This exploratory paper relates the background to the emergence of the desire for a framework to regulate teacher preparation, mobility, recruitment and migration. It assesses the instruments created by major international organisations, especially UNESCO, OECD, ILO and the Commonwealth Secretariat, to confront the challenges of teacher training, recruitment and retention. It draws out the unique experiences from the approaches used by these organisations, and compares the different instruments developed such as declarations, guidelines and protocols. The paper reviews the strategies and modalities of the instruments, and discusses the uniqueness of the Commonwealth Teacher Recruitment Protocol (CTRP). Finally it identifies the major obstacles facing the effective implementation of the goals and objectives of the CTRP and how the problems can be addressed at the local, national and international levels. It concludes by exploring ways in which the broad principles of the CTRP can be applied beyond Commonwealth countries and made globally operational, a legally enforceable deal, covering all countries.