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PAL Academic Course Contact Guide: Recruitment

This is a guide created by the Central PAL Team that provides information and advice on being a PAL Academic Course contact.

Recruitment

PAL Leader Recruitment

This page contains information, guidance, and template communications for you to use on the following:

  • Recruitment process
  • The shortlisting process 
  • Selecting an ideal PAL Leader
  • Employing international students

For guidance on promoting the PAL Leader role and encouraging applications, please see here: https://libguides.bournemouth.ac.uk/PAL-ACC/PromotingRecruitment

Recruitment 

Please send the following links out to your students to encourage applications: 

The apply page on PAL Central has all of the information that your students need for applying for the role, including a job description, important HR requirements and the link to the PAL Leader application form

We will be in touch again once we commence the shortlisting stage, with confirmation of the number of Leaders needed for each programme. At this stage, please do not commence any shortlisting or confirmation of PAL Leader positions to your students. 

The benefits page on PAL Central contains the main benefits of being a PAL Leader including skills that can be developed and feedback from former PAL Leaders.

For guidance on promoting the PAL Leader role, please see this section here: https://libguides.bournemouth.ac.uk/PAL-ACC/PromotingRecruitment, where you can find information on the following:

  • Actions the Central PAL Team are taking to promote the role
  • Actions you can take as a PAL ACC to promote the role

Shortlisting 

Once the Central PAL Team receive online applications centrally, we send ACCs a folder with all applications to be shortlisted for their Programme.  
 
To shortlist candidates we ask that you please:
  • Read through all application responses carefully 
  • Shortlist by numbering your applications in the order that you wish the candidates to fill the positions (1 being your first choice, 2 your second etc.)
    • A column has been provided in the spreadsheet for you to rank candidates 
    • This will enable us to confirm positions and approach reserves in case of withdraws 
    • Insert an "X" where you feel the candidate is not suitable for the role 

In order to support your shortlisting process, you may think of conducting informal interviews with the candidates since this could contribute to your final decision. 

To provide you with some guidance, please find below our support documents. 

Communication 

The Central PAL Team will communicate the outcome of applications to both successful and unsuccessful candidates. 

If successful, 

the PAL Leader will need to confirm acceptance of the role and the PAL Central Team will pass on details to PTHP to begin the employment process. 

If unsuccessful, 

the candidate will be considered as a reserve for the Programme and approached in the event of a PAL Leader's withdraw. 

 

Compliance to start to work 

Before your successful PAL applicants can begin their Facilitation Course or conduct any PAL work, they will need to be formally employed by the university and be made compliant to start work in line with employment regulations. 

To become compliant, students will need to complete a pack of online employment documents as provided by BU's Part Time Hourly Paid (PTHP) Team and provide a form of Right to Work documentation. Right to Work in most cases is a passport, but if students do not have a Passport or are a Tier 4 student, the PTHP Team will be able to advise what other documents they can provide instead.

All information pertaining to the employment of PAL Leaders will be communicated by the PTHP Team to PAL applicants directly once they are confirmed as successful and processed by the Part Time Hourly Paid Team.

Employing international students

HR's Part-Time-Hourly-Paid [PTHP] have advised that BU can employ international students to work inside the UK, however they cannot employ any students/staff who will be overseas during their PAL Leader contract. This is due to tax and pension implications, as well as employment legislation. 

In the unplanned event that an employed student finds themselves overseas and unable to return to the UK during their contract period, this will need to be flagged with the Central PAL Team and HR. HR have also advised that each case will be reviewed on its own independent circumstances, so please flag any concerns with us so that they can be investigated by HR if needed.