CRB Checks

Hi All

MY wife is hoping to be moving to England within the next 2 - 10 weeks depending on how fast her Spousal Visa arrives (its been around 6 weeks waiting so far).  As a Teacher she will be looking to get into Teaching in the UK one of the things I believe she will need is a CRB check (now called DBS) Does anyone know if her CRB check in California will help her or a separate one in UK needed as well, which I see can have upto 8 weeks waiting time to complete and has to be carried out by a potential employee? I dont think she or a Job Agency can do this?

Any advice from people who have done this already will be appreciated.

Thank you

I used to work with before/after school care in the US and of course needed a background check there. I still needed a CRB check when I came to the UK and started volunteering. The company I volunteered for carried out the check and did all the paperwork. I seem to remember them saying it could be up to 8 weeks but think mine took about 5 weeks to get back.

Thanks for the response.

I see that this could potentially be a stumbling block for my Wife after 30 years teaching in California!. 

MY worry for her is who is going to offer her a role either via an agency or fulltime and then have to wait upto 8 weeks for result to come back!.  It does say upto 8 weeks but I know people where I work who have just done it and it has taken them between <1 week to 5 weeks, so its luck of the draw!

I had a CRB done for my first job in the UK (in 2013, so not exactly recently) and I'm pretty sure I got it back within a week or two.

As a whole, expect things to take longer than you think they will in the UK.  Unfortunately employment seems to be an area of frustration for a lot of Americans moving to the UK.  She WILL get there though - just might take a bit more time than ideal.

Hopefully not, but better to be pleasantly surprised instead of discouraged!

Thanks for the response.

I see that this could potentially be a stumbling block for my Wife after 30 years teaching in California!. 

MY worry for her is who is going to offer her a role either via an agency or fulltime and then have to wait upto 8 weeks for result to come back!.  It does say upto 8 weeks but I know people where I work who have just done it and it has taken them between <1 week to 5 weeks, so its luck of the draw!

Also, companies know that it will take time to get back. They don't just hire people who have an in-date CRB check. They do them all the time, which is why there is a wait

Just to add - depends what subject/ age range your wife teaches, but generally this time of year secondary supply teaching is pretty slow. Exam classes will be on study leave so most cover is dealt with in house. Also, the time of year to apply for September jobs is generally January - early June (so by now it may be somewhat slim pickings, depending on the area you are in).

The employer carries out the DBS check, but it would not hurt to have a US check to show she is not running from a life of crime in the US! I had to get a check from my local Sheriff's department for my first UK job in a school, despite the fact that I moved here when I was 20...

I don't think it will be a major problem, schools are used to dealing with foreign staff and the procedures. If you can, try to have mail in her address being sent to your shared UK home. I had to wait to begin my DBS check until my first bank statement arrived at my house. In the meantime, I had cover staff with my in lessons so the children were 'safe'. Since the year is ending in about 6 weeks, she may get lucky with some postings that schools were unable to fill as UK teachers cannot resign any longer to take new posts at this point in the year.