Teaching in Wales : Applying for jobs

To research schools in Wales, visit the Estyn  website.

To teach in maintained schools in Wales as a newly qualified teacher (NQT), you must be registered with the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW) . If you have trained in Wales, you do not have to pass the literacy, numeracy and ICT skills tests in order to gain qualified teacher status (QTS), even if you go on to teach in England, although this may change in future.

Recruitment trends

Primary

Obtaining a primary job in Wales is currently very competitive and a high proportion of NQTs are in supply work obtained either directly from schools or through teacher recruitment agencies.

Secondary

First tier highest recruitment priority:

• mathematics;
• physics;
• chemistry;
• Welsh.

Second tier priority:

• modern foreign languages (MFL); 
• biology; 
• combined/general science.

Teaching vacancies

Vacancies are advertised in:

• Times Educational Supplement (TES) ;
• JobsWales  and the South Wales Evening Post  for south and west Wales;
• Cambrian News  for mid and west Wales;
• Golwg  for Welsh-medium posts;
• UCAC , teachers’ union for Wales;
• Eteach .

Local authority vacancies

• Some local authorities (LAs) operate a pool system for primary posts. Advertisements appear in the press for these in mid-January.
• Most LAs hold a supply teacher database and may carry permanent vacancies.

Full details of teacher recruitment policies for LAs in Wales are available from the National Union of Teachers (NUT) .

Induction

NQTs can count term-length periods of supply teaching towards their induction, which should be completed within five years from the date of gaining QTS.

More information on teaching in Wales can be found on the Teacher Training & Education in Wales  website.