Student Casual – The Masters Consultancy Challenge Postgraduate Teaching Assistant – Careers Network – Grade 6 – 907290

Please note that this vacancy may be taken down early depending on the number of applications received. We advise you to submit your application promptly.

Our offer to you

At the University of Birmingham Worklink is the dedicated student employment service which helps students to find flexible well paid part-time roles that fit around your studies. Each year the University invests more than 2.5 million to employ 3000 of our own students in a wide range of roles supporting our student community into part-time work. Roles available via Worklink include a range of positions including administrative roles support staff such as cleaners or baristas research roles and many more.

Jobs through Worklink help you to gain work experience develop skills relevant for your future career and improve your soft and hard skills in a professional setting. Enhance your CV and get valuable experience ready for graduate roles and feel connected to your university and local community.

Our jobs are flexible and can be scheduled around your academic commitments so you can focus on your studies first. Our team are passionate about supporting students into work. Worklink are based in a central location on campus which is easily accessible for students and can also be contacted online.

Find out more about working through Worklinkhere or via thestudent intranet.

Job context

The Masters Consultancy Challenge is an interdisciplinary extracurricular programme for taught postgraduate students. Forming interdisciplinary teams students work on a real-world challenge set by an employer partner (Turner & Townsend) to develop their research and employability skills.

As part of this programme students devise a solution to the challenge set by the employer record a pitch video outlining their solution write an executive summary outlining their solution and answer questions from an employer panel about their solution.

The programme is supported by employer partners academics Academic Services staff members and wider members of the University.

This role is a fixed term casual position from Monday 1 June to Friday 26 June for a total of 15 hours.

• Week 1 (w/c Monday 1 June): 1-2.5 hours

• Week 2 (w/c Monday 8 June): 5.5-6 hours

• Week 3 (w/c Monday 15 June): 4.5-5 hours

• Week 4 (w/c Monday 22 June): 1-1.5 hours

The role requires the commitment and availability for the above specific set of dates and requires both face-to-face and online activity (as prescribed by the programme). There are compulsory elements for attendance and flexibility of hours for the remainder of the week.

The compulsory in-person dates for the role are:

• Mon 1 June / Tues 2 June (tbc approx. 1 hour): training and induction

• Tues 9 June (approx. 1 hour): attendance of student session

• Thurs 25 June (approx. 1 hour): supporting student session

The remaining 12 hours are this time PGTAs should:

• Meet and support their allocated groups (4 groups per PGTA)

• Undertaking additional training / knowledge enhancement

• Emails and administration

Please note that this role is only suitable for PGRs due to the nature of the programme.

Interview dates: Monday 11th Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th May

Job summary

• Facilitating and supporting students in groups (from all disciplines) to manage project delivery and implementation

• Supporting with video creation

• Supervising students throughout the programme and supporting where necessary

• Work within a clear and established teaching programme set by the programme lead who supervises and manages the role- holder. The programme lead together with the employer partner is responsible for designing the course content mode of delivery and assessment criteria and arrangements.

Main duties

• Each Teaching Associate will support four groups of students (approximately 8-10 student per group) working within a clear and established teaching programme set by the Masters Consultancy Challenge

• Supervise class activities within a framework designed by others; ensuring project is on track and providing guidance where necessary to prompt stalled projects.

• Assist students as required offering advice to help them with learning problems.

• Provide support to staff engaged in teaching.

• Update own subject knowledge and to develop own teaching expertise.

• Carry out administrative tasks related directly to the delivery of teaching including monitoring of attendance and communicating programme issues to the Masters Consultancy Challenge team.

• Providing advice to students regarding research methods.

• Supporting students through regular meetings providing constructive feedback to proposals.

• Providing feedback to programme lead on student progress

• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

• Support delivery of semi-finals and finals.

Required knowledge skills qualifications & experience

• A current Postgraduate Research student at the University of Birmingham (any discipline)

• Degree or equivalent relevant to teaching area.

• Excellent communication skills

• Practical experience of applying the relevant skills and techniques for the role.

• Ability to analyse information and communicate effectively.

• Ability to access and organise resources successfully.

• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010 and how to actively ensure in day-to-day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.

• Previous consultancy experience is desirable but not essential.

For any informal queries please contact Liam Knight ()

The University of Birmingham restricts all students to working up to 20 hours per week during term time for a maximum of 13 consecutive weeks. If your application is successful and your course does not follow the usual academic term timetable (e.g. PGT PGR or PhD student) you and your supervisor must formally agree vacation periods if this role exceeds 20 hours per week. In addition to this please be aware if you are an international student you will be required to apply to the Registry for the appropriate authorised absence.

You are only eligible to apply to this role if you are a current University of Birmingham student. If you are not a University of Birmingham student your application will not be considered.

To work you will need to carry out a right to work checks will need to be completed prior to work commencing.

Regarding the use of AI in applications we review hundreds of applications and shortlist candidates based on their unique perspective motivations and potential.Cover letters generated through or edited by AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT or CoPilot) are easy to identify. They produce generic answers and will not score highly enough to progress. You may use AI tools for research but all written content in your application must be your own work. Authenticity and originality are key to standing out in this process.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive were unable to contact all applicants individually. You can check the progress of your application by logging into the Worklink jobs portal using the same email address you used to apply. If you havent heard back within six weeks of the closing date please assume your application has been unsuccessful.