Frequently Asked Questions

The General Teaching Council for Wales protects the public by ensuring that teachers are appropriately qualified and that they maintain high standards of conduct and practice. It works on behalf of teachers to advise government and others on teaching and learning issues. The GTCW also administers Welsh Assembly Government funding for teacher development.

The Council has 25 members. Twelve registered teachers or headteachers are elected by the teaching profession, nine are appointed by Welsh Ministers following nominations from teacher unions and other stakeholder organisations, and four members are directly appointed by Welsh Ministers. The Council is supported by a staff based in offices in Cardiff.

For full membership details click here.

Under the Education Act 2002, every qualified teacher, who carries out specified work in a maintained school in Wales must be registered with the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW).

This requirement applies to persons working on a full time, part-time or supply basis.

Other teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), such as those working in independent schools, in the further or higher education sectors, working as self-employed home tutors or not currently teaching are encouraged to register.

The annual fee is £45.

£33 of your fee is being reimbursed through your pay settlement. This has been the case since 2002 and applies to Wales and England. Now that the fee has gone up to £45 the Welsh Assembly Government is not prepared to reimburse the £12 difference on top of the £33. If you feel strongly about this you should contact your union to argue the case for full reimbursement with the Assembly. In 2003, the then Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, said that the principle was established of an annual payment to cover the cost of the fee in England and Wales.

Northern Ireland teachers are reimbursed their fee directly by the Northern Ireland Department (but not through their salary settlement). Scottish teachers don’t have their fees reimbursed. There is a mixed approach to reimbursement with other professions – some reimburse, some do not.

Organisation	Annual registration fee (full registration)	Is fee reimbursed?
General Medical Council	£410 (doctors)	Many employers do
Nursing and Midwifery Council	£76 (nurses)	50% contribution towards annual retention fee made by employer
General Dental Council	£438 (dentists)	At discretion of individual employer
Architects Registration Board	£86 (architects)	At discretion of individual employer
Care Council for Wales	£30 (social workers)	At discretion of individual employer
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)	£283 if salary over £22,800 pa	A good percentage claim fees back, paid as gesture of goodwill by employer

(information gathered August 2009)

The main costs are in the areas of registration, professional standards work (investigating and hearing cases of professional misconduct and incompetence), policy and advice development and on promoting the positive contribution of the teaching profession to society. All of these activities contribute to raising the status of teachers and teaching.

Your fee does NOT subsidise the following:

• funding for Induction and Early Professional Development;
• funding for teachers individually focused continuing professional development;
• awarding qualified teacher status; and
• hearing Induction appeals.

The Welsh Assembly Government pays for these aspects entirely, including staff and administration costs.

Detailed budgets are planned on an annual basis as part of the agreement on the annual operational plan. This plan is agreed by elected and appointed members of Council. Budgets and expenditure are subject to close internal scrutiny, internal and external audit, (external audit by the Wales Audit Office) and by the publication of annual accounts.