bachelor's degree, such as one that exactly matches your teaching subject
  • Age and experience limits – requiring a minimum number of post-qualification years of experience, or having a maximum age
  • Criminal history- disallowing teachers with any kind of criminal record, or particular types of criminal convictions
  • Requiring a specific number and type of university courses taken as part of your bachelor’s degree, for example Mathematics teachers may be required to have at least half of their University coursework in Mathematics subjects as evidenced by their transcript
  • Requiring a minimum grade point average or pass rate for their bachelor’s degree

Every country has a different set of rules, and these rules can and do change over time. Sometimes they get more restrictive, and sometimes they get more relaxed. Sometimes it depends on which school is asking! 

Edvectus keeps abreast of changes and nuances, and works with our candidates pointing them to schools and regions that can hire them.