Teachers' trade unions in the United Kingdom are trade union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

s for teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

s operating in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

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Due to the differing education systems

Education in the United Kingdom

Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments: the UK Government is responsible for England, and the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive are...

 in the UK, most unions only organise in certain parts of the country and some focus on certain members of staff, such as headteachers. Teaching is an unusual profession in that it does not have one leading union, but has many different ones, often with differing aims. Having said that, the NUT

National Union of Teachers

The National Union of Teachers is a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is a member of the Trades Union Congress...

, NASUWT and ATL

Association of Teachers and Lecturers

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers is a trade union, teachers' union and professional association, affiliated to the Trades Union Congress, in the United Kingdom representing educators from nursery and primary education to further education...

 jointly represent the vast majority of teachers in England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...

, while the EIS

Educational Institute of Scotland

The Educational Institute of Scotland is the oldest teachers' trade union in the world, having been founded in 1847 when dominies became concerned about the effect of changes to the system of education in Scotland on their professional status....

 represents the majority of teachers in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

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List of teachers' trade unions

The table below lists all the UK's registered teachers' unions, with details of establishment, membership, where they organise and the types of members they accept:

Full name	Short name	Established	Members	England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...	Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...	Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...	Wales Wales Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...	Channel Islands Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...  & Isle of Man Isle of Man The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...	Teachers	School leaders	Teaching assistants
Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland The Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland is a Scottish trade union established in 1975 to represent head teachers and deputy head teachers from nursery, primary and special schools in Scotland. It has 1,385 members....	AHDS	1975	1,385
Association of School and College Leaders Association of School and College Leaders The Association of School and College Leaders , formerly the Secondary Heads Association , is the British professional association for leaders of secondary schools and colleges.-History:...	ASCL	1977	15,043
Association of Teachers and Lecturers Association of Teachers and Lecturers The Association of Teachers and Lecturers is a trade union, teachers' union and professional association, affiliated to the Trades Union Congress, in the United Kingdom representing educators from nursery and primary education to further education...	ATL	1978	121,425
Educational Institute of Scotland Educational Institute of Scotland The Educational Institute of Scotland is the oldest teachers' trade union in the world, having been founded in 1847 when dominies became concerned about the effect of changes to the system of education in Scotland on their professional status....	EIS	1847	59,371
Irish National Teachers' Organisation Irish National Teachers' Organisation The Irish National Teachers' Organisation , in Irish Cumann Múinteoirí Éireann, which was founded in 1868, is the largest teachers' trade union in Ireland. It represents teachers at primary level in the Republic of Ireland, and at primary and post-primary level in Northern Ireland. The head office...	INTO	1868	6,842
National Association of Head Teachers National Association of Head Teachers The National Association of Head Teachers is a trade union representing Headteachers, deputy headteachers and assistant headteachers and other school and college leaders in the United Kingdom.-External links:**...	NAHT	1897	27,988
National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers The NASUWT is a trade union representing teachers, including headteachers, throughout the United Kingdom....	NASUWT	1976	282,890
National Union of Teachers National Union of Teachers The National Union of Teachers is a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It is a member of the Trades Union Congress...	NUT	1870	308,569
School Leaders Scotland	SLS	1936	Part of the ASCL
Scottish Primary Teachers' Association Scottish Primary Teachers' Association Founded in August 2011, the Scottish Primary Teachers' Association is Scotland's newest teachers' union, set up to provide a home for disaffected members of the Educational Institute of Scotland following EIS backing for a contentious national two-year deal on pay and conditions....	SPTA	2011	Did not exist
Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association Founded in 1944, the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association is Scotland's second largest teachers' union, set up to focus on secondary issues, initially as a reaction to the perception of undue influence exercised on national education issues at that time by the primary sector...	SSTA	1944	6,609
Ulster Teachers' Union Ulster Teachers' Union The Ulster Teachers' Union is a trade union based in Northern Ireland, whose membership mostly comprises primary school teachers working in the state sector. It has 6,429 members. The UTU has close links with the Irish National Teachers Organisation, an all-Ireland trade union who represent the...	UTU	1919	6,429
Undeb Cenedlaethol Athrawon Cymru Undeb Cenedlaethol Athrawon Cymru Undeb Cenedlaethol Athrawon Cymru commonly referred to as UCAC, was formed in Wales from a split from the NUT in the late 40's over the issue of the Welsh language in teaching...	UCAC	1940	3,879
Voice		1970	20,124