Data Protection

Appointment is subject to your express agreement to the College collecting, storing and processing personal data, including sensitive personal data such as health records, for the proper administration of the employment relationship. All data will be kept in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act, 1998 and the associated Codes of practice, and employees will be given the opportunity to verify its accuracy on a regular basis.

Probation Period

Every new employee of the College is subject to a six month probation period during which induction and any necessary training/coaching will be provided. There will be regular reviews at six weeks, three and six months. Subject to a satisfactory report at the six month review, the new employee will be confirmed in post.

Right to work in the UK

To comply with the provisions of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act, 2006 and the Immigration (Restrictions on Employment) Order, 2004, if offered employment, you will be asked to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK prior to you starting work or on your first day of employment. Such proof includes your passport or original EU birth certificate. In addition, we require sight of original documentation showing your National Insurance number, e.g. P45, correspondence from the Inland Revenue or pay slip as well as approved photo ID (e.g. driving licence) if you have not produced your passport as evidence. You will not be able to start work until we have confirmed your right to work.

Qualifications

If you are offered employment in a lecturing position or in some management or service positions, you will be asked to show us original certificates so that your qualifications can be verified.

For teaching staff, the College’s Teacher Qualification Policy, lays down that all permanent staff, whether full time or on fractional contracts, should possess a Certificate in Education/PGCE or equivalent on appointment or achieve this qualification within a specified time.

Criminal Record Check

As the College provides education and training to many students under the age of 18 and to vulnerable young adults, all positions are exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation Offenders Act, 1974. If offered employment, you will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service [DBS] for a Disclosure Certificate. The College will undertake the check on your behalf but you are required to pay the application fee of £50.00.

Medical Procedure

Appointment is also subject to a satisfactory medical report. Following an offer of employment, you will be asked to complete a pre-employment health questionnaire which will be reviewed by the College’s Occupational Health Adviser. The information you give is confidential.

The College views the health check as beneficial to both the organisation and the potential employee, and having a health problem will not necessarily preclude you from being considered for appointment, but we may ask you to have a medical examination by our Occupational Health Adviser to make sure that you are fit to undertake the duties of the job; ensure that the work and working environment is appropriate for you and any adjustments required discussed fully.

References

Appointment is subject to two references that are satisfactory to the College. One reference must be from your present or most recent employer; references from relatives or friends are not acceptable. If a reference is received which is unsatisfactory to the College, the offer of employment may be withdrawn or, if you have been permitted to start work, the appointment may be terminated.

Is there any flexibility on interview dates/times?

In the majority of cases we are unable to re-schedule an interview date, due to time restraints and resources it can be very difficult to get the interview panel together for more than one date. However, if the panel do not recruit from the current round of interviews, we will contact you regarding an alternative date to interview, if you are still interested.

Will my referees be contacted before I receive a job offer?

Not usually. Your referees will be contacted once we have made a conditional offer of employment, however, we will not take up your references without your permission if you have indicated this on your application.

We will ask you for two references, one of which must be your current or most recent employer.

Will my application be considered if I’m a non-EU resident?

Yes. The College will consider all applications received. However, we are required to check that all of our employees are eligible to live and work in the UK. If you are successful in your application, you will be required to provide evidence of this.

We will need to see a valid working visa or residence permit as part of our background check.

What does a ‘Sessional’ contract mean?

A Sessional contract is for a variable number of hours as we need flexibility and the hours for this type of work will fluctuate. Staff on this type of contract will normally be given their hours of work for the term ahead (and sometimes for the whole academic year). Some ‘bank’ roles will be offered hours on an ad-hoc basis.

Sessional staff on teaching contracts are paid 40% of their hourly rate for every hour they teach to take account of the extra duties required of a lecturer. These would include preparation, marking, attending meetings etc.

All staff on this type of contract also have their holiday pay paid to them each month and usually take their time off during the normal College holidays at Christmas, Easter and during the summer. The calculation is made taking into account the pro-rata holiday entitlement to that of a full time member of staff.

What type of job opportunities do you offer?

We offer a full range of Lecturing, Support and Management roles across the College. We offer full time and part time roles which may fall into permanent, sessional or term time only contracts.

What does ‘A Conditional Offer’ mean?

All offers of employment are subject to a number of checks being made satisfactorily to the College. Once a conditional offer has been made, the College will undertake background checks, which include taking up your references, checking your identity, sending your Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) form for processing and conducting appropriate medical checks.

The time this takes varies from but we will try and get you to come into the College as soon as possible to check your ID and complete a DBS form. It is always a good idea to inform your referees beforehand so they will be expecting us to contact them, which can greatly speed up the process.

If your DBS check has not been returned by your start date, normally a risk assessment will be carried out by the department prior to you starting your role with us.

