It really does depend on the job, but you should note that our environment is not the typical University / campus environment.
The central University fulfils a wide variety of functions and some roles will certainly involve significant student contact (such as some of those dealing in student support services) but many roles won’t involve any student contact and in others student contact is likely to be infrequent or may be fairly frequent but indirect (i.e. via phone, email or in writing rather than in person).
The short answer is no! There are a wide variety of roles in the central University and we want to encourage as diverse a pool of applicants and employees as possible.
While it is true that, as in many other organisations, some of our jobs will require degree-level qualifications, others permit that the postholder be equivalent to a degree-holder by experience, and many more won’t require any specific educational qualifications at all.
The central University is not the typical university environment and, unless we specify a requirement for it, you should not be put off by the fact that you may not have worked in a similar environment before. Your transferable skills from other roles – whether career or personal – may be of great value to us.
Of course, Higher Education administration is a career path in its own right, and whether you have worked in this area before or not, we are happy to encourage those applicants who want to pursue such a career path.
All our application processes give the opportunity for the applicant to request any modification to the post as currently described which they would need to be made in order for them to fill the role, or which would make it easier for them to do so. You will find that you are prompted to make any such request when completing your application online. It is important that you draw a distinction between those adjustments which may be necessary for you to undertake the role, and those which are preferable.
We welcome applications from all sources and you are not prevented from making an application. However, there are restrictions on the type of work, hours per week and total duration of work which may be undertaken by individuals working in the UK under certain types of visa/permit. For example, the terms of a student visa prevent the University offering permanent work or work involving more than 20 hours per week during term-time.
For this reason, we may defer or set aside your application in circumstances where we must either lawfully or for sound business reasons first consider applications from those with the right to reside and work in the UK without restrictions on their stay.
You should be aware that, for most vacancies it is a requirement that we first consider applicants with a current right to reside and work in the UK. Consideration of your application may therefore be set aside until these candidates have been considered or, in cases where there is no likelihood of success in our applying for a Work Permit on your behalf, may be set aside.
The University will apply for a work permit on behalf of an individual where this is in the University’s best interests and there is a reasonable prospect of success. Applicants should, however, be aware that it is unlikely to be the case that the University can demonstrate inability to fill more junior roles – particularly manual, clerical and administrative roles not of a particularly skilled or specialist nature – from the existing pool of labour and applications for work permits for such positions would not normally be contemplated by the University.
You are required to give accurate information in your application. Should the University discover that any information you have provided is inaccurate or misleading and an investigation indicates that this was not a genuine oversight on your part, this may lead to the withdrawal of any invitation to interview or offer of employment or, if the discovery is made subsequent to employment, may lead to our taking disciplinary action against you up to and including dismissal on the grounds that: