People looking for teaching jobs in London may be interested to hear that Boris Johnson has said free schools should be able to employ who they want - regardless of the qualifications candidates hold.

The mayor of London told the BBC that some of the greatest teachers in the world do not have all the formal qualifications that are required to educate in English state schools.

His comments appear to directly contradict those of deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, who used his speech at a London school yesterday to assert the Lib Dem view that all free school teachers must be qualified to ensure basic standards.

"I think you need to be flexible, look at the individual and see what they have got to offer the pupils," said the mayor.

"I think back to my own childhood and the people who taught me and many of them didn't have an educational qualification at all, some of them were in Japanese prisoner of war camps ... and they were fantastic."

The role of free school teaching jobs in London has been under the spotlight since a student who was still studying for her postgraduate certificate in education was employed as head teacher of a free primary school. She has since gone on to quit her post after only four months in the job.

Elsewhere in the UK, there was also controversy as the Al-Madinah free school in Derby was deemed inadequate by Ofsted inspectors and Labour education secretary Tristram Hunt said there will be a call for a vote in Parliament next week on teacher qualifications, as the quality of teaching makes the biggest difference to learning.

Who is right? Can unqualified teachers perform the role as well or better than those who have been studying for the vocation? How do you feel about the mayor's comments if you have spent the past 12 months or longer preparing yourself for life as a qualified teacher?

Let us know your views on the subject before it is debated in the House of Commons.