You will also be required to complete a medical form and may be required to undergo a health assessment, to ensure that you are fit to carry out the role and to let us know if there are any adjustments that we need to make to enable you to carry out your job.

What will the selection process be?

The selection process can vary depending on the position, but if you are successful in being shortlisted for the role you have applied for, you will be invited to attend an interview at the College. As part of this process, you may be asked to do a test (maybe an IT test or another type of test relevant to the role), a micro-teach or a presentation. You will receive all the details for this in your invite to interview correspondence.

When you come for your interview, you will meet the recruiting manager for the role and the rest of the interview panel, which will be a total of two to four people, depending upon the role. Sometimes a decision is made after one round of interviews. At other times, you will need to come back to the College to attend a second round of interviews or further tests or assessments. If you are successful at this stage, then you will be contacted after the interviews and given a conditional offer for the role.

Policy on Refund of Fees

The College commits staffing and resources to courses on the basis of learner enrolments and will only refund fee payments in the following circumstances.

  • When a course is cancelled by the College.
  • When a learner withdraws their enrolment at least 10 working days before the planned start of the course.

No refunds will be given once the course has commenced, except in exceptional circumstances as outlined in section 2.10 of the College fees policy. No refunds will be given if a learner withdraws their enrolment from the course after their enrolment date or if the College withdraws the offer of a place as a result of disciplinary action or non-attendance on behalf of the learner.

Instalments for Adult Learning Fees

If you are signing up for an adult learning course you are able to pay in instalments. 

The first instalment should include the £25 administration charge. Debit/credit card details must be provided so that instalments can be taken at an arranged date automatically.

Brooklands College cannot arrange payment by instalments retrospectively.

Fee Remission

If you are in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), Employment Seekers Allowance (ESA), or currently unemployed, actively seeking work and in receipt of benefits you may be eligible for fee remission (does not apply some courses). You must bring along evidence of receipt of one of the benefits listed below with you when coming to enrol. This evidence must be current and dated within three months of the start of the course.

Benefits to support fee remission – JSA, ESA, Income Support/Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction Benefit, Pension Guarantee Benefit.

Fee remission may also be based upon the highest level of previous qualifications achieved.

Please check your eligibility with our Admissions Team

Tel: 01932 558990 
Email: bursary@brooklands.ac.uk

Advanced Learner Loan (Bursary)

What is the Advanced Learner Loan?
Advanced Learner Loans are there to help learners aged 19 and over to cover the cost of course fees of a level 3, 4, 5 and 6 college or training course. The course must have started on or after 1st August 2016. Your loan application will last for the duration of the course so there is no need to reapply if your course is longer than a year.

Who is eligible?
Learners aged 19 or above (at the start of their course) and who are resident in the UK and studying an eligible Level 3, 4, 5 or 6 course.

Does the loan depend on my income or credit history?
No, the loan doesn’t depend on your income and no credit checks are carried out.

Do I have to take out an Advanced Learner Loan?
No, it’s up to you to decide on your best option, depending on your circumstances.

How much will I get?
The amount you’ll receive depends on:

  • the type of course
  • the course fees
  • the maximum loan available for your course

The minimum loan you can get is £300. You don’t have to borrow the full amount of your course fees, you can pay for some of it yourself.

How many loans can I take out?
Unless you are studying an Access to HE Diploma you are entitled to access up to four loans which you can take out one after the other or at the same time. You can only access one loan to complete the Access to HE Diploma.

How is the loan paid?
The funds are paid directly to the college.

When do I have to pay back my loan?
Repayments don’t start until the April after your course has finished and you don’t have to pay anything back unless you earn more than £25,000 a year. If your income is over £25,000 a year your annual repayments will be 9% of any income you earn over £25,000.

For example:
£15 a month – if you earned £27,000 a year
£37 a month – if you earned £30,000 a year

Repayments are based purely on income, not on the amount borrowed or the number of loans. If your income drops below £25,000 the repayments stop and only re-start if your income increases to more than £25,000. Repayments are taken directly from your wage in the same way as tax. Rates of interest on the loans are lower than anything available from banks.

Bursary fund
If you need help with your learning or living costs, you may also be eligible for money from the Advanced Learner Loan Bursary Fund. The money can help with things such as: childcare costs*, accommodation, travel, classroom assistance for a learning difficulty or disability, course materials/equipment. You need to apply to the college directly for the Bursary Fund. You can apply once you have received a letter confirming your Advanced Learner Loan.

*Learners aged under 20 on the first day of learning must apply to the ‘care to learn’ programme.

For more information contact our Admissions Team

Tel: 01932 558990
Email: bursary@brooklands.ac.uk

Click here for further information on how to apply for an Advanced Learner Loan.