Want to become a teacher? Your study-abroad pathways in 2026

"Can I become a teacher abroad?" We hear this from school leavers who love children, from science graduates who enjoy explaining things, and from teachers already working in Dhaka schools. The answer is yes, but teaching has one rule that surprises many families: a degree is not enough. You also need registration with the teacher regulator in the state, province or country where you want to teach.

This guide maps the routes from three starting points: after HSC or A-levels, after a bachelor's in another subject, and already a qualified teacher. It covers school teaching and early childhood education (teaching children before school age).

How AI is changing this career

We rate teaching as a career that stays human with AI. AI tutors exist, but children still need teachers.

What AI is changing:

• Drafting lesson plans and classroom resources
• Marking routine work and giving first-draft feedback
• Creating personalised practice exercises for each pupil

What stays human:

• Building trust with children and their families
• Managing a classroom of 25 or 30 young people with different needs
• Safeguarding and wellbeing: noticing when a child is unsafe, unhappy or struggling

The World Economic Forum's 2025 report lists teachers among the roles adding the most jobs worldwide to 2030. Teachers who use AI to save time on planning and marking will have more time for the parts of the job only people can do. Our guide to skills AI can't replace explains this in more detail.

The pathway map: find your starting point

Teaching has three main entry doors.

• A teaching degree from the start. You study a bachelor's in education (for early childhood, primary or secondary) that includes supervised teaching practice. This is the normal route after school in Australia, New Zealand and the US.
• A graduate-entry teacher education programme. You already hold a bachelor's in a subject such as maths, physics, English or biology. You add a postgraduate teaching qualification. Length varies a lot: about 9 months in England, two years in Australia and Ontario.
• Registration as an overseas-trained teacher. You already qualified as a teacher in Bangladesh, usually with a B.Ed. You usually apply to the regulator for an assessment rather than starting again.

Meet three students. Farhana has just finished HSC and wants to work with young children. Rakib has a BSc in Physics with a 3.4 CGPA and enjoys tutoring. Sharmin has an honours degree and a B.Ed, and has taught English for five years at a school in Dhaka. They are on three different pathways.

Pathway 1: straight after HSC or A-levels

School teaching

If Farhana wanted to teach in schools, a bachelor's in education would be her most direct route in Australia, New Zealand or the US. In the UK, most people take a degree in a subject and then a short teacher training year. Whichever route you choose, check two things on the course page:

1. Does it lead to registration with the regulator in that state or country?
2. How many days of supervised teaching practice does it include? In Australia, accredited undergraduate programmes include at least 80 days, according to AITSL's accreditation standards.

Early childhood education

Farhana's real interest is young children. Early childhood education has its own qualifications and, in several countries, its own regulator.

• Australia: early childhood teachers need a qualification approved by ACECQA, the national authority for early childhood education and care. ACECQA also assesses early childhood teachers for skilled migration.
• Canada (Ontario): a registered early childhood educator (RECE) usually completes an Ontario college ECE diploma, typically four semesters over two years, then registers with the College of Early Childhood Educators. Only registered members can use the titles "early childhood educator" and "RECE".
• New Zealand: early childhood teachers register with the same Teaching Council as school teachers.

Early childhood and secondary teaching are both on Australia's and New Zealand's lists, so Farhana's interest fits well with the demand.

Pathway 2: you already have a bachelor's in another subject

Rakib's physics degree is a strength: maths and physics teachers are in short supply in many countries. His route is a graduate-entry teacher education programme.

• England: postgraduate teacher training usually takes 9 months full-time and leads to qualified teacher status (QTS). Fee-paying courses need a Student visa sponsored by the training provider; salaried courses need a Skilled Worker visa sponsored by the school, and places are limited.
• Australia: graduate-entry programmes, usually called a Master of Teaching, must include at least two years of full-time study and at least 60 days of professional experience, under AITSL's standards. Many accept a bachelor's from Bangladesh if it includes enough study in your teaching subject.
• Ontario, Canada: the Ontario College of Teachers asks for a three-year degree plus a four-semester teacher education programme.
• New Zealand: graduate diplomas and master's in teaching are available. Remember that the Teaching Council's English rule applies to people studying to be teachers, as well as to registration.

Rakib should study IELTS for speaking and listening early. Teacher regulators often ask for higher scores in speaking and listening than universities do, because teachers talk all day.

Teacher registration: the rules in brief

Whichever pathway you take, you end at the same gate: the regulator. Here is what each one asks, in plain words. Always read the official page for the latest version.

England: qualified teacher status (QTS). QTS is a legal requirement in maintained (council-run) schools in England, and most other schools prefer it, according to GOV.UK. Academies, free schools and private schools can legally employ teachers without QTS, but many still use it to choose between candidates. If you train in England, your provider recommends you for QTS at the end of the course. If you trained abroad, the Department for Education's Apply for QTS service is open only to teachers from a list of eligible countries, and it also asks for at least one school year of teaching experience after qualifying. Its website says it assesses 90% of applications within 12 months.

Australia: two separate steps. To teach, you register with the teacher regulatory authority in your state or territory. To migrate as a skilled teacher, you also need a skills assessment: from AITSL for school teachers, or from ACECQA for early childhood (pre-primary) teachers. ACECQA's English rule for early childhood teachers matches AITSL's IELTS scores (7 in reading and writing, 8 in speaking and listening), but it also accepts one year of full-time university study in Australia, NZ, Ireland, Canada, the UK or the US. ACECQA's skills assessment fee is A$1,100. AITSL says most complete applications are decided within four weeks.

New Zealand: one Council for all teachers. The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand registers early childhood, primary and secondary teachers. Overseas-trained teachers first get a Teaching IQA from NZQA. The Council notes that some overseas credentials, such as UK QTS and US state licences, are not academic qualifications that NZQA can assess, so it looks at the whole teaching record instead.

Canada: by province. Each province has its own regulator. In Ontario, the Ontario College of Teachers certifies school teachers, and the College of Early Childhood Educators registers early childhood educators. You can apply to the OCT from outside Canada, and your application stays open for one year.

Ireland: the Teaching Council. Teachers who qualified outside Ireland need a recognised teacher education qualification, an induction, and a letter confirming they are fully qualified at home. Post-primary teachers must meet the subject rules for at least one curricular subject. Every post-primary teacher who qualified outside Ireland gets a registration condition to complete a course on the history and structure of the Irish education system, according to the Teaching Council.

Germany: the federal state decides. Teaching is regulated in each state, and the rules follow the German model of two teaching subjects plus a practical training period. In Berlin, you also need German at C2 level.

Pathway 3: you are already a teacher in Bangladesh

Sharmin's question is not "Which degree?" but "Will my B.Ed be recognised?" Each country answers differently.

Sharmin's most realistic options are New Zealand (Teaching IQA, then registration, with IELTS 7 in every band) and Australia (an AITSL assessment if her honours degree plus B.Ed adds up to four years of university study and includes 45 days of supervised practice). If her degrees fall short, a graduate-entry master's in teaching abroad fills the gap and gives her local teaching practice, which regulators value.

Where this career is in demand

A listing helps, but it is not a visa promise. Canada's 2026 categories, for example, need at least one year of recent work experience. Read our guide to courses that match skills shortages for how these lists work.

Your plan from now to first job

1. 1
   NowChoose your age group

   Early childhood, primary or secondary? Each has its own courses and, sometimes, its own regulator.

2. 2
   12–15 months beforeCheck registration first

   Read the regulator's page for your target country before choosing a course. Confirm the course leads to registration there.

3. 3
   10–12 months beforeAim high on English

   Target IELTS Academic 7 in every band, and 8 in speaking and listening if Australia is on your list. Start with our IELTS level check.

4. 4
   9 months beforeGet classroom experience

   Volunteer, tutor or assist in a school or preschool. Keep a record of ages taught and what you did.

5. 5
   6–9 months beforeApply and prepare checks

   Teaching needs police checks and sometimes health checks. Start gathering documents early with our country checklists.

6. 6
   During and after the courseRegister, then apply for jobs

   Register with the regulator as soon as you are eligible. Keep every placement report: you will need them.

A note for parents

Teaching is a respected, stable profession, and it travels well once you are registered. When you compare countries, ask:

• How many years until my child can teach? A teaching degree usually takes three to four years. Graduate entry adds nine months in England or about two years in Australia and Ontario.
• Does the course lead to registration? Ask the university in writing.
• Where will my child do teaching practice? Placements in local schools matter to regulators and to future employers.

Children and schools need patient, caring adults. Students who have already enjoyed tutoring or helping in a classroom usually make the strongest teachers.

Explore courses

See early childhood, teaching and education courses from our partner universities and colleges on our Teaching and early childhood career guide, and compare countries for this career with our country chooser.