Essential Skills Tutor/s English and/or Maths in Belfast

Salary: Band 5 - £33,649.03

Job Location: Belfast HQ based (with travel across NI when required)

Working Hours: Full-time/Part Time (as required)

Contract: Funded until June 2027

Disability Action is a dynamic and thriving charity committed to improving the lives of individuals with disabilities across Northern Ireland. We provide a wide range of services and support to empower people with disabilities, in employment, skills provision, advocacy and more, ensuring they can live independently and participate fully in society.

The Essential Skills English Tutor is responsible for planning, delivering, assessing, and supporting high-quality Essential Skills English provision for learners enrolled on the Skills for Life and Work programme. The role aims to improve learners' literacy skills, confidence, communication abilities, and qualification achievement while preparing them for progression into employment, further education, apprenticeships, training, and independent living. The successful candidate will report into the DA Skills Delivery Manager.

Key Responsibilities

• Learner Support and Engagement
  • Provide day-to-day support to learners within classrooms, workshops and programme activities.
  • Develop positive and professional relationships with learners.
  • Support learners to engage fully in learning and programme activities.
  • Assist learners to develop confidence, independence and self-esteem.
  • Encourage positive behaviour, attendance and participation.
  • Motivate learners to achieve personal goals and programme outcomes.
• Teaching and Learning
  • Plan and deliver engaging Essential Skills English sessions in accordance with curriculum requirements and awarding organisation specifications.
  • Deliver literacy qualifications at Entry Level, Level 1, and Level 2 where appropriate.
  • Differentiated learning to meet individual learner needs, abilities, and learning styles.
  • Embed employability, wellbeing, digital, and life skills within learning activities.
  • Promote learner confidence, communication skills, reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.
  • Use a variety of teaching methods and resources to support learner engagement and achievement.
  • Incorporate practical and vocational contexts into English delivery to make learning relevant and meaningful.
• Assessment and Achievement
  • Assess learner work accurately and in accordance with awarding organisation requirements.
  • Provide timely and constructive feedback to learners.
  • Monitor learner progress and achievement against individual targets.
  • Maintain accurate assessment records and achievement tracking documentation.
  • Support learners to gather evidence and complete qualification requirements.
  • Ensure qualification claims are submitted accurately and within agreed timescales.
  • Work collaboratively with the Health and Wellbeing Officer, Disability Support Officer, and wider support teams.
  • Promote learner attendance, engagement, retention, and achievement.
  • Support learners with additional learning needs, disabilities, neurodiversity, and mental health challenges.
  • Maintain accurate learner records, attendance registers, reviews, assessments, and tracking documentation.
  • Ensure compliance with awarding organisation, Department for the Economy (DfE), and organisational requirements.
  • Participate in internal verification, standardisation, and quality assurance activities.
  • Contribute to inspections, audits, monitoring visits, and quality improvement activities.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of Essential Skills qualification requirements and curriculum developments.
• Employer Engagement and Employability
  • Embed employability themes within Essential Skills delivery.
  • Liase with employers and programme staff where appropriate to support learner progression.
  • Support learners undertaking work placements by helping them develop workplace literacy and communication skills.
• Safeguarding and Welfare
  • Identify and report safeguarding concerns in accordance with organisational procedures.
  • Maintain learner confidentiality and comply with GDPR requirements.
  • Promote a safe, positive, and respectful learning environment.
• Continuous Professional Development
  • Participate in training, professional development, and team meetings.
  • Share good practice with colleagues.
  • Keep up to date with curriculum, assessment, teaching, learning, and quality assurance developments.
• Safeguarding and Risk Management
  • Act as a member of the organisational Safeguarding and Crisis Management Team.
  • Respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns and welfare issues in accordance with organisational policies and statutory guidance.
  • Undertake risk assessments and implement safeguarding and wellbeing interventions.
  • Maintain detailed safeguarding records and documentation.
  • Promote a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment.
• Quality Assurance and Organisational Development
  • Maintain accurate, confidential and up-to-date learner records.
  • Ensure compliance with organisational policies and procedures.
  • Support quality assurance and audit activities.
  • Contribute to self-evaluation and continuous improvement activities.
  • Maintain GDPR and confidentiality requirements.

Essential Criteria

• Qualifications: PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) or Certificate in Teaching (CiT), or an equivalent recognised teaching qualification, together with appropriate subject qualifications in English/Literacy and Mathematics/Numeracy relevant to the level of Essential Skills provision being delivered.
• Appropriate teaching, tutoring or training qualification, or willingness to obtain an appropriate qualification where required.
• GCSE (Grade A-C) or equivalent in English and Mathematics, or Essential Skills Level 2 or higher in Communication and Numeracy, or equivalent qualifications recognised by the relevant awarding body.
• Where delivering Essential Skills Literacy, an appropriate qualification in English/Literacy, in line with the requirements of the relevant awarding body and/or funding body.
• Where delivering Essential Skills Numeracy, an appropriate qualification in Mathematics/Numeracy, in line with the requirements of the relevant awarding body and/or funding body.

Desirable Criteria

• Assessor qualification.
• Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) qualification.
• Experience working with learners with disabilities or additional learning needs.
• Experience within Skills for Life and Work programmes.

What we can offer you:

• Hybrid Working
• Death in Service package
• Cash plan
• In-house Counselling services
• Training and Development opportunities
• Enhanced Maternity packages
• Commitment to diversity, inclusion, and employee well-being
• 27 days paid holidays per year and 11 bank holidays (Based on a full-time role)
• Opportunities for growth in business development, project implementation, training and development and personal development plans

Disability Action is an equal opportunities employer committed to providing opportunities for all. We offer salary packages that are reflective of experience and aligned with industry standards, alongside a supportive environment that encourages professional growth. As a progressive charity, we provide our employees with opportunities to develop their skills and gain experience across a wide range of areas in a secure and thriving workplace. We are a Responsible Body for Access NI. A disclosure check will be undertaken; however, a criminal record will not necessarily be a bar to obtaining this role.