Commenting on the passing of motion 30 at Annual Conference in Harrogate, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"The exploitative treatment of overseas trained teachers (OTTs) in this country needs to be addressed. Many of these teachers, with years of experience in their own country, find themselves classified as ‘being unqualified’. This is leading to a significant pay disparity. Teachers are also arriving with little or no support to settle into a new home and life.
"Treatment of OTTs varies wildly between multi-academy trusts and even within individual schools. However, recurring issues include schools denying or delaying QTS qualification to suppress pay and offering no financial support to share relocation costs. This, despite the significant debt many teachers incur when relocating from countries with lower incomes and cost-of-living compared to the UK.
"The NEU campaigned successfully in the Harris Federation over treatment of their OTTs in London. As a result of members’ action, Harris will now, amongst other concessions, recognise relevant years of teaching experience. New OTTs who arrived from September 2024 onwards will now be ‘topped up’ to the appropriate point on the main pay scale. For most, this represents an increase of £10,000 per year.
"The NEU will continue to campaign for the fair treatment of all OTTs. Without overseas trained teachers, many academy chains would struggle to fill posts. Their exploitation must end."