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Written question asked by Jonathan Davies (Labour) on Monday, 29 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 July 2026. It was answered by Georgia Gould (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Teachers: Migrant Workers

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Home Secretary on taking steps to reduce barriers to the recruitment and retention of international teachers in shortage subjects, including Modern Foreign Languages.

Answer

Recruiting and retaining expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity for every child. While our focus is on increasing the number of high-quality domestic teachers, international teachers make a valuable contribution to the teacher workforce in many subjects, including modern foreign languages. This is reflected in visa arrangements, where international teachers can qualify for a skilled worker visa if they are paid in line with teachers’ national pay scales, rather than the higher salary threshold which applies to most occupations.

To support schools in recruiting the teachers they need, the department regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Home Office and the British Council.

Guidance on recruiting and retaining international teachers is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recruit-teachers-from-overseas.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
14245
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Recruitment Labour turnover Migrant workers Teachers
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk