The international relocation payment scheme, which is being piloted from 2023 to 2025, was launched in September last year offering £10,000 for relocation expenses including those related to visa costs and immigration health surcharges, explains immigration lawyer Julie Moktadir.
Julie works for national law firm Stone King and is based in Cambridge.
Initially, the payment was available to both trainee teachers and those who are fully qualified with the scheme intended to make education roles in England more attractive to overseas talent.
However, the Department of Education announced changes to the scheme on 3 April stating that those in teacher training from 2024 to 2025 will no longer be eligible for payments under the scheme from 1 July 2024 onwards.
Eligible teachers who apply before 1 September 2024 will receive a single payment of £10,000 towards the end of their first term at a UK school whilst those applying after 1 September 2024 will receive two £5,000 payments over a two-year period contingent on them maintaining eligibility for this period.
With the latest application window running from 2 April to 31 May 2024, in order to be eligible, it is now necessary for teachers to meet all 3 of the following criteria:
- Individuals must be employed by an English state secondary school from the academic years 2023 to 2024 or 2024 to 2025 teaching either physics, general or combined science, or a language.
- Individuals must have entered the UK under one of 11 visa routes with the Department of Education stating that most applicants will need a Skilled Worker visa to be eligible.
- Individuals cannot be in the UK more than three months prior to the start of the job and must not have spent over 90 days in the UK in the year prior to the start of their teaching job.
There are a number of factors that exclude eligibility including:
- If they are a UK citizen or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland
- If they are in England on a dependent visa linked to the visa of a parent or partner
- If their contract lasts less than a year
- If their contract is with a recruitment agency.
Sector media reports have highlighted criticism of the decision to withdraw eligibility for trainee teachers which the Department of Education reported in Schools Week as saying the decision was motivated by a need to “to ensure the best value for both the teacher workforce and the taxpayer.”
For schools, the decision to restrict the eligibility criteria will mean that a move to England for teaching is less viable for some trainee teachers.
This is at a time when many organisations in the sector are looking to overseas recruitment solutions in order to address workforce challenges.
For non-UK citizens training to teach languages or physics, which are priority areas for the Department of Education in incentivising overseas recruitment, there is a number of funding options through bursaries and scholarships.
For full details of the new eligibility criteria for the international relocation payment scheme from Department of Education information service Get Into Teaching follow this link.
For information on alternative bursaries for trainee teachers, learn more here.
Stone King is based at Bateman House, 82-88 Hills Road in Cambridge and can be contacted on 01223 351000.
