Welsh Medium Schools across Rhondda Cynon Taf

There are a range of Welsh teaching opportunities available in Rhondda Cynon Taf. We have:

• 13 Welsh medium primary schools
• 2 dual language primary schools (where there are two separate education streams at the same school and pupils can choose whether to receive their education in Welsh or English)
• 2 Welsh medium all through schools (where primary and secondary provision is on the same site)
• 2 Welsh medium secondary schools

Why work in our Welsh schools?

Working in Rhondda Cynon Taf schools offers a unique and exciting experience for new and experienced educators to develop their careers in a welcoming community. Working in a Welsh medium school provides the chance to be part of a community dedicated to promoting the Welsh language and Welsh culture. By giving the Welsh language to the children of Wales, we hope to build a vibrant, open and multi-cultural Welsh community.

Development and career opportunities

Teaching offers a rewarding professional career where you can make a difference every day and help inspire the next generation. By choosing to teach in Rhondda Cynon Taf, you’ll have a good starting salary and flexible training options which will lead to long term career opportunities and ongoing professional development.

Rhondda Cynon Taf schools are committed to providing their employees with opportunities for development, career progression and a healthy work-life balance. Professional development continues throughout your teaching career as there are many different elements involved with the delivery of education within our schools, so there will be plenty of opportunities for you to take on board new responsibilities, while expanding your skillset and enjoying new challenges and experiences.

Our Central South Consortium can also help you with:

• Support from Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and becoming a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT), to career development at all stages, including middle and senior leadership, headship and beyond.
• Professional learning to support your own Welsh language development and skills
• An extensive professional learning offer to keep you up to date on key areas of reform, such as the new Curriculum for Wales, to develop your practice and enhance your future career prospects.
• Opportunities to collaborate and share practice with other practitioners across the region as part of our self-improving school system, the Central South Wales Challenge (CSWC).

Routes into employment at Welsh medium schools

To work as a teacher or teaching assistant in our Welsh medium schools, you will need to be a Welsh speaker.

Teacher

There are a variety of ways to start your teaching career and to work as a teacher you must be qualified. Educators Wales will help you to understand what teaching is like and also help you explore the route into teaching best suited to your circumstances and qualifications. You can also find out more from our teaching in our schools webpage.

Teaching Assistant

Find out more about becoming a Teaching Assistant.

If you want to find out more about the Welsh language requirements of a post we have advertised, please do not hesitate to contact the school for further information.

Developing Welsh language skills

As a Council we are committed to further developing our Welsh language provision and we are working with partners to increase the number of teachers, teaching assistants and leaders in the Welsh medium sector. This aligns with The Welsh Government Cymraeg 2050: A Million Welsh Speakers and has been built into our Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) 2022-32.

If you are not a fluent Welsh speaker, Central South Consortium offer professional development opportunities free of charge to support practitioners in developing their Welsh language skills and building their confidence to use the language in a Welsh classroom. These opportunities include:

Welsh Language Refresher Course

This course aims to develop practitioners’ skills and increase their confidence to support learners with their spoken and written Welsh. Suitable for practitioners in both Welsh and English medium schools who have Intermediate level Welsh language skills.

Sabbatical Scheme for Welsh language training

If you are currently a teaching assistant or a teacher in an English medium school considering teaching in a Welsh medium school, you may be eligible to apply for the Welsh Government’s Welsh Sabbatical Scheme, which is facilitated by the Central South Consortium.

The Sabbatical Scheme for Welsh language training offers language courses to primary and secondary school teachers and teaching assistants. Courses are funded by Welsh Government and aim to increase the number of practitioners who can educate through the medium of Welsh or bilingually.

Courses are offered at various language levels in various locations across Wales.

The courses are available free of charge and Welsh Government provides a grant to pay supply costs, as well as travelling expenses.

The scheme supports practitioners to:

• Develop their linguistic skills
• Increase their confidence to teach and use the Welsh language in the classroom
• Use the Welsh language effectively across the curriculum

To be eligible to apply for this scheme, you must be employed in a Rhondda Cynon Taf School. Information on how and when to apply for the scheme is shared directly with RCT Schools. Please discuss with your school’s administration support or contact Central South Consortium directly to enquire further: support@cscjes.org.uk.

Welsh Language Development Programme

Different professional learning programmes are available for primary practitioners with foundation level, entry level or no Welsh language skills, delivered through a blended learning approach.

For more information on the professional development opportunities available to practitioners, please refer to the Central South Consortium website.

Support is also available for people who work in the Education sector in Wales through the National Centre for Learning Welsh. As there is great collaboration amongst the Welsh medium school sector, this could also provide opportunities for learning, for example through regional networks such a YFfed and Gyda’n Gilydd.

Other benefits

As an employee of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, you also get other benefits such as:

• Health and wellbeing support with access to our own Occupational Health and Wellbeing Unit, where advice and support is offered such as counselling, nurse and physiotherapist services
• Lifestyle discounts through our Vectis discount card which can be used throughout some of the UK’s leading brands with savings on groceries, holidays, eating out and more
• Discounted gym membership for Rhondda Cynon Taf owned leisure centres
• Financial wellbeing support such as advice and salary deducted loans if you are eligible
• Pension scheme