Conclusion

It is October, a few weeks into the start of a new international Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS) training year and I have just concluded a joint online review meeting with a second language English speaking teacher trainee and their mentor in Kathmandu. The Nepalese school year began two months ago in August. In September, just as the iQTS course commenced, a nationwide curfew was imposed in Nepal following youth-driven protests at a government imposed social media ban. Schools were closed, the government toppled and Shushila Karki was sworn in as interim prime minister, becoming the first woman to serve as Nepal's head of government ( Teekah, 2025 ). Throughout these turbulent times, the trainee continued their studies and collaborated effectively in online spaces with peers around the world. Trainee teachers in England as well as those studying on international courses are required by the Department for Education to demonstrate competence against a set of fundamental maths and English skills by the end of their training, including “the use of standard English grammar, clear pronunciation and vocabulary relevant to the situation [my italics] to convey instructions, questions, information, concepts and ideas with clarity” ( DfE, 2025 , np). Discussions in these early meetings with trainees in international contexts often include what evidence of fundamental skills in English might look like and how the DfE requirements can be met even in exceptional ‘situations’, including those that require schools to move to online teaching, such as global pandemics, environmental disasters and political unrest.