Skip to main content
European Commission logo

Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Conditions of Service for Teachers and Trainers Working in Adult Education and Training

United Kingdom - Wales

Last update: 30 April 2021
On this page

There is a wide range of roles and job titles linked to teaching in adult and further education and training in Wales. These include teachers, trainers, lecturers, tutors, mentors, coaches and workplace supervisors, who may work for different types of education and training provider. They also teach across a wide range of academic and vocational areas, and from basic skills through to degree or higher level qualifications. They are often referred to as ‘dual professionals’, being skilled as both teachers and technical professionals in their own right. In this article, the term ‘teachers’ encompasses all such roles and contexts.

Employment status 

Teachers in the adult and further education (FE) and training sector are not civil servants and do not have guaranteed employment at any stage of their professional life. They must apply for specific posts which employers advertise. Employers select and appoint suitably qualified staff.

Teachers may work in a wide range of contexts for different types of employer, including:

  • further education (FE) colleges
  • independent specialist colleges
  • adult and community learning providers
  • Welsh for adults learning providers
  • work-based learning settings
  • prisons and offender learning institutions.

Employers determine the staffing structure, recruitment and promotion arrangements, and pay and conditions of employment, although this is subject to general employment and equality legislation, and to any national agreements in place (see the subheading ‘National agreements on pay, conditions of employment and working time’ below).

Recruitment and appointment 

Employers advertise vacant posts, shortlist suitably qualified candidates, and interview applicants, usually through a panel of trained interviewers.

Newly appointed staff usually undertake an induction process which includes an assessment of their development needs as well as supportive supervision, mentoring and regular reviews of progress.

Teachers may work in full-time roles or in ‘fractional’ (part-time) roles, as described under the subheading ‘National agreements on pay and conditions of employment’ below. Some teachers in the sector teach in their field whilst continuing to work in their profession or trade. In this way, they maintain up-to-date technical/professional knowledge  which can enhance their teaching. 

Qualification requirements 

Teachers employed in further education (FE) colleges are required to hold an approved teaching qualification, as set out in the Further Education Teachers’ Qualifications (Wales) Regulations 2002. They can acquire this qualification through either pre-service or in-service training.

For teachers working in other forms of adult learning, there is no legal requirement to hold particular qualifications. FE teachers are usually expected to have at least a Level 3 qualification in the subject they are teaching, along with a Level 2 qualification in English, maths and / or ICT. However, it is also common for teachers to have a recognised academic or vocational qualification related to the area of learning, or extensive experience of the field.

It is the responsibility of employers to ensure that their staff are appropriately qualified for their role. See the article on ‘Initial Education’ for further information on qualification requirements.

Professional standards 

Following review of the 2007 Professional Standards, revised non-statutory Professional Standards for Further Education Teachers and Work-based Learning Practitioners in Wales were published in November 2017. As stated on page 6, the primary purpose of the revised standards is ‘to support individuals in making the most of their personal professional learning and as a basis for professional learning needs analysis’. They aim to:

  • promote the professionalism of practitioners;
  • provide a framework for continuing professional learning, promoting improved practice through self-reflection and collaboration, and so ensure high quality teaching, learning and assessment.

The revised standards are expressed in the form of a series of personal commitments. These are set out on pages 10-11 of the 2017 document in the form of ‘In my practice and with others, I…’ statements. They include that FE teachers will:

  • demonstrate commitment to learners, their learning, safety and well-being;
  • value and promote diversity, equality of opportunity and inclusion;
  • understand the importance of the Welsh culture and language;
  • demonstrate dignity, courtesy and respect towards others;
  • maintain and update knowledge of their subject(s) and how best to teach and assess them;
  • know how to use evidence and research to improve practice;
  • plan and deliver effective learning, teaching and assessment;
  • build positive and collaborative relationships;
  • enable learners to share responsibility for their own learning and assessment;
  • critically reflect on their values, knowledge and skills to improve learning.

Examples of ways in which the standards may be used include to stimulate debate; as a focus for research and enquiry; as a framework for progression; as a guide for induction processes; to inform the construction of job descriptions and person specifications; and for organisational development.

The current FE teaching qualifications are aligned with the Professional Standards for Teachers, Tutors and Trainers in the Lifelong Learning Sector in Wales, established in 2007.

Registration 

All teachers in further education (FE) colleges have been required to register with the Education Workforce Council (EWC), since it was established on 1 April 2015. 

This registration requirement was extended to learning support staff in FE colleges on 1 April 2016. It was also extended to all work-based learning teachers working for organisations funded directly or indirectly by the Welsh Government on 1 April 2017.

