US Teacher Moving to UK... Advice?

Thank you both for your insight and findings.   I appreciate it!

I think what I'll do is get all my ducks in a row (NARIC, CV, etc) and start applying once the spousal visa, including BRP, is official.  Just to be on the safe side. 

When I applied in 2013 I know I read on the official site (the previous iteration of it) that I couldn't look for work OR do work (paid or unpaid) while on my fiance visa, cause I sure would have been looking before I applied for FLR(M) if I thought I could. So it may be that it's old info floating around?

Question for when you were looking for jobs. Had you already used NARIC to compare and recognize your university transcripts? I've already gone through the process of getting my Qualified Teaching Status, so I wonder if I need to even do this. I probably should do it just in case, but I keep feeling like these fees continue to add up!

I got my QTS officially confirmed and have my official certificate and letter! My question to you is, what were your fingerprints needed for? Did your school ask you for those once you were offered the job?

Yay! QTS is much easier now than before, so glad you don't have to go through the old way

My finger prints were needed to put in with my British background check as proof from my home country. I'm not sure if you've been here a while if it will be the same, and my school accepted the print out from BCI though the agency was insisting on the FBI. So you may be okay as no one has followed up on this at all with me yet.

Yay! QTS is much easier now than before, so glad you don't have to go through the old way

My finger prints were needed to put in with my British background check as proof from my home country. I'm not sure if you've been here a while if it will be the same, and my school accepted the print out from BCI though the agency was insisting on the FBI. So you may be okay as no one has followed up on this at all with me yet.

Thank you! I am trying to be proactive with everything, but our wedding isn't for a couple weeks and our FLR(M) in-person meeting isn't until 3 December. So, I technically do not know if I am to get my fingerprinting as I haven't even applied for jobs yet. Do you suggest I just wait until I can start applying for jobs?

Luckily, I am going home for Christmas for two weeks, so I might be able to even do something in the states if needed.

I think you would be better to apply now for a January start and they can tell you exactly what they will need and then you can do what is necessary in the US. When you go for the BCI prints, just say you want them for yourself because you are looking for work and just need to have an updated one ready. I would not say you need them for overseas, or they may say you have to go to the FBI. That's what happened to me. You can always still do FBI separately, it just takes ages.

Hi JessLynn,

did you need to get FingerPrints even though you had a Spousal Visa?

Hi Brynn23, have you moved to the UK yet and had any success in applying for any roles.

My Wife is moving over to England later this year and is currently about to start the Spousal Visa process, she will be looking for Teaching work and currently has 30 years experience in teaching in California.  We were hoping that she can start to look as soon as she got her spousal visa and was living over here which will be June(ish)....

Hi, I'm not on a spousal visa, I'm on a tier 2 general visa.

Some type of clearance from the US is necessary and then a UK CRB is as well.

Depending on her subject and your location, it shouldn't be too bad since the school doesn't have to worry about visa's or anything.

Hi JessLynn,

did you need to get FingerPrints even though you had a Spousal Visa?

Hi Brynn23, have you moved to the UK yet and had any success in applying for any roles.

My Wife is moving over to England later this year and is currently about to start the Spousal Visa process, she will be looking for Teaching work and currently has 30 years experience in teaching in California.  We were hoping that she can start to look as soon as she got her spousal visa and was living over here which will be June(ish)....

Hi swilt- My suggestion is that she gets her fingerprints from the FBI in the states as soon as she can.  I did it the hard way and had to pay £70 to get them done in England and another $70 to send over to the states to get them processed.  Most schools expect anyone with a visa to have their prints done from the country they're from.

She will also have to get her DBS check done, but my school sent me an application and they processed it. 

She also needs to get her qualified teacher status. I did this online when I moved here.  It was quite simple and it took a few weeks to process.

I have a job now! I was really lucky and I had emailed a couple of schools and heard back from one that needed a support teacher.  In a couple of weeks I am going into my own classroom as a year 3 teacher.

Last thing- as soon as the spousal visa is approved make sure she sets up her appointment to get her national insurance number.  I was allowed to start my job without it knowing that it was coming in the mail.  However, it took about 5 weeks for me to get my NI number.

Let me know if you have any other questions.