Teachers registration

Registration of teachers and preschool teachers

Registration will require a degree in education or in preschool education and a successfully completed probationary year. Teachers and preschool teachers who have a degree issued before 1 July 2011 and have been professionally active for at least one year will be granted registration upon application without a probationary year being required.

The probationary year will serve two purposes: to give the new teacher/preschool teacher a good introduction to the profession and to assess whether he or she is suitable for the profession. During their probationary year, new teachers are to have the support and assistance of a mentor. The school leader is responsible for assessing whether the teacher is to be recommended being registered or not. The assessment is performed in relation to national standards developed by the Swedish National Agency for Education.

To qualify to teach at a school a teacher will need registration with a specialisation in the type of teaching concerned. A teacher's registration clearly shows in which types of school, which subjects and which years he or she is qualified to teach. The National Agency for Education determine that a teacher is qualified on the basis of the teacher's education. Each application is reviewed and assessed based on the rules that applied when the teacher or preschool teacher took his degree, even if other requirements are applicable today. Expanded eligibility will be assessed against the provisions of Regulation on jurisdiction and the registration of teachers and preschool teachers and appointment as lecturer (2011:326).

Registration will be required for a teacher to give grades independently and to be a mentor to new teachers during their probationary year. Further, after 1st of December 2013 only registered teachers will be eligible for permanent employment. Registration as a preschool teacher will be required to take responsibility for teaching activities in a preschool children's group. Exemptions will only be allowed if there is a shortage of qualified teachers or preschool teachers or on exceptional grounds. A decision to allow an exemption is to be taken by the school board and will be valid for at most one year at a time.

If a teacher or preschool teacher seriously neglects their work, their registration may be withdrawn. Such decisions will be taken by a committee - the Teachers' Disciplinary Board - under the National Agency for Education. The Teachers' Disciplinary Board will be a new institution having the right to withdraw a teacher’s registration or to issue warnings.

What is required?

In order to apply for a certificate as a teacher or preschool teacher in Sweden, the applicant must have:

1.  A diploma of Education (Lärarexamen) awarded by a university or other institution of higher education in Sweden or
   - A Qualified Teacher Status Certificate (Behörighetsbevis) issued by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education (Högskoleverket) or
   - A diploma of Education from a country other than Sweden that qualifies the holder to work as a teacher or preschool teacher in the country of education.
   - A diploma of Education from a country other than Sweden that qualifies the holder to work as a teacher or preschool teacher in the country of education.
    
2. Adequate proficiency in the Swedish language. The applicants proficiency in Swedish must meet the requirements equivalent of an upper secondary (high school) course in Swedish.
    
3. If the applicant have a Qualified Teacher Status Cerificate (Behörighetsbevis) issued by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education (Högskoleverket) a certification of employment, from a school or preschool where the applicant have or have had an employment must be submitted. This is only necessary for application submitted after the 1st of December 2013. The certification/certifications must show that the applicant have worked, or worked the equivalent of, full-time for at least one year in one or several positions as a teacher or preschool teacher.
   
   If the applicant have a diploma of Education (Lärarexamen) from another country than Sweden the applicant must submit a cerfitication of employment that clearly states which years and subjects the applicant have taught.

The National Agency for Education may reach the decision that the applicant will need to supplement the foreign education with e.g. an adjustment period or further studies in Sweden before the applicant is eligible for a Teacher’s certificate.

Which documents need to be submitted to an application?

1. Certificate of proficiency in Swedish

If the applicant have a different first language than Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic or Faroese the applicant must submit a certificate showing:

• A passing grade in a course in Swedish For Non-Nordic Students organised by a university or other institution of higher education in Sweden. The course should qualify for taking Swedish university courses in Sweden or
• That the applicant have passed the Test In Swedish for University Studies (TISUS) or
• A passing grade in a course equivalent of Swedish stage 3 or Swedish as a Second Language stage 3 (Swedish B or Swedish as a Second Language B), with the same requirements as in Swedish upper secondary school.

2. Diplomas, transcripts and qualifications

• A Diploma of Education as teacher of preschool teacher or
• A study certificate that shows the same information as the diploma and is issued by the institution of education or
• A Qualified Teacher Status Certificate issued by the National Agency for Higher Education

3. Official certificate of recognition as teacher

If the diploma does not state which subjects and years (forms) the applicant is qualified to teach in the applicant have to submit a certificate of recognition issued by the relevant authority in the country of education. The certificate shall state the subjects and years that the diploma qualifies the holder to teach in the country where the teacher education has been completed.

4. Certification of employment

The applicant have to submit a certification of employment, showing that the applicant has worked full-time for at least one year, or the equivalent of this (for example half time for two years), in one or several employments as a teacher or preschool teacher.

5. Birth certificate or similar 

• If the applicant is a Swedish citizen or have a residence permit in Sweden the applicant have to submit a birth certificate from the National Tax Board (Skatteverket). If the applicant have made any name changes they should be detailed on the certificate.
• If the applicant is a citizen of another country within the EU/EEA the applicant have to submit testified copies of the passport or birth certificate issued by the relevant authority in the applicants country.
• If the applicant is applying for a residence permit in Sweden a testified copy of the application for residence is needed.

6. Translations

All the documents and certificates have to be testified copies of the original and in their original language. If they are in another language than Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Finnish, Faroese, Meänkieli, Saami or English the applicant also have to submit translations to Swedish or English. The translations should be done by an authorised translator or in a professional way.

The cost

• If you have a Qualified Teacher Status Certificate from the National Agency for Higher Education  or a Diploma of Education dated before the 1st of July 2011 you do not pay a fee for the application.
• If you do not have a Qualified Teacher Status Certificate and you Diploma of Education is dated after the 1st of July 2011, the fee for the application is 1500 SEK.
• If you have received your teacher’s certificate and have reached new qualifications through further studies, an application for extending your qualifications on the certificate costs 750 SEK.
• An application to be a school or preschool appointed lecturer (lektor) costs 750 SEK.