The EWC is the independent regulator for teachers in maintained schools in Wales; for FE teachers and learning support staff in both school and FE settings; and for youth workers and teachers involved in work-based learning. 

All registrants with the EWC are expected to comply with the EWC’s Code of Professional Conduct and Practice. Following a consultation, a revised Code is due to be published in September 2019.

National agreements on pay, conditions of employment and working time 

Although teachers can be employed in a wide range of contexts, further education (FE) colleges are at the heart of the sector. The following information applies specifically to teachers employed by FE colleges. Commercial organisations and independent training providers set their own pay and conditions of service.

Pay and conditions of service in FE colleges are subject to negotiation between the employers’ organisation, ColegauCymru/CollegesWales and trade unions/professional associations. In 2014, a joint trade union group and ColegauCymru agreed a national contract for all staff employed in FE colleges in Wales. Colleges started to implement the national contract in the 2014/15 academic year and all colleges have been expected to have the national contract in place since 1 September 2016.

The national contract and linked national agreements limit weekly working hours for a full-time teacher to 37,5 of which can be worked away from the institution. Teaching hours are limited to 24 in a normal working week. For further information regarding working hours, see section 6 and 7 (pages 4 and 5) of the 2013 National Agreement on Lecturers’ Workload Allocation for Further Education Colleges in Wales.

Contracts of employment 

Under the national contract, employment contracts for teachers working in FE colleges include the following types.

a.)    Salaried full-time (permanent). In addition to their teaching load (of a maximum 24 hours per week), which might include one or more evening or weekend sessions, teachers spend the remainder of their time planning and preparing lessons, marking students’ work, and attending meetings.

b.)    Salaried fractional (permanent). Part-time roles are also known as ‘fractional roles’ because the holders work for a fraction of a full-time teacher’s week (e.g. a 0.5 role would involve working 18.5 hours a week). Fractional staff may work for more than one college / organisation at the same time, or may teach regular evening classes.

c.)    Part-time hourly paid (permanent) where hours vary according to the teaching schedule.

d.)    Full- or part-time (fractional) fixed-term. Payment may be hourly for staff on fixed term contracts or they may be paid a salary (pro rata if part-time).

Salary scales 

ColegauCymru/CollegesWales, the employers’ organisation and the trade unions, working together as the Wales Negotiating Committee Further Education, have agreed a recommended pay range and starting salaries for FE teachers.

 The rates of pay are adopted by boards of governors in each institution and the agreed pay scales include rates for instructors/demonstrators+ and associate lecturers, main grade lecturers, part-time hourly rates under the national contract, and an FE management spine. Salaries for main grade lecturers from 1 August 2017 were in the range £22,827 (€26,506)* to £33,162 (€38,507*).

+Some colleges choose to use instructors/demonstrators to support the delivery of learning.  They are not teachers, but complement their work by taking responsibility for overseeing agreed learning and/or training activities.

*Exchange rate used: €1 = £0.86, ECB 09 May 2019

All FE colleges have a performance management and review (PMAR) agreement in place. This should reflect the Model Agreement on the Implementation of the National Agreement on PMAR Systems in FE in Wales, negotiated by ColegauCymru/Colleges Wales and the trade unions. PMAR agreements outline the application process for FE teachers to progress up the three-point upper pay spine. They also have the separate, but related purpose of annual target setting and performance review of all lecturing staff. Participation in relevant continuing professional development, alongside being able to demonstrate up-to-date subject knowledge are key criteria for progression up the upper pay spine. Other criteria include making a professional contribution to student learning and to the overall work of their department or college. For information on performance management procedures, see article on ‘Continuing Professional Development’.

Holidays, other paid leave and pensions 

Paid holiday entitlement for teachers in FE colleges is determined by the national contract. A full-time, permanent lecturer, for example, is entitled to 46 days’ paid leave each leave year, plus eight bank holidays or public holidays. The national contract agreement also allows FE colleges to schedule a number of  ‘efficiency’ days each year, when an institution is closed.  

Maternity, paternity and parental leave, along with sickness leave, are also covered in the national contracts.

Teachers and support staff working in FE colleges are, in most cases, covered by the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) or the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) as applicable to the post. Staff on full-time, fractional (part-time), permanent or fixed-term, salaried or hourly paid contracts all have access to a pension scheme.

Further information on the national contract and national agreements for staff working in FE colleges in Wales is available via the University and College Union (UCU) website.

 

Article last reviewed April 2021.