BENEFITS

Competitive rates of pay 

In conjunction with National Joint Council pay scales, which details how your rate will increase on an incremental basis.  Incremental pay scale, Threshold and Deane payments (additional Payments) subject to service and applications for lecturing staff.

Pension

All employees are eligible to join the pension scheme. Staff can avail of a contributory final salary pension scheme with both employee and the employer contributing to your fund. Employees can make additional voluntary contributions in line with the rules of the scheme.

Holidays

Employees enjoy generous holiday entitlement which is determined by your grade of employment, with up to 49 days for lecturing staff and up to 33 days for Corporate Staff plus twelve paid public holidays. Additional holiday entitlement is given to staff due to the compulsory college closures during July and December periods.

Staff Association

The Staff Association organises and runs social events throughout the year including the annual Christmas dinner and charity fundraisers.  You can get involved in events and activities or even join the organising forum.

Working Environment

We are rebuilding our Lisburn and Downpatrick campuses and developing new facilities at the Bangor and Newtownards campuses.  This work will be complete in full by early 2011 and will offer state-of-art work and social spaces for staff. 

Employee Welfare Scheme

This is designed to encourage the work/life balance and to offer support to all employees – this includes eye sight checks and external employee support services including confidential counselling and Occupational Health services. 

Childcare Vouchers

The College operates the Childcare Voucher Scheme which assists with childcare costs, allowing employees to purchase vouchers through payroll, to pay for childcare. These vouchers are exempt from tax and National Insurance Contributions and allow parents who are using a recognised childminder to save a substantial amount per month.

Free Car Parking

On site parking is available for all staff employees. 

Free Give As You Earn 
This is the UK largest payroll giving scheme giving directly from pre – tax salary. You can decide how much you wish to give each month.

DEVELOPMENT

We are committed to ongoing professional development and support staff to keep their skills and knowledge up to date.  Jobs are based on key competencies against which staff identify their training and development needs.  As well as the hundreds of courses on our part-time schedule we offer a free staff development programme throughout the year, allowing you to select the courses which are relevant to you.

In addition to this all staff complete a mandatory training programme.  Training days are held in areas including IT skills,  policies and proceecures, health and safety, teaching and learning pedgogy and communication skills.  This training programme consists of a set number of hours per year for all staff.

To support our Culture of Excellence we have a strong Quality Improvement Plan and processes.  Through this staff follow a self evaluation process to identify how the teaching and learning experience can be improved including their skills and knowledge.  We operate a Staff Appraisal process to support staff and ensure that they have the skills and knowledge to achieve the College's goals.

Internal communication is high on our agenda, and we work hard to ensure that all staff are kept up to date and have a chance to influence decisions.  We have a number of communication channels such as the staff newsletter, seniro management briefings and an intranet system providng access to information which you will need including policies, proceedures, HR practices and information relating to all areas of the business.

PROFILES

Ruth Doherty Tourism, Hospitality & Catering Lecturer   Ruth Doherty is a full-time lecturer in Tourism, Hospitality & Catering at the College.  She started with the College as a part-time lecturer in 2004 working in the Bangor and Downpatrick campus and in 2007 she became a full-time member of staff.  Ruth has just completed her PGCFHE at the University of Ulster, having previously studied her JEB Level 3 Certificate in Principals & Practice of Teaching with the College.    She commented “I started teaching as I loved sharing with others the skills and knowledge I have gained over the years working in the hospitality industry.  I am really enjoying lecturing, the students are great and I get a great sense of satisfaction when I see them achieve their goals and complete a course.”

Gary Ritchie  Rapid Response NI Programme Manager   Gary is a former SERC student.  He teaches engineering and is heavily involved with managing and delivering training and services to industry.  He currently manages the Rapid Response NI programme for the whole Further Education sector, helping companies who are facing difficulties in the tough economic environment.   Gary says that the  best thing about his job is:  “The fact that everyday is so varied, I like change as I feel it keeps me sharp and provides the challenges I need to remain focused.  The mix of industrial training and academic tutoring help me develop as a lecturer and provides the academic students with curriculum content which is relevant to the needs of industry.  Probably a close second would be the personal satisfaction I get when I see the development of my students through the tutelage I have provided them with.”