teaching assistant Edinburgh, Scotland
Job description
FTE: 0.25 teaching contract PLUS 0.75 PhD scholarship
Salary: Grade 6, SP 22 £28,929 p.a. pro-rata PLUS a PhD stipend of £13,967
Contract Type: Fixed Term for 48 months
Start date: September 2023
The Purpose of Role
The role-holder will be expected to undertake a PhD programme over four years while providing teaching support in French, including large and small group teaching, tutorials and assessment activities.
We invite applications from candidates who can address the following topic areas in their PhD:
Language and/or Culture in the contemporary French and/or Francophone context. We are inviting PhD applications on language and/or culture in the contemporary French and/or Francophone context including comparative and intercultural perspectives. Applications are particularly welcomed for projects which address issues of diversity, inclusion and belonging, focus on (1) migration, racism and hate speech or (2) LGBTQIA+ media representations, and use discourse analysis and/or ethnographic research methods.
The supervisory team for this project area will consist of Prof. Jo Drugan and Prof. Chris Tinker. Candidates interested in this project area are encouraged to contact Prof. Drugan ([email protected]) for an informal discussion about their research proposal prior to submitting their application.
Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities
Reporting to the Head of Department, Prof. Jo Drugan, the post-holder will:
- Undertake a PhD on one of the topics specified above, maintaining an appropriate rate of progress and engaging in relevant training and other events as required.
- Develop and deliver teaching in French, including delivery to a range of group sizes in both in-person and online environments.
- Provide flexible, appropriate, and timely support to students using a variety of media.
- Prepare and mark assessments and provide student feedback as required, and in line with School policies and standards.
- Contribute to the administrative work of the Department as required.
- Undertake other duties as required by the Head of Department.
For a full description of duties associated with the role, see the GTA Role description HERE
Relevant training will be provided alongside the role. In particular, during the first two years of the contract, the post-holder will be expected to undertake training in teaching and learning as required by the University, as well as the School's PGCert in Research Methods (unless equivalent qualifications are already held).
Click HERE for the GTA Role Description
Education, Qualifications and Experience
Please note that applicants for this role must have French as their first language. All teaching will be conducted through the medium of French, and it will be agreed with the French section based on the successful applicant's prior experience and interests, but will include linguistic and socio-cultural awareness of contemporary French-speaking societies.
Essential criteria:
- An undergraduate degree in a relevant area with a minimum 2:1 classification (or equivalent).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in French and English. Candidates should have French as a first language. English-language competence should meet the University's minimum English-language requirements for entry onto the PhD programme. If you have not already studied a degree programme that was taught and examined in the medium of English, the minimum overall IELTS score is 6.5 with no score lower than 6.0 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.
- A viable research proposal for PhD study on Language and/or Culture in the contemporary French and/or Francophone context.
- Good general IT skills.
- Ability to manage own time in order to balance the requirements of teaching and PhD study.
- Ability to work as part of a teaching team to deliver a high quality student experience.
Desirable criteria:
- A postgraduate Master's degree in a relevant field, or equivalent research experience.
- Relevant teaching and/or professional experience.
About our School
Founded in 1970, the Department of Languages & Intercultural Studies specialises in the fields of translation and interpreting studies, as well as intercultural studies such as living cultural heritage, language policy and intercultural communication. Research in the department falls under the auspices of two research centres that reflect our specialisms: the Centre for Translation and Interpreting Studies in Scotland (CTISS) and the Intercultural Research Centre (IRC) . They focus on our established and distinctive strengths of translation and interpretation, as well as building the emerging areas of living cultural heritage and language policy.
Social Sciences is the largest of five academic schools at Heriot-Watt University and we provide teaching and research across our core disciplines:
- Languages and Intercultural Studies
- The Edinburgh Business School:
- Accountancy, Economics, and Finance
- Management
- Marketing and Operations
- Psychology
We specialise in industry-focused degree programmes which embrace a truly international outlook. Our degrees are taught by experienced professionals and highly regarded academics, and we are proud to produce high-calibre, career-ready graduates and offer a full range of degree choices at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Further details can be found at: https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/schools/social-sciences.htm
How to Apply
Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Monday 31st July.
When applying for this role, please submit a single pdf that includes a cover letter that identifies how your skills and experience are a good match for this position, a copy of your PhD research proposal (clearly indicating which project you are applying for), a copy of your CV, and the names and contact details for two referees.
About Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University has five campuses: three in the UK (Edinburgh, Scottish Borders, and Orkney), one in Dubai and one in Malaysia. The University offers a highly distinctive range of degree programmes in the specialist areas of science, engineering, design, business, and languages.
With a history dating back to 1821, Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and practical, leading-edge research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for business and industry. We connect with industry at every level and develop programmes to match their needs : so employers get work-ready industry-fit graduates.
Heriot-Watt is also Scotland's most international university, boasting the largest international student cohort.
We have an established set of values that help us to nurture innovation and leadership, and show our commitment to continuous improvement and development in all our activities.
At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.
Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.
Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.
Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/ .
Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.
