QTLS eligibility criteria checklist

This checklist is designed to support your decision to apply for professional formation leading to QTLS. View the PDF version of the checklist. If you answer ‘No’ to any of the statements below, you are not currently eligible to apply. Please email membership@etfoundation.co.uk if you have any questions or require clarity on the eligibility criteria.

SET membership

Are you a current MSET (Member) or FSET (Fellow) member of SET?

• Yes
• No – you need to become a member in order to apply to undertake professional formation leading to QTLS, (please check the full eligibility criteria for further information).

Employment: Further Education and Skills settings

Are you employed (not voluntary) in a FE and Skills setting including Sixth Form colleges?

• Yes
• No – you are not currently eligible to undertake QTLS unless under exceptional circumstance* (see below). If you teach in a school, you should undertake QTS. If you teach in a Higher Education Institute (HEI), you should undertake an HEA Fellowship.

*Exceptional circumstances: If you answered ‘No’ to the above question, do one of the following exceptional circumstances apply to you?

Do you teach in a school setting, including Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) schools and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs), teaching groups of post-14 learners, delivering one of the technical subjects or teaching maths and/or English to groups of post-16 learners in a Sixth Form centre within a school?

• Yes
• No – you are not currently eligible to undertake QTLS. If you teach in a school, you should undertake QTS.

Teaching practice

Will you be teaching/training groups of five or more post-14 learners for a minimum of 230 hours between 20 January 2025 to 30 June 2025 at the time of application?

• Yes
• No – you are not currently eligible to apply for QTLS, you need to have a minimum of 230 hours teaching practice in place at the time of application.

Supporter

Have you identified a suitably qualified supporter?

• Yes
• No – you must appoint an appropriate supporter before applying to undertake professional formation leading to QTLS.

Further education and skills teaching qualification

Do you hold an accepted FE and Skills teaching qualification at Level 5 or above?

• Yes
• No – you are not currently eligible for QTLS and you need to complete an accepted Level 5 teaching qualification. If you do hold a teaching qualification but it is not on the approved list, you will need to send a copy of your certificate and transcript to membership@etfoundation.co.uk before you apply.

Maths and English qualifications

Do you hold accepted Level 2 or above maths and English qualifications?

• Yes
• No – if you do not hold Level 2 or above maths and English qualifications then you are not currently eligible for QTLS and you need to complete eligible maths and English qualifications before you can apply. If you do not hold Level 2 or above maths and English qualifications, but they are not on the approved list then you will need to send a copy of your certificates and transcript to membership@etfoundation.co.uk before you apply.

Subject specific qualifications

Do you hold a Level 3 or above qualification for every subject that you teach for five or more hours per week that will be used to evidence your 230hrs+ teaching for professional formation?

• Yes
• No – you are not currently eligible to apply. You must hold relevant Level 3 or above qualifications to support every subject that you teach for five or more hours per week. However, if you teach in a SEND setting within the FE and Skills sector and can evidence a minimum of a Level 3 or above subject specific qualification in any subject, select Yes above.

The following questions only apply to the circumstances detailed below. Only answer these questions if they apply to you.

If you do not teach any subjects for five or more hours per week, do you hold a Level 3 or above qualification in one or more of the subjects you teach?

• Yes
• No – you are not currently eligible for QTLS, you need to hold at least one Level 3+ qualification in a subject that you teach.

If you teach a vocational subject for five or more hours per week, but do not hold a Level 3 or related qualification, do you hold a Level 2 related qualification and a minimum of five years vocational experience in this subject?

• Yes – you will need to provide copies of your qualification certificates and a CV which demonstrates your vocational experience.
• No – you are not currently eligible to apply. You must hold relevant Level 3 or above qualifications to support every subject that you teach for five or more hours per week.

If you deliver initial teacher education qualifications, in addition to your subject specific qualification, do you also have a minimum of five years teaching experience?

• Yes
• No – you are not currently eligible to apply for professional formation leading to QTLS.

Qualifications gained outside of the UK

Only answer this question if any of your qualifications were awarded outside of the UK.

Do you have a UK ENIC statement of comparability?

• Yes – you will need to provide both your certificates and a UK ENIC statement.
• No – you need to obtain the UK ENIC statement for each qualification before you apply.