Before seeking employment overseas, teachers need to check the accreditation or registration requirements for their destination country.

Some countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom (UK), require a Letter of Professional Standing (LOPS) from the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES) before they will recognise NSW accreditation and give approval to work as a teacher. This also applies to teachers from the UK or Canada who have completed their teaching qualifications in Australia.

Teaching in Canada or the UK
Before teachers can be registered to teach in Canada or the UK they will need a LOPS. This can be requested from BOSTES via an email containing the following information:

• BOSTES teacher number (Institute number);
• The country in which they seek employment;
• If it is in Canada, the name of the Province they intend to work in and an identification number for the Teacher Registration Board for that Province; and
• A current postal address for the hard copy of the LOPS to be sent.

Any teachers not accredited with BOSTES also need to send certified copies of their academic qualifications.

Teachers intending to work in the UK who are accredited at the level of Proficient Teacher, will be eligible for Qualified Teacher Status.

Teachers not accredited with BOSTES or who are conditionally or provisionally accredited will not meet the UK requirements for Qualified Teacher Status.

If the LOPS is for work in Canada, the original signed hard copy is sent directly to the relevant Province’s teacher registration board and a scanned copy is emailed to the teacher for their records only.

For all other countries the original signed LOPS is sent to the teacher's current mailing address.

Applying for a leave of absence
NSW teachers planning to work overseas can put their NSW teacher accreditation on hold by going on a leave of absence. While on leave of absence teachers will not be:

• required to maintain their NSW accreditation;
• required to complete any mandatory professional development; and
• charged fees by BOSTES (subject to meeting the terms and conditions).

For more information, contact:

• to obtain a LOPS - contactus@nswteachers.nsw.edu.au
• to apply for a leave of absence login to your online teacher accreditation account.