Teacher Education Centre under the auspices of UNESCO is an international institution approved by UNESCO, established by the Chinese (Shanghai) government, managed by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, and operated by Shanghai Normal University. The UNESCO TEC is structured according to a directorate system, with the council assuming a leadership role. The council is responsible for the overall supervision of the work, while the director is accountable for the operation, and an advisory committee of experts has been established to provide guidance and suggestions to the director. Furthermore, several departments have been constituted in accordance with the evolving needs of the institution, including the Office of Administration, the Office of International Affairs, the Office of Teacher Education Research, the Office of Teacher Capacity Building, the Office of Information Technology, the Office of Support and Security, and others.

Each year, the UNESCO TEC will employ four top-ranking experts from home and abroad as visiting professors. Additionally, a number of project specialists will be recruited to contribute to the capacity building, technical support and information sharing.