You are here: Home > Registration > Professional Registration Apply for Registration Qualified in Scotland Qualified outside Scotland College Lecturer Additional Support Needs Independent Schools Becoming a Teacher Instrumental Music Instructors Return to the Register and Teaching Manage your Registration Add an additional subject/sector Retire/Cancel Registration Update your contact and employment details Proof of registration in Scotland (LOPS) Fee and Criminal Records Checks Registration Fee Criminal Record Checks Registration in an additional subject/sector Professional Registration Professional Registration is available to primary and secondary teachers. It allows teachers who hold full registration to add additional subjects/ sectors to their current registration. Applicants for Professional Registration need to meet the following criteria: Hold full registration in their existing category Meet the academic and/ or professional learning requirement for registration in the additional subject/sector in which Professional Registration is sought Meet the foreign residency requirement (Modern Foreign Languages only). We have accredited a Languages for Education Europe (LFEE) immersion course. This is specifically designed to meet the three month residence requirement for teaching Spanish as a second/subsequent modern foreign language in an intensive three week block. Information can be found on the LFEE website - www.lfee.net. You should contact us is you have any queries regarding the foreign residency requirement. Applicants for Professional Registration in a Secondary Education subject area, who hold full registration but do not fully meet the appropriate academic and/or foreign residency requirements, may still be considered for Provisional (Conditional) Registration in the additional subject area/sector. Routes to Professional Registration Information on what is required for Professional Registration can be found below: For Primary teachers If you are a fully registered primary teacher you can gain Professional Registration: as a secondary teacher For Secondary teachers If you are a fully registered secondary teacher you can gain Professional Registration: as a primary teacher in an additional subject Additional Support Needs Registration If you are interested in registering in Additional Support Needs see Additional Support Needs Registration. How to apply Professional Registration Application This can be submitted to us via email - registration@gtcs.org.uk or by post: The General Teaching Council for Scotland Registration Services Clerwood House 96 Clermiston Road Edinburgh EH12 6UT Standard probationary period The standard probationary period applied to Professional Registration is 135 days Full Time Equivalent (FTE). You will be able to complete this via the Flexible Route. If you are adding registration in a secondary subject area for service In your additional registration are to count towards your probationary period, it must constitute no less than 20% of your teaching timetable. You will need to gain full registration within 3 years. Your Right to Review If we award you registration but not to the extent you wished you have the right to ask for the decision to be reviewed by a Registration Panel. Registration - Right of review For primary teachers wishing to teach in S1/S2 To become registered to teach in S1 or S2 you will need to demonstrate that you have the necessary academic requirements and have undertaken CPD activities to develop your professional knowledge and skills in the subject at S1/S2 level. What subjects can I teach in S1/S2 As long as you meet the appropriate academic requirements you can gain registration in: S1/S2 Community Languages (applicants must also have a degree equivalent to a degree from the UK along with study of their native tongue up to "A" level or equivalent) S1/S2 English (in addition applicants must have a degree with at least 60 credit points in English, 30 of these in English or Scottish literature) General science S1/S2 Mathematics (applicants must also have a degree with at least 60 credit points in Mathematics covering pure mathematics, calculus and algebra> S1/S2 Modern Foreign Languages (applicants should have more than one language and for the first foreign language they should have a degree with at least 60 credit point in the language they want to teach, some of which must include literature) Social subjects Academic requirements The academic requirements for a primary teacher to teach a particular S1/S2 subject are, 60 credit points, at least 40 of which must be SCQF level 7 (equivalent to first year of a degree course) and at least 20 credit point at SCQF level 8 (equivalent to the second year of a degree course. For primary teachers who would like to register as a Secondary teacher Are you a fully registered Primary teacher who would like to add registration in a secondary education subject area? You will need to show that you have met the appropriate academic requirements and complete an agreed Professional Learning (PL) plan. This plan will develop your professional knowledge and skills of teaching in the secondary sector. You then need to be recommended for registration by a headteacher (or other GTCS approved individual) based in a secondary school. What Subjects are available? View the full list of Secondary teaching subject areas available for registration. Academic requirements The academic requirements for registration in secondary education appear below: 80 Scottish Credt Qualifications Framework (SCQF) credit points in the Secondary teaching subject – some subjects have specific requirements at least 40 credit points must be SCQF level 7 at least 40 credit points must be SCQF level 8 How does the Professional Learning Plan work? If you are a primary teacher applying for registration in the secondary sector you are required to complete an agreed PL plan that enables you to teach the subject in which registration is being sought in secondary schools. You will be required to organise the PL plan yourself (or together with your employing authority, if appropriate). Firstly, you should make contact with a headteacher of a mainstream secondary school (or other GTCS approved individual) who will be willing to act as your Supporter throughout the process and recommend you for registration in your chosen Secondary Education category once they are satisfied that you have met the Standard for Provisional Registration in respect of that category. You should then meet with your Supporter to discuss your current knowledge and understanding of the teaching of your chosen secondary subject area and pedagogical practices across the secondary school. We recommend that you use the Standard for Provisional Registration as the basis for this discussion. We have put together a toolkit to help you to do this: Toolkit - Professional Registration - Primary to Secondary As part of this discussion you should agree with your Supporter what professional learning you will require to complete in order to obtain the knowledge and understanding required in order to be ready for recommendation for provisional registration in your chosen subject area (this is what we mean by 'an agreed PL plan'). It may be necessary for this plan to be agreed with your employing authority (particularly if you are currently in full-time employment in a primary school). Once your PL plan has been agreed, you should maintain a reflective record of your planned learning and related evidence. We recommend setting up a PL record on your MyGTCS account. After completion of the PL agreed in the plan, and once your Supporter is ready to make a recommendation for provisional registration, you can then submit an application for Professional Registration. Additional Support Needs Registration Please note that Secondary Education is a mainstream registration category. If you are interested in registering as an Additional Support Needs teacher in Secondary schools, please see Additional Support Needs Registration. For secondary teachers who would like to register as a primary teacher Are you a fully registered Secondary teacher who would like to add registration in Primary Education? If so, you will need to complete an agreed Professional Learning (PL) plan. This will develop your professional knowledge and skills of teaching in the primary sector. You will then need to be recommended for registration by a Headteacher (or other GTCS approved individual) based in a primary school. How does it work? You will be required to organise the PL plan yourself (or together with your employing authority if appropriate). You should then meet with your Supporter to discuss your current knowledge and understanding of teaching in mainstream Primary Education. We recommend that you use the Standard for Provisional Registration as the basis for this discussion. We have put together a toolkit to help you to do this. Secondary to Primary Professional Registration Toolkit As part of this discussion you should agree with your Supporter what professional learning you will require in order to obtain the knowledge and understanding required in order to be ready for recommendation for provisional registration in Primary Education (this is what we mean by 'an agreed PL plan). it may be necessary for this plan to also be agreed with your employing authority (particularly if you are currently in full-time employment in a secondary school). Once your PL plan has been agreed, you should maintain a reflective record of your planned learning and related evidence. We recommend setting up a PL record on your MyGTCS account. Additional Support Needs Registration Please note that Primary Education is a mainstream registration category. If you are interested in registering as an Additional Support Needs teacher in Primary schools please see see Additional Support Needs Registration Contacts For more information, please contact: T: +44 (0)131 314 6000 E: ProfReg@gtcs.org.uk Downloads Professional Registration Application Foreign Residency Requirement Information