25 signatures reached
To: United Kingom Prime Minister
Add ALL Teachers to the Shortage Occupation List
I would like the UK government to add teachers of both primary and secondary level education of all disciplines to the Immigration Shortage Occupation List, Appendix K. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-k-shortage-occupation-list
Why is this important?
Currently only Secondary Level Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics teachers are on the Shortage Occupation List which exempts foreign nationals from outside the European Union from working without restriction in the UK. A £35000 minimum has been imposed on teachers of all levels from outside the Euro-zone no matter their qualification or current status in the UK.
Teachers up and down the country are retiring in droves as the baby boomer generation reaches the end of their working life. Those teachers left are facing a crisis of under staffing being made worse by the governments failure to secure foreign teachers who train within the UK and often practice here. The standard of teaching in most schools up and down the country is suffering thanks to shortages which could easily be lessened with the help of international teachers.
My partner who is fluent in English and qualified at one of the most respected universities in the world has been denied her Visa meaning she will have to seek work elsewhere. She would have taught for decades, filling one of the thousands of job shortages up and down the country. One class a year will go without her passion for the job and the same is true for countless others who have been turned away during the worst teaching crisis in UK history.
