 Panels were drawn from members of the Council plus a pool of specially appointed panellists.The GTC employed a presenting officer who was often a leading solicitor in the field of Professional Discipline.A panel had the powers to issue reprimands, issue a conditional registration order (continued GTC registration required the teacher to adhere to certain conditions set at the hearing), suspend a teacher from the register, or prohibit a teacher from registration

The GTC did not pay costs to teachers found not guilty of misconduct at hearings.