The College of Teachers is a professional body for teachers operating under Royal Charter. The College Charter allows The College to award a Licentiate, equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree. Currently The College does not offer the Licentiate, however in the past the College has awarded the qualification as equivalent in standard to a bachelor's degree with honours at a British university.

The qualification of Licentiate (LCP) for candidates registered before or on 31 August 1999 and LCOT on or after 1 September 1999 is evidence of professional study beyond that required for the basic qualifications of qualified trained teachers.

The Licentiate (LCOT) is designed for suitably qualified, trained and experienced teachers who wish to pursue their professional studies in education at an advanced level. The qualification is open to teachers who are following an approved programme of work based initial training.

A candidate working at this level will have a specialist high level knowledge of an area of work or study to enable the use of an individual’s own ideas and research in response to complex problems and situations. Learning at this level involves the achievement of a high level of professional knowledge and is appropriate for people working as knowledge-based professionals or in professional management positions.

The College of Teachers' qualifications are independently valid and stand alongside the National Qualification Framework (NQF) and Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ).