cavortingcheetah,
I completed the rater course at ATNS about 2 weeks ago. It is an internationally recognised qualification and yes, there is some "moolah" to be made as there aren't many raters around just yet.
The CAA, as mentioned in previous posts, has been giving exemptions to those pilots who can prove at least Matric - english as a first language ( You'll get a Level 6 - never have to be re-tested). For those that have at least Matric - English as a second Language ( You'll get a Level 4 - need to be re-tested in 3 years time)
Hope this helps.