ATL

Advice and support

Expert advice and guidance on professional issues is available for free to ATL members.*

Information on a comprehensive range of topics can be viewed and downloaded for free from this website, and for students and NQs we have our dedicated website: www.new2teaching.org.uk.

We have many ATL reps in schools and colleges who are available to offer local advice and support, along with your local ATL branch. Advice and support on legal issues such as unfair dismissals, assaults and accidents at work, disciplinary hearings and contract and salary disputes is also available from a team of experienced solicitors and advisors across the UK.

Guidance on education and employment matters is also available, including contracts and conditions of service, part-time work, employment rights, redundancy, health and safety, maternity rights, and social security and welfare benefits.

We also have a network of associate solicitors, located throughout England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, who can provide on-the-spot advice to ATL members, primarily in criminal matters.

Further support on issues such as stress, trauma and assault, personal injury and private legal matters can be obtained, for free, through ATL's specialist helplines.

To contact ATL on any professional issue, call our legal and member services department on 020 7930 6441, email us or visit our Need help now? page for contact details for all our helplines.

For more information on the advice and support available to ATL members, download ATL's Legal advice and professional help brochure, using the link on the right-hand side of this page.

It's worth knowing that, should you wait until a problem arises before considering union membership, union rules will preclude you from receiving immediate assistance, known as the 'pre-existing problem' rule. So to be safe in the knowledge that you have the protection and backing that only ATL can provide, join today.

*Including the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, teachers serving on sovereign bases abroad and teachers working for the Department for Children, Schools and Families in European schools. We regret that we cannot offer legal assistance to those with retired and associate membership. For information about the support provided to members working overseas please contact ATL. ATL reserves the right to decide upon member requests for legal assistance. The cost of legal assistance must always be approved in advance, and you should not instruct a solicitor to deal with a professional or legal matter before contacting ATL. ATL is unable to offer support, representation or assistance (including legal advice) to members with problems that arose before they joined ATL. This service is only for employment matters.