QTLS FAQs
1. What is QTLS?
Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills status.
No, QTLS is not a course or qualification. QTLS is a professional status achieved after completing a six-month period of professional formation process in a FE and Skills setting.
Yes, QTLS has legal parity with QTS. We are often asked about the parity between QTLS and QTS (Qualified Teacher Status). QTLS is designed for teachers and trainers working in the FE and Skills sector. If you teach in a school, you should undertake QTS, as this is specifically designed for teachers in schools. However, QTLS may be an option in exceptional cases if you work in a school and teach a technical subject to post-14 learners (or post-16 learners where stated) or maths and English to post-16 learners. If you work in a school setting, read our guidance to find out more about the legal parity between QTLS and QTS.
More than 27,000 professionals have achieved QTLS since its introduction in 2008.
2. The application process and requirements
Professional formation is a developmental process leading to the professional status QTLS.
Yes, in order to be eligible to apply to undertake professional formation your SET membership must be active.
In order to apply to undertake the programme you will need to:
- Check your eligibility
- Pay the non-refundable £50 application fee
- Complete and submit the application portfolio
There is one application window per year, from August to October, with successful applicants issued a professional formation portfolio in January 2026.
Teachers and trainers who successfully apply will then undertake a six-month period of professional formation.
During the application window, you will be asked to upload qualification certificates, provide information about your teaching practice, and upload a copy of your professional CV and a narrative that demonstrates your eligibility and suitability to undertake the programme. See the application requirements checklist.
There are four sections which comprise the application stage:
- About you
- Roles and responsibilities
- Qualifications
- Supporting statement (which is an endorsement from your nominated supporter – see Who should my supporter be?)
Once accepted onto the programme, you will be given access to the professional formation portfolio which consists of eight sections:
- About you
- Updates to qualifications and roles and responsibilities
- Self-assessment
- Professional development plan
- Continuing professional development (CPD) record
- Critical reflection on impact
- Final action plan
- Final supporting statement, from your nominated supporter (See Who should my supporter be?)
The role of a supporter is to act as a 'critical friend'. Your supporter should be appropriately qualified (i.e. qualified and experienced teacher, line manager, head of department). Your supporter plays a critical role so please ensure you have a read of our Guidance for Supporters before starting your application and please do not hesitate to contact us on membership@etfoundation.co.uk if you have any questions.
3. Eligibility and teaching practice
Download our pdf on the QTLS reasonable adjustments policy and our pdf on the QTLS support policy.
You will need to have a minimum of two observations of your teaching practice: one within the first six weeks of the professional formation process and one towards the end of the process, no more than six weeks before the submission deadline.
Specific deadlines will be stipulated in the portfolio and specifically in the Knowledge Base and portfolio FAQs.
Once you have received your Initial Teacher Education (ITE) certificate, you can apply to undertake professional formation leading to QTLS.
You must have already received your full certificate before you can apply for professional formation.
Teaching practice with groups of five or more learners who are on a learning programme, based in a FE and Skills setting, that does not lead to a formal qualification, is also accepted.
In the application process, you will be required to demonstrate that you are in a position to accumulate a minimum of 230 hours of group teaching practice across the full period of the programme i.e. six months.
Delivery of CPD/training sessions in an organisation formally designated as a FE and Skills setting is accepted as part of the 230 teaching hours.
Delivery of CPD/training sessions in an organisation formally designated as a school setting is not accepted towards the 230 teaching hours. Please, refer to the exceptional circumstances for school settings.
You don’t have to be working full-time to undertake professional formation, but you will need to be in paid employment and teaching learners aged 14+ for a minimum of 230 hours in a FE and Skills setting for the duration of the professional formation period to meet the evidence requirements.
Yes, you can apply. If you are formally employed under a job title other than teacher, lecturer, or manager (eg: HLTA, TA, etc.) a signed letter from your organisation confirming that you are in the role of main classroom teacher will be required to support your application.
It is possible to undertake professional formation while teaching overseas. However, please be aware that professional formation is underpinned by the Professional Standards for Teachers and Trainers in the FE and Skills sector in England, the employing organisation must be following a British curriculum. Please note that QTLS is only officially recognised in England at the moment.
Traditionally, tutorial sessions are centrally designed and there is usually limited assessment. The content is usually so diverse (between departments and organisations) that a single/handful of qualifications held would not cover the broad subject knowledge required to teach these subjects.
