Position Details
Birmingham International Academy
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £35,880 to £45,163 with potential progression once in post to £47,874
Grade: 7
Full Time, 10, 6 and 4 week Casual Assignments (part time/job share will be considered). Applicants need to be available for the full length of the course, including induction.
Closing date: 9th February 2025
Background
The Birmingham International Academy (BIA) at the University of Birmingham is a British Council accredited department which provides English language and Academic skills development and support to undergraduate and postgraduate students across the University of Birmingham (UoB) through the provision of In-sessional and Presessional (general, multidisciplinary and business-specific) English programmes in academic skills and academic English. The BIA is committed to creating a vibrant working environment and welcomes applications from candidates with a commitment to working collaboratively with peers and the management team. A full induction is provided as well as a comprehensive CPD programme delivered by our dedicated CPD team.
Role Summary
We are looking to recruit suitably qualified and experienced Teaching Fellows on Casual Appointed contracts for our 10, 6 and 4-week Presessional English courses for summer 2025.
Post holders will be responsible for teaching English for Academic Purposes to postgraduate, undergraduate or Foundation Presessional students as either Class Teachers or Language Support Teachers.
The primary aim of the programmes is to prepare students with the English language and academic skills they will need for their chosen academic programme. For most students, in order to progress onto their degree programme, they must gain satisfactory completion of their Presessional programme. The post holder will be responsible for the teaching of a group of up to 18 students.
The post holder will prepare and deliver lessons for modules in academic writing, presentation skills, language for seminars, listening skills and academic reading, critical thinking activities. They will also be expected to access materials from Canvas, the University’s Learning Management System (LMS). Training will be given on Canvas and other applications used on the course. It is important teachers have an aptitude when it comes to technology, educational technology in particular.
The Presessional course is open to students under the age of 18, and teachers working on this course need to be aware of safeguarding and welfare practices that are associated with this group of students. A DBS check or overseas criminal record check may be required upon appointment.
Staff teaching on campus may need to deliver elements of the course bimodally or remotely, depending on Government guidelines and will need to be flexible in response to changes to these guidelines.
We are therefore looking for applicants who have developed teaching skills and capabilities for remote learning. All staff are required to have at least a working knowledge and appreciation of the role technology has in education in both learning and administration. Staff working on the online course are required to have:
* the space to teach from home – quiet work area
* appropriate equipment at home – laptop/PC + headphones and mic; good, reliable Wi-Fi connection and a smartphone
* the skills and confidence to teach online
Please note that for on-campus courses, staff must be live within commutable distances of the University of Birmingham. Free university accommodation is available from early July (date to be confirmed) until the end of the course. Please also note, staff for both the online and on-campus courses must be based in the UK and therefore satisfy the UK’s eligibility to work criteria.
Main Duties
Induction
* Attend and participate in the staff induction that will take place prior to the start of teaching and participate in and assist with the timetabled activities during student induction week.
* Read and become fully conversant with the contents of the course handbooks of the chosen programme and other relevant induction materials.
* Complete basic mandatory training (Safeguarding, Prevent, Fire Safety, GDPR, IT Security, Diversity training and Health and Safety Awareness).
Teaching & Teaching-Related Duties
Class Teachers
* Teach courses using Canvas (and video conferencing technology if teaching remotely) for up to 21 contact hours per week including tutorials to students preparing for undergraduate or postgraduate study over a range of courses through seminars and lectures and provide pastoral care and academic advice in a prompt and effective manner.
* Plan and prepare own teaching supplementing the established course materials where necessary, taking responsibility for the monitoring of students’ academic learning outcomes, tracking progress and benchmarking achievement against set targets.
* Supervise student projects, particularly students’ portfolio assignments and generally assist students to improve their academic communications skills, develop relevant study skills and habits and adapt to their new environments socially and academically.
* Conduct individual one-to-one tutorial sessions with each student in your own group.
* Promptly refer any students requiring additional support to the Language Support Team and/or the Programme Manager.
Language Support Teachers
* Provide 1:1/small group support to students identified as requiring extra help.
* Support team teaching with class teachers.
* Offer workshops on areas of EAP skills for larger groups.
* Be available for planned and unplanned cover for class teacher absences.
All teachers
* Develop an approach to planning and developing own teaching through participation in the Presessional Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme.
* Undertake a full range of responsibilities in relation to supervision, marking and examining of all summative assessment, as well as to any progress checks, presentations and homework implemented during the course.
* Be conversant with and uphold the principles inherent in the core competencies of an EAP practitioner, as detailed in the TEAP competency framework, developed by BALEAP.
* Be aware of students’ future programme goals and identify shortfalls and areas of weakness in order to alert the Programme Manager and the students’ and propose or take appropriate solutions and interventions.
* Prepare all lessons (and any designated materials) in advance of each session, which matches course objectives, ensuring that any variations to this are closely aligned with the designated curriculum.
Administration
* Complete work record and attendance registers on a daily/session by session basis, as required and promptly report student absences and pastoral problems to the Programme Manager.
* Produce formal reports on student performance, which may include tutorial reports, sponsor reports and/or other feedback as requested by the Programme Manager.
* Attend all staff meetings and contribute ideas for the improvement of the programme.
* Provide, where possible in advance, a lesson plan and materials for any lessons to be covered by a substitute teacher in the event of an unavoidable absence.
Quality Assurance & Professional Development
* Maintain and develop a level of professional expertise and knowledge by attending training events, workshops and courses relevant to the requirements of the presessional programme and complete all mandatory training as requested.
* Participate fully in CPD activities including observations of teaching either by the Management Team or Accreditation bodies.
* Attend staff skills and expertise development workshops during the Presessional Programme.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* A Masters in a TEFL-related area and a CELTA or
* A diploma in English teaching/ PGCE with substantial TEFL component, or diploma-level qualifications as defined in section 4.2 of the British Council’s Accreditation UK handbook.
* Substantial experience and expertise in delivering EAP/ESAP at a UK Higher Education institution to UG and PG international students from a diverse range of backgrounds and an excellent teaching record.
* For Language Support Teachers roles, a first degree plus a CELTA plus extensive language teaching experience.
Teaching Experience
* Relevant teaching experience, ideally in EAP at tertiary level.
* In-depth knowledge and understanding of the UK higher education system.
* Excellent classroom performance.
* We particularly welcome applications from English teachers with a professional or academic background in Business (Finance and Management), STEM, Arts and Humanities in addition to the above requirements.
Professionalism
* Confidence and skills in using technology to teach – e.g. using learner platforms and collaborative documents, incorporating feedback apps into teaching (Padlet, Polleverywhere, Vevox), zoom (for online teachers).
* Clear and effective written and oral presentation skills.
* A clear understanding of the aims of the course.
* The ability to correctly diagnose and give feedback on learner errors in academic English.
* Experience of safeguarding the welfare of students, particularly online.
* The ability to form professional working relationships with all students, including under 18s and vulnerable adults.
* Excellent communication, interpersonal skills and collegiality.
* Management skills and strong team working skills.
* Experience in innovative development, design and delivery of course material, using a variety of approaches and methods of delivery, course evaluation, student and staff assessment techniques.
* Experience in using cutting edge technology in teaching, a willingness to engage in this area within the UoB and develop and share best practice.
* An ability to prioritise management, teaching and administrative tasks.
DBS required
The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory DBS clearance prior to appointment.
Further particulars can be found here
Informal enquiries to biarecruitment@contacts.bham.ac.uk
View our staff values and behaviours here
We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.
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