Dream Support

Dream's support program for its teachers doesn't end once a teacher has been matched to a position. The service continues as Dream will:

• Liaise with you on all documents required
• Arrange Work Permits where required and advise on the application for further leave to remain.
• Advise on the routes available for gaining QTS in the UK.
• Assign you a personal consultant who will contact you every week to ensure that all is going well and to assist and advise you on any problems you might be experiencing.
• Ensure your school provides you with a mentor who will meet with you every week. Your personal consultant will also contact your mentor each week to ensure all is going well from the schools point of view
• Care about our teachers and do everything within our power to ensure that each teacher is happy and well supported.

For overseas candidates we will also:

• Talk you through entry clearance requirements and your arrangements for getting to, and into the UK where necessary.
• Clarify and help you with all travel arrangements to the UK
• Arrange initial accommodation and advise on finding long term accommodation
• Organise a UK bank account.

To further assist in the smooth transition into the UK education system, Dream provides teachers who are new to the UK with a comprehensive induction session including:

• Personal Support session, which includes information on healthcare, tax, national insurance, accommodation and banking
• Insights into the education system, from the primary and secondary perspectives
• National Numeracy and Literacy explained in depth
• National Curriculum in secondary schools
• Special needs and EAL in schools
• Child protection
• Equal opportunities
• Effective classroom management

These sessions are conducted by experienced education professionals from Dream along with external consultants, providing a comprehensive insight into the UK education system and life in the classroom.

• Before coming to the UK to work it is important that you satisfy two main requirements, firstly you must apply to any professional organisation that you may be required to register with before you undertake any work in your field in the UK. As a Dream teacher we carry out a comprehensive series of checks on your qualifications and experience so there is no need for you to feel uncertain that you may have missed something vital that will mean you can’t work in the UK. Of greatest importance is that all teachers wishing to work in the UK must provide evidence of their Qualified Teacher Status, where they have trained overseas, and their qualification will be verified for appropriate equivalence with UK NARIC (UK National Recognition Information Centre).
  
  Secondly, you must have either a Work Permit or Visa that entitles you to be legally able to work in the UK. If you are applying for a visa, such as a Working Holiday Visa or a Highly Skilled Migrant Visa, Dream advises that you begin the application process as soon as possible as it can take anywhere from 3-6 months for registration with these bodies to be approved. You must allow enough time to receive your visa before arranging to arrive in the UK.
  
  If a Work Permit is required Dream will process the application on behalf of yourself and the sponsoring school.

Work Permits and Visas

When working in the UK there are five routes for any teacher to go through to gain entry for work in the UK.


1. Two Year Working Holiday Visa

The Working Holidaymaker Scheme is the most common route of entry to the UK for work. It is an arrangement where Commonwealth citizens aged between 17 and 30 can come to the UK for an extended holiday of up to two years. This visa allows you to take up work, but only if this is not the main reason for your stay. The holiday should be the main reason for your stay. To apply for this visa, you must be able to show that you:
• Are a Commonwealth citizen, a British Overseas Territories citizen, a British Overseas citizen or a British National (Overseas);
• Are aged between 17 and 30;
• Want to come to the UK for an extended holiday, and intend to take employment as part of your holiday for no more than 12 months during your stay;
• Do not intend to set yourself up in or run a business, or work as a professional sportsperson during your stay;
• Are single, or are married to someone who also qualifies as a working holidaymaker and you plan to take the working holiday together;
• Do not have any dependent children aged five or over, or who will be five before your holiday ends;
• Can support yourself and live in the UK without needing any help from public funds;
• Have not spent time in the UK on a previous working holidaymaker visa; and
• Intend to leave the UK at the end of your holiday. Dream advises that you approach the authorities in your home country at least 4-6 months before your planned date of departure to ensure you have enough time for processing the visa. You must also ensure that you have sufficient funds to support your initial stay in the UK.
2. Dual Nationality
   If you have dual nationality in Britain or another European Union country you will be allowed automatic entry to work in the UK. A dual second passport is all that is needed to prove this status.
3. Ancestral Visa (British Parent or Grandparent)
   
   If you have a British parent or grandparent you are allowed to claim ancestry and the right to work in the UK for up to 4 years.
   
   You will qualify for the ancestral visa if you can show that:
   
   
   • You are a Commonwealth citizen;
   • You are aged 17 or over;
   • You have a grandparent who was born in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man (see note below);
   • You have a grandparent who was born in what is now the Republic of Ireland before 31 March 1922 (see note below);
   • You are able to work and intend to do so in the UK, and;
   • You can support yourself and any dependants, and live without needing any help from public funds;
   • To apply for this you will need to contact the High Commission.
4. Work Permit
For those not eligible for any other type of visa, the most common route of securing entry to the UK for work is to apply for a Work Permit. The Work Permit takes around 2-6 weeks to apply for and must be organized and applied for by the employer who is making the offer of employment or on their behalf by Dream Group Ltd. A work permit will only be issued once a job offer has been made, has no restrictions on the amount of times it is issued and only applies to one particular organisation. For more information on the criteria for and applying for