Furthermore, tutorials can often be an opportunity to speak with small groups or individuals rather than teaching a topic. Therefore, we are not able to consider tutorial sessions towards group teaching hours.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to check that they are suitable to apply for professional formation.
You will complete and submit your application portfolio for consideration. SET will then review the application and the evidence supplied to determine whether the eligibility criteria has been met and the suitability of the applicant to undertake professional formation leading to QTLS.
If your application is successful and then your teaching practice changes during the professional formation period, it is your responsibility to contact the Membership and Accreditation team on membership@etfoundation.co.uk to notify them of the changes.
4. Fees, membership, and post-application queries
Yes. The application fee can only be paid by card (personal or business), to access the application portfolio. However, if your application is successful and you are accepted onto the programme, the full programme fees can be paid by your employer. When you reach the select payment type page, please select ‘invoice to employer’. Please remember it is the participant’s responsibility to ensure the invoice is given to their employer/finance department and paid in full as any delay may result in the portfolio outcome being withheld.
If your employing organisation is an ETF Partner and is covering your application and/or programme fees, then no payment will be expected on an individual level. The ETF will discuss the payment process directly with your employer.
Unfortunately, if you miss the published deadlines, you will not be able to defer. In extenuating circumstances, we may be able to offer you an agreed extension, but you must formally request this. Further details can be found in the Terms and Conditions.
If we require further information to support your application this will be requested, and you will be given a deadline by which to respond. If the resubmission is unsuccessful, applicants will need to reapply for a future cohort, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria at the time of application.
Likewise if your application is unsuccessful because you do not currently meet the eligibility criteria, you will be notified and will have the opportunity to apply to join a further cohort, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria published at the time.
If you receive a ‘Resubmission Required’ outcome, you will receive detailed feedback and be given 6 months to resubmit.
If there are significant weaknesses identified during the review of your portfolio, you may be asked to start the programme again.
QTLS is a widely recognised professional status, for teachers and trainers in the Further Education and Skills sector, achieved after successful completion of a six-month period of professional formation. We expect members who hold QTLS status to keep their skills, knowledge, and competencies up to date; membership therefore confirms your ongoing commitment to continuing professional development, a key element of the QTLS programme and subsequent requirement to maintain the status. In addition, membership is a formal condition to maintain QTLS status as stipulated by the Department for Education; the requirement is also enshrined in relevant regulations (updated in 2012).
As a SET member, your name will appear on the Professional Status Register and you will also be issued with a Teacher Reference Number via the Teaching Regulation Agency and will appear in the DfE’s record of qualified teachers, stating that you hold QTLS.
If your membership lapses, your entry on the Professional Status Register will be taken down. In addition, whilst you will retain your TRN, your entry in the DfE’s record of qualified teachers will be updated to reflect that you no longer hold qualified teacher status (unless you hold QTS).
You can rejoin SET at any time; you will then be placed back onto the register and your DfE record will also be updated. Please see our FAQs on Teacher Reference Numbers.
The professional formation review process is conducted by a team of appropriately qualified and experienced reviewers and moderators, who also undergo specialist training when appointed. They are members of SET and are representative of the breadth of the FE and Skills sector.
Your application outcome will be released no later than 27 November 2025.
Your professional formation portfolio will be reviewed in July 2026, following submission and you will be notified of the outcome on 6 August 2026. Notifications are released throughout the day and no later than 4pm.
Once you receive your outcome, you can access and download a digital certificate from your MY SET dashboard. Your hard copy certificate will be posted to you at a later date.
You can download your digital QTLS pin from the MY SET dashboard. This can be used in your email signature, LinkedIn profile and social media, whilst your membership of SET is maintained.
Yes, on successful award, and whilst you are in SET membership, you can use the post nominals QTLS in addition your membership designations e.g. MSET or FSET.
Yes, you can. Just contact us with your name and membership number.
All members with QTLS status, who maintain this status through their SET membership, will be issued with a Teacher Reference Number (if they do not already hold one) and will appear on both SET’s professional status register and the DfE’s central record of qualified teachers managed by the Teacher Regulation Agency.
You can opt out of this arrangement by contacting us on dataprotection@etfoundation.co.uk. We will ensure that your data is not shared with the TRA. Please refer to our FAQs on Teacher Reference Numbers.