BRITISH WHEEL OF YOGA
CURRENT TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
Foundation Course (minimum 60 hours)
This is a course for students who wish to study Yoga in more depth and those who wish to go on to a Teachers’ Training Course
Teachers’ Diploma Course (500 hours)
In Service Training (at least 14 days are offered throughout the Eastern Region-per year)
All Diploma Holders are required to do at least one day of In-Service-Training per year.
From 2005, Diploma Holders will not be registered by the BWY (and will not get insurance cover) if they do not fulfil this obligation
Please note the following changes come into effect from January 1st 2009
The New System of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) By Paul Fox – NISTO
PLEASE NOTE THE C.P.D. FORMS REFERRED TO IN THIS DIRECTIVE ARE AVAILABLE IN THE TEACHER'S SECTION ON THIS SITE.
From January 1st 2009 individual BWY Teachers will be responsible for recording their Continuing Professional Development on a new form that will be included in the Autumn edition of Spectrum and is available via the BWY websites or from Central Office. This self-certification system replaces the old system where Central Office attempted to mark off each individual member as having done their CPD.
Teachers will need to complete one self certification form for every calendar year, showing which training events you have attended to fulfil your CPD requirements.
This form is held by the teacher AND SHOULD NOT BE SENT TO CENTRAL OFFICE. A new system of checking compliance with CPD will be introduced, under which a sample of BWY teachers will be asked to send their CPD Record Sheets to Central Office to be checked. The BWY also reserves the right to require you to produce your CPD Record Sheet at any time. Failure to show compliance with CPD will result in your teaching status being withdrawn.
Here’s a recap of what you must do
Teachers must keep their CPD Record Sheets for five years.
Under the old system you were required to do five hours of CPD each year. From January 2009 we are moving to a points system and you will have to accumulate 15 points of CPD each year.
Print off a CPD Record Sheet Write down every training event you attend and the number of points that event is worth (usually 1 hour = 1 point) If you want to use the Directed Private Study option, print off the Directed Private Study form, complete it before and after the study and clip it to your CPD Record Sheet Keep your CPD Record Sheet in a safe place and be ready to submit it to Central Office if asked.
Guidelines for the new CPD system
Under the new requirements for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) you are required to accrue 15 CPD points every calendar year. Every yoga or other relevant training event that you attend will count as one point per hour – so a five hour workshop will count 5 points towards your 15 point total.
There are two exceptions to this rule.
1.  IST events other than First Aid days will accrue 7.5 CPD points in recognition of the special status of these days being only for teachers and having a BWY-approved scheme of work. This rule applies to the Distance Learning IST as well as usual IST days. So it would be possible to reach 15 points by attending two IST days. First Aid days/courses of whatever length can only count 5 points towards your CPD total.
2   The new Directed Private Study must be for a minimum of 7.5 hours, but can only count as 5 CPD points and only five points in every year may be accrued through Directed Private Study.
If you accrue more than 15 CPD points in any calendar year (for example a 40 hour BWY Module would accrue 40 CPD points), you may carry forward up to 5 points to the following year. This must be noted on your CPD Record Sheet for the relevant year.
It is up to individual teachers to decide if the event they have attended should count towards CPD, within the following guidelines:-
1. The event should have a training element and contribute to your development as a teacher and/or have a practical impact on your yoga teaching. It should be continuing professional development. The event need not necessarily be only yoga. For example a workshop or course on anatomy and physiology can also count. Examples of what cannot count as CPD include regular yoga classes that you attend for your own practice, yoga holidays which include only practice not training, and events with
2. We will rely on the judgement of individual teachers as to what can count as CPD, but if in doubt you may contact Central Office who have the guidelines. In the event of Central Office being unable to clarify the matter, NISTO may be contacted for clarification and a ruling.
3. The current criteria for automatic exemption from CPD in any particular year will be applicable under the new system, namely:
Personal illness or injury Bereavement or severe illness of a close family member Pregnancy and childbirth Moving house Divorce
The BWY retains the right to require its teachers to submit their CPD Record Sheet at any time. Teachers who fail to complete 15 points a year of CPD may have their teaching status withdrawn.
First Aid
For the time being first aid will be allowed to continue to count towards your CPD. However, it is likely that we will want to take first aid out of the CPD system at some point because it is to do with health and safety and insurance and not part of a teacher’s professional development.
Teaching members should also note that it is their responsibility to maintain their first aid certificate, and they should not rely on the BWY in general or their county reps in particular to put on first aid days. Where these are organised it may be convenient for teaching members, but they should not rely such days to be organised. The main focus of Regional Training Officers and County Reps is to provide interesting and stimulating IST Days and Yoga Days for all members in their area.
It remains the case that we require all our teachers to hold the Appointed Person First Aid certificate, valid for three years. However, for those who have overseas first aid qualifications or health professionals who have first aid training way beyond this minimum level, but who do not actually hold appointed persons certificates, it may be possible for them to have their First Aid knowledge recognised via APL (Approved Prior Learning). A form to do this is being developed and will be available from Central Office
PLEASE NOTE THE C.P.D. FORMS REFERRED TO IN THIS DIRECTIVE ARE AVAILABLE IN THE TEACHER'S SECTION ON THIS SITE.
First Aid - BWY Requirement for First Aid Certificates
From Ian Burgess Regional Officer.
As most of you are aware, Personal Liability Insurance with the Wheel is only valid if you hold a current 1st Aid Cert.It is your responsibility as a teacher to obtain a valid certificate, not the Wheel's as it is you who are insured not BWY. If you are asked why you do not have a current certificate you can't reply "because the Wheel has not laid on a course". It's your responsibility. Certificates are accepted from any individual or organisation who runs a course of minimum 5 hours, issues a certificate valid for three years and is accepted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).It is also your responsibility to keep your certificate up to date. The Wheel does not send out reminders. However, if you discover your certificate has run out there is a three month period of grace during which the Wheel's insurers, Perkins Slade will still provide cover. After that though, you are NOT insured.
National Congress & National training week are I.S.T events All Diploma Holders are required to do at least one day of In-Service-Training per year. From 2005, Diploma Holders will not be registered by the BWY (and will not get insurance cover) if they do not fulfil this obligation All new Diploma Holders are required to hold a current First Aid Certificate All Diploma Holders should renew their First Aid Certificate every 3 years
BWY National Training Week
Available to all Diploma Holders & Student teachers.
Post Diploma Training
The BWY has modules in- Teaching Yoga to Children Teaching Yoga for Pregnancy Teaching Yoga in Prisons Meditation Pranayama And coming soon-Philosophy
Teaching Practise Observation training One day of training for Diploma Holders who wish to do Teaching Practise Observation (which all students have to undergo twice during their training)
Diploma Course Tutor Training Thorough training for Diploma Holders who wish to become a Diploma Course Tutor-approx. 18 months- then they are allowed to run a course with a mentor