If you are already teaching basic skills, you will find some useful links with the latest on the qualification changes below.

Information depends on where in the UK you are working. Are you in:
England - Wales - Scotland - Northern Ireland?

Existing teachers in England:
There are compulsory qualifications for people who would like to be involved in teaching essential literacy, ESOL and numeracy to adults in England.
There are 3 new levels of qualification / involvement, going from Level 4 qualifications for those leading the teaching, to Level 2 for volunteers. However, these only apply to NEW teachers

Teachers who were enrolled on a course (such as the City and Guilds 9281 / 9285) before 31st July 2002 will be allowed the normal time to complete their course and their qualification will continue to be recognised.

The Department for Education and Skills advise that they are planning to develop a 'Continuing Professional Development Programme'. This is still in development and there is no timescale / deadline for current basic skills tutors to gain additional qualifications. However, it is expected that ALL teachers of adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL will want to work towards one of these new qualifications.

Useful links:

• You can find out more about these developments from The Department for Education and Skills website, including a users' guide to the new qualifications, a breakdown of the subject specifications (what you are supposed to know for each qualification), contextualised raising standards guides and details of where to get more help in your professional development.

• Lifelong Learning UK have an extremely useful FAQs page.
  To find the FAQs go here: http://www.lifelonglearninguk.org/currentactivity/adult_lit_num_esol.html then hit on 'FAQs'.
  To find out what sort of things you will need to prove you know for each qualification, click on the 'Subject specifications for literacy and numeracy' on the 'Adult Literacy, Numeracy and ESOL' homepage: http://www.lifelonglearninguk.org/qualifications/adult_lit_num_esol.html
  

  Lifelong Learning UK can be contacted on: 0870 757 7890.

• TALENT is a website that started life as a teacher support site for a small East London project. It now covers all of London and has been funded by the DfES to become a major national resource for information about professional development and training for adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL teachers.

  The site has a searchable database of training courses, information on pathfinder projects, a news section and a jobs database.

Existing teachers in Northern Ireland
Contact the Basic Skills Unit in Northern Ireland on 028 9024 4274. Or you can email them at bsu@egsa.org.uk.
Or you can contact the Educational Guidance Service for Adults on 028 9024 4274, or email them at info@egsa.org.uk.

Existing teachers in Scotland
Contact your Local Authority's Community Education Department about opportunities for voluntary or paid employment and the training and support they offer.

Existing teachers in Wales
Contact the Basic Skills Agency Wales office at bscprintssc@wales.gsi.gov.uk.