Apply to be a PAL Leader
Are you interested in applying for the role of PAL Leader for your programme? Find out more on this page about the benefits of the PAL role and details of how to apply!
Please note: PAL recruitment is now open for all faculties: Faculty of Management, Faculty of Health and Social, Faculty of Media and Communication, and Faculty of Science and Technology.
To apply to be a PAL Leader, you need to follow these steps:
1) Read through the job description to ensure you understand the role and what is being asked of you. Please note that the role can change slightly from year to year so don't base your expectations of the role on your own experiences of PAL.
2) Ensure you read the 'requirements' box on this page, and make any arrangements you may need to have your right to work ready to provide.
3) Complete the application form (found attached to this box) and send to the PAL Academic Course Contact (ACC) for your programme. You can find out who this is for your programme here.
4) Await confirmation from your PAL Academic Course Contact on the outcome of your application.
5) If successful, provide your documentation to the Part Time Hourly Paid Team who will contact you with everything that is required. Please ensure you check your student email address on a daily basis, including over the summer, for emails from the PTHP Team.
6) Complete the mandatory online Facilitation Course modules and sign up to attend one of the virtual classroom Facilitation Courses.
Before you can carry out the Facilitation Course or any type of PAL work, you need to be made compliant to start work.
It is considered an employment breach if you undertake any type of work (including paid training) before you are made compliant.
Once you have been offered the PAL role, please review your student email address daily in order to commence the onboarding process as soon as possible. Please note that onboarding will take place between June and August.
Onboarding will involve providing your Right to Work documents and completing the employment documents that the Part Time Hourly Paid (PTHP) Team will send you via your student email address.
A scanned copy of your Right to Work document will need to be provided to the Part Time Hourly Paid Team via email, which must then be verified via a brief Skype call. Please note that once the BU campus re-opens, you will be required to provide your original Right to Work document in person and for this to be verified by an employee of BU. Your Right to Work must be one of the following documents;
- Your passport
OR
- Your FULL birth certificate AND an official document with your national insurance number
OR
EU National Identity card
Please make sure you make arrangements to provide these as soon as you receive confirmation that you have successfully been recruited as a PAL Leader as this will enable you to book onto one of our PAL Leader Facilitation Courses.
TIER 4
If you are a Tier 4 international student, the Right to Work documents you need to provide will be different. You can find more guidance here.
With regards to Right to Work documentation for Tier 4 students, the following guidance provided to us by the Part Time Hourly Paid Team applies:
For a Tier 4 student, we now only require their Biometric Resident Permit (NOT THEIR PASSPORT);
A current Biometric Immigration Document (Biometric Residence Permit) issued by the Home Office to the holder which indicates that the named person can currently stay in the UK on a Tier 4 Visa.
If you have a Biometric Residence Permit, Biometric Residence Card or status under the EU Settlement Scheme we will be able to conduct an online right to work checking service whilst on the video call – please give permission and share your code
After your document has been verified via video call you will not be required to have your document verified again until, if applicable, it expires.
The only exception to this is where they do not have a biometric resident card but their Visa is actually within their Passport, as an ‘endorsement’.
A current passport endorsed to show that the holder is allowed to stay in the UK on a Tier 4 Visa.
We offer a range of support to our PAL Leaders including:
- The PAL Central online guidance to assist with anything you need to know about being a PAL Leader including session ideas, facilitation techniques, signposting and getting paid
- A structured PAL Leader Facilitation Course facilitated by the PAL Tutor Team consisting of online modules and a face to face session to prepare you for the role
- Weekly debriefs throughout semester 1 to assist with any struggles, share practice and network with other PAL Leaders
- A designated PAL Academic Course contact for programme specific queries related to PAL
- The PAL blog - updated frequently to keep our PAL Leaders in the loop!
- 1-2-1 appointments with the Central PAL Team should you need to discuss anything - just drop us an email to schedule one in.
- Additional online modules during the academic year to assist with running sessions on specific subjects such as assignment briefs and interpreting feedback
Feedback from our current PAL Leader survey respondents:
100% said that being a PAL Leader was a valuable experience
100% said that transferable skills were an important benefit they gained as a PAL Leader
100% said that supporting other students was an important benefit they gained as a PAL Leader
97% would recommend the role to other students
97% said they felt that being a PAL Leader had increased their employability
84% said that being a PAL Leader helped to develop their confidence
Former PAL Leader Hazel Crabb sharing her experiences of PAL and why you should apply!
There are lots of benefits that come with being a PAL Leader - including being paid for your contributions, fantastic support, a chance to build and improve skills and gaining experience that can contribute towards awards. Find out more about the benefits we offer to our PAL Leaders here.
Last year we introduced a mixed method of online modules as well as a face to face facilitation course. Our PAL Leaders completed 3 hours of online modules before participating in a 3-hour 'Virtual Classroom' online facilitation course.
Due to the current situation, we have been working to make the majority of our Facilitation Course online to ensure you will be able to complete the course remotely. We are still aiming to have face to face facilitation, however, we cannot confirm exactly what the training will look like.
We will continue to follow the guidance provided by the university and government when creating contingencies for the PAL Scheme.
