Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) is the professional status that recognises you as a fully qualified teacher in the further education and skills sector — and, by law, it holds parity with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). But QTLS is not a course you buy. It is a status you earn, and the journey has two distinct stages. This guide walks through the complete route, starting with the Level 5 Diploma in Teaching (DiT).
What is QTLS, and why does it matter?
QTLS is the badge of professionalism for teachers and trainers working in England’s post-14 further education and skills sector. It is conferred by the Society for Education and Training (SET), the professional membership body of the Education and Training Foundation (ETF). Crucially, QTLS has legal parity with QTSÂ meaning QTLS holders can, in many cases, teach in schools in England on the same footing as a school teacher with Qualified Teacher Status, subject to the usual employment and safeguarding checks.
For someone teaching in a college, adult education centre, independent training provider or work-based learning environment, QTLS is the formal recognition that you are a qualified professional, not just someone who happens to teach. It puts you on the DfE’s central record of qualified teachers and gives you a Teacher Reference Number (TRN).
The biggest misconception: there is no "QTLS course"
QTLS is a status, not a qualification or a course. You cannot buy it or study for it directly. You earn it by first holding an approved Level 5 (or above) teaching qualification, and then completing a separate six-month period of Professional Formation through SET. Any provider Bright Pathway included — can deliver the qualification; only SET can award the status.
Stage 1: the Level 5 DiT (your eligible qualification)
Before you can apply for QTLS, you need an approved initial teacher education (ITE) qualification at Level 5 or above. For new learners, that qualification is the Level 5 Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills) — the DiT — which replaced the older Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training (DET) from September 2024.
The DiT is built around the Learning and Skills Teacher occupational standard and develops the practical, observed teaching capability that QTLS later asks you to demonstrate. Completing it puts you in the eligible pool to apply for Professional Formation.
If you already hold the DET or DTLLS, there is good news: those remain on SET’s approved list of eligible ITE qualifications, so you do not need to retake anything to be eligible for QTLS.
Stage 2: Professional Formation (the QTLS process itself)
Once you hold an eligible qualification, the QTLS journey runs through SET. Professional Formation is a structured six-month programme in which you evidence that you are an effective, reflective teacher meeting professional standards in a real FE setting. You apply during an annual window, and successful applicants complete the programme over roughly the first half of the following year.
Eligibility criteria are set by SET and reviewed each year, so always confirm the current rules on the SET website before applying. As a general guide, recent cohorts have asked applicants to be a current SET member at MSET (Member) or FSET (Fellow) grade; to hold an eligible Level 5 (or above) teaching qualification, certificated before the portfolio deadline; to hold at least Level 2 Maths and English (Level 3 if you teach discrete maths or English); to be teaching groups of five or more post-14 learners in an FE and skills setting throughout the formation period; and to have a suitable supporter in place to guide and review their progress.
It is worth stressing that the application window, formation dates and exact hour requirements are set by SET and updated each cohort. We deliberately do not quote fixed dates here because they move check the SET QTLS page for the live window and current criteria.
QTLS vs QTS: what's the difference?
QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) is for teaching in schools and is the school-sector route. QTLS is for the FE and skills sector and post-14 teaching. The important point for FE teachers is that, since 2012, QTLS has been recognised in law as holding parity with QTS — so achieving QTLS through the FE route can open doors in school settings too, particularly for technical subjects and post-16 maths and English.
If you teach in FE, the DiT-then-QTLS route is the natural and recognised path. If your sole goal is to teach in a mainstream school, you may instead want to look at QTS directly.
Your QTLS journey begins with an eligible Level 5 teaching qualification. Bright Pathway delivers the Ofqual-regulated Level 5 Diploma in Teaching (FE and Skills) fully online, with expert tutor support the first stage of your route to QTLS.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. QTLS is a professional status, not a course or qualification. You earn it by holding an eligible Level 5 teaching qualification and then completing a six-month Professional Formation programme through the Society for Education and Training.
No. QTLS can only be conferred by SET. Bright Pathway delivers the Level 5 DiT qualification, which is the eligible first stage; the QTLS status itself is applied for and awarded separately through SET.
Once you hold your ITE certificate and meet the criteria, Professional Formation runs for six months. You apply during SET’s annual application window, so the total time depends on when you qualify relative to that window.
Yes. Professional Formation must be evidenced in a real FE and skills teaching setting, typically teaching groups of five or more post-14 learners. You need an active teaching role during the formation period.
QTLS has held legal parity with QTS since 2012. In practice this can allow QTLS holders to teach in schools in England, subject to employment and safeguarding requirements, though QTS remains the dedicated school-sector route.
