Wales needs to change its policy on teaching in Wales

A teacher of my acquaintance will be winging her way back to America this week. She was hired for a teaching job there. Here she was not able to teach, not even long term, supply jobs which she had in Wales before. And why? Because she did not have QTS in Wales, and was told at the General Teaching Council Cymru that she could only cover for a day or work as an aid, yet in England she gained QTS in England in a couple of weeks. The only way that you can gain QTS in Wales is by taking an year long course at UKIP. Essentially Wales operates a closed system in Wales when it comes to teaching. I would like to ask Huw lewis how can you claim to want to recruit the best teachers in the World, when it's impossible for them to teach here. Whilst I realize that each country must have its own standards, perhaps there is a way in Wales to evaluate their qualifications than by the costly way they do. I would suggest that they could move the courses online so that teachers could take them from over there? What do you say Carwyn Jones? Does Wales want the best teachers to teach? -- Sent from Fast notepad

Horror Express

A good day at work yesterday was spoiled by the nightmare journey home, courtesy of Arriva trains who decided to stop the trains earlier than announced, so a journey that should had only taken 40 minutes took almost 3 hours. We had to wait 45 minutes for a bus which only took us to Barry. Then we had to wait at that nasty station an hour for another bus. At the Barry station were 2 poor kids who had been waiting 2 hours for a bus, absolutely disgusted that 2 youngsters had to wait on their own. Shame on you Arriva trains for allowing this ridiculous situation and not putting your passengers well being first. Shame on you the Labour Party when you were in power for 13 years not to put this ridiculous situation with the trains right, how can we trust you. -- Sent from Fast notepad

Make the Glamorgan Heritage Coast a national park

Reading some of the stuff about the upcoming LDPs in both Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan where I live. For example where I live, we have some of the most spectacular countryside in Wales, with the gorgeous Glamorgan Heritage coast and our beautiful colourful villages I ask myself where is the balance between conservation and adequate and affordable housing for our people. There are small communities like Ystradowen just near Cowbridge which has been told that they need a large number of new houses. The locals are up in arms that their communities are going to be spoiled. Then are others more cynical that accuse these same people of being NIMBYS who are more interested in the effects on their house prices. That I believe is a little unfair. I. Personally believe that the Western Vale's with its heritage coast should be a national park, and that house building should be done employing local builders and local labour with affordability being a crucial point. -- Sent from Fast notepad

A Empty Church

I walked into the new glass doors of St John's Church in Cardiff town, walked into the church, and to be honest it's never been one of my favorites too small and gloomy for my liking. The Church is open for private prayer, which is quite a contradiction in terms, the highest for of prayer is public in fact, and these churches have so little, no daily offices, or daily Eucharists, just a big empty place which feels dead. No life, certainly would not have been the case in the Middle Ages, where the church would have been a wash with colour and noise of people praying together. We have lost much. -- Sent from Fast notepad

The letter wot i wrote to the Echo about teaching

Dear Viewpoints.

Reading some of the sad stories about the state of education in Wales truly brings a tear to my eye. We moved back here from the US because this is where we wanted to be, back home. I would get a job, and my wife would teach. She had taught in Wales before, quite successfully, and was highly regarded by the special needs school that she had worked on longterm supply with. However we were in for a shock, after placing our daughter in Llantwit Major Comp, (where she has completed a successful year), we went into Cardiff where my wife was going register with the agency that she had worked with before, we were shocked to discover that she could not because she did not have QTS for Wales (incidently I had corresponded with the agency prior to our arrival and they failed to mention this). We went to the GTCE in Newport Road, who just told us that there was nothing that they could do, and consequently placed the blame with the Welsh government, tying their hands. In the meantime my wife applied for QTS in England which she got after 3 weeks of waiting.Then I contacted the office of Andrew RT Davies (one of our AMs) who offered help, whose office subsequently did not follow up and would not reply to emails, then I contacted Leanne Wood's office with the same lack of response, and finally I contacted Jane Hutt our Vale of Glamorgan AM, and her office in the end was equally as useless, no contact. The only way  teacher from outside can gain QTS in Wales is taking a year long course at UWIC or working for free in a Welsh school, a program that is highly limited and is going to be phased out, and for a highly qualified teacher like NY wife with 2 graduate degrees at  61 that is ridiculous. However what angers me is the lack of responses from our AMs and that is outrageous.And now its too late, my wife was hired (with a phone interview) to teach in a catholic school school in Kansas, and our family is going to be ripped apart  and my daughter is going to be  moved out of her happy school where she has been sucessful,away from her friends and family to a place she hardly knows.I have applied for 300+ jobs with luck, and I will be staying here.All I can say its  shame and could have been otherwise.Michael Alan Cridland.Cert. Biblical Studies: Catholic Biblical School.32 Blackbird RoadSt AthanVale of GlamorganCF62 4NL"Gwir Yr Erbyn Y Byd" /I\ (Truth Against the World) Iolo Morganwg