Welsh college removes advert for BSL tutor with a ‘minimum level 1’ qualification following criticism

A Welsh college has come under fire after it posted a job advert for a British Sign Language (BSL) “lecturer” with at least a Level 1 qualification in BSL.

Pembrokeshire College, in southwest Wales, first shared the vacancy last month, which states that the institution is looking for an individual to “deliver our two-hour Level 1 courses for up to two sessions per week”, with one being an evening class.

“It is essential to hold a minimum level 1 BSL qualification.

“It is desirable but not essential upon appointment to hold a Teaching Qualification e.g. PGCE or Award in Education and Training.

“If not held, the PGCE qualification may be required to be undertaken and achieved (supported by the College) whilst in post.

“You will be experienced in the use of British Sign Language and have knowledge and understanding of deaf culture,” it reads.

The part-time position, which is no longer available, is on a permanent contract and promises a wage between £18.75 and £34.33 per hour.

Both Signature and iBSL, who accredit BSL courses, say Level 1 is suitable for “personal development” and those working towards future employment involving sign language.

In terms of teaching, Signature asks tutors to have “the appropriate qualifications”.

“We also recommend that BSL teachers hold recognised teaching qualifications, but this is an advisory and not mandatory,” they said.

iBSL, however, states that teachers of their BSL and Deaf Studies courses “must have a recognised teaching qualification”.

“New and unqualified teachers will need to achieve an award called Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector, plus a qualification specific to what you want to teach – for example, Level 3 BSL or higher,” the organisation states on their website.

Meanwhile, the Association of British Sign Language Teachers and Assessors (ABSLTA) requires a Level 6 qualification from either Signature or iBSL in order for a Deaf tutor to be eligible for ABSLTA membership.

Pembrokeshire College’s ad has since been shared on Twitter, where it has been described as “awful” and “shocking” by users.

This should be obvious but it seems not, you cannot be a "Lecturer in British SIgn Language" if you have BSL Level 1. I am pretty sure they would not employ a Lecturer of English or Welsh for someone with GCSE grade D to G. Yet this is what is happening with BSL @PembsCollege pic.twitter.com/8QwDRX5O92

— Alison (@Deaf) December 4, 2021

https://twitter.com/rachiewilks/status/1467775229384613894?s=21

“So wrong. Level 1 does not have enough sign language skills and knowledge to cover all topics in classes,” wrote one.

Another replied: “This is a joke. I did my Level 1 and 2 here with a fantastic qualified Deaf tutor and now this is what’s being offered! Shocking!”

“This is awful, and they haven’t specified a deaf person either,” commented a third.

Others criticised the “utter ignorance” of the requirement and suggested reporting the matter to Ofsted.

In a statement to The Limping Chicken, Pembrokeshire College said the post has since been withdrawn following comments on social media.

“We will now be looking to consult with the relevant bodies regarding how we move forward with finding an appropriately qualified person to deliver.

“For clarification, the post we were recruiting for was via our Community team and was for a tutor to deliver an Agored, 1-day non-accredited, ‘Meet and Greet’ course with the potential for this to be followed by a single Agored unit in conversational skills.

“Due to the difficulty we have experienced previously in recruiting a Level 3 qualified BSL tutor, the advert specified a minimum Level 1 qualification in order to widen the recruitment pool with our intention then being to put the individual through the relevant training to allow them to deliver a full Level 1 qualification in the future.”

Photo: Pembrokeshire College.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.