HUNDREDS of thousands of students will be finishing their degrees this month and getting ready to graduate. But you don’t need to leave Uni at the end of your course.
More than 230,000 people work in UK higher education institutions, helping build the sector’s world-beating reputation.
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Universities also contribute an impressive £95 billion to the economy each year and support a further 585,000 jobs nationally.
As well as teaching and research roles, each Uni offers a full range of jobs from HR and marketing to catering and finance. The average salary is £35,000 reflecting the level of qualifications you may need to hold.
June is peak recruitment season with institutions rushing to plug gaps before students return in September. This year, there are more than 30,000 open Uni roles, so here’s how to make the most of this first-class opportunity.
Consider which type of role is right for you:
They divide into three areas – Academic (including lecturer, research officer or professor), Administration (such as vents officer, course administrator, librarian) or Manual (covering estates, cleaning staff, catering staff and porters).
Will I need a degree?
For academic and teaching jobs, it’s most likely that you will. Manual roles may ask for experience and appropriate qualifications such as A level 3 or 4 apprenticeships.
Admin roles are flexible with some positions needing degrees and some suitable for candidates without a degree.
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How can I get suitable work experience?
For an academic job, you’ll usually need a PHD and experience will naturally be part of your studies.
For a non-academic job, apply for voluntary posts at your local university or look for jobs with parallels such as in schools or charities where you can gain valuable transferrable skills.
What are the pay and conditions like?
In general, pay at universities is reasonably good.
Admin staff pay is on par with the private sector and some benefits such as pensions and holidays are often better. There is also good job security too.
LOOKING for a Uni role? You’ll be grad you did when you see what’s on offer. Here are the Sun Jobs picks of the week.
School Manager, University of Leeds
Lead the way with this University of Leeds Management role.
The Job: The University of Leeds is looking for a School Manager to provide professional support to senior role holders.
What You’ll Do: You’ll manage the School’s Management and Administration Support Service team, as well as taking responsibility for the smooth running of administrative and operational matters.
You’ll Need: Strong reasoning and analytical skills, demonstrable either through education to degree level or through equivalent professional and managerial experience.
Strong leadership skills and the ability to manage change effectively, along with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, are a must.
Apply Now: See further details of this School Manager role, along with other opportunities with the University of Leeds, here.
Admissions Officer, University College London
Admit it, you want this job! Work for one of the nation’s top unis UCL.
The Job: University College London is recruiting an Admissions Officer to work within its centralised graduate admissions team.
What You’ll Do: You’ll be actively engaged in key aspects of graduate admissions administration and will undertake all aspects of application processing from assessment and selection decisions.
You’ll also be preparing documentation to support applicants applying for a visa through the Home Office’s points-based immigration system.
You’ll Need: As well as having experience in admissions in a higher education setting, you will have excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise and work under pressure. Good interpersonal skills are a must.
Apply Now: For more on this Admissions Officer role, and more opportunities at University College London, click here.
Student Experience Coordinator, Imperial College London
This mat leave job offers the perfect opportunity to launch your Uni career.
The Job: Imperial College London is looking for a Student Experience Coordinator for a 12-month maternity cover period.
What You’ll Do: You will provide vital support and leadership to staff and students around all issues relating to the student experience.
This could be anything from well-being to disability support, student leadership to cohort building, and programme enhancement activities to managing student issues and concerns.
You’ll Need: A degree, or you’ll have equivalent experience in a similar role.
Substantial experience working with students in an educational environment is a must, and you will have a high degree of understanding of the higher education student journey, student systems and registry procedures.
Apply Now: Fill out your application for this Student Experience Coordinator role here, and check out further vacancies at Imperial College London.
Discover thousands of open vacancies for jobs all across the UK now on The Sun Job Board
