A registration process through which teachers would have to demonstrate their professional development is being considered by their regulatory body.
Head of the General Teaching Council for England, Keith Bartley, said it could deepen trust in the profession.
But he admits that greater training opportunities may be needed.
Teachers are obliged to register with the teaching council. Normally their registration would be revoked only for wrongdoing.
In an article for the Times Educational Supplement, Mr Bartley said this basic registration ensured parents and the wider public knew children were being taught by "qualified teachers of good standing".
He asked: "Could a more active expression of professional registration not only deepen the public trust in the profession but also demonstrate to decision makers that teachers are very well placed to shape teaching and learning in schools?"
Other professions had to provide regular evidence that they had completed "mandatory continuing professional development" to stay registered, he said.
This was not what he envisaged for teachers. But, at the least, teachers might have to show they had a commitment to continuing work-based learning, he added.
