3 x Summer School Assistants for the International Human Rights Law Residential Courses

Deadline for applications: Midday on Thursday 29 February 2024

The Oxford Law Faculty and Bonavero Institute for Human Rights offer two courses in International Human Rights Law (IHRL): a four-week Summer School in Oxford; and a two-year part-time and distance-taught MSc in International Human Rights Law which includes a summer residence in Oxford. For both the Summer School and the MSc residence, students are based at New College. Classes are held in the St Cross Building and the Manor Road Building and some events will take place at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, Mansfield College. 

Summer School Assistants (sometimes called “Student Deans") are a vital part of the smooth running of these residential summer courses, liaising closely with the Course Administrator and Directors, the tutors, the college staff and the participants. They are the “bridge" between the host college and the course staff, and good communication is key to their smooth and successful running.

In total, around 150 students will be staying at New College for between four and five weeks in July/August.  In addition, around 25 tutors teaching on these programmes will be based in and around Oxford.

Three Summer School Assistants are required to help with the IHRL courses in 2024. Residing with participants in college, and working closely with the Course Administrator, Course Directors, and tutors, the Summer School Assistants will undertake a wide range of administrative and organisational tasks:

  1. welcome and register students;
  2. be a first point of contact for students, tutors and guest speakers throughout the programmes;
  3. run the IHRL Summer School Office in New College which serves as a central information point for students, tutors and staff;
  4. liaise with staff at New College, concerning operational, IT, housekeeping and dining matters;
  5. liaise with staff at Manor Road, St Cross and Bonavero Institute of Human Rights concerning teaching rooms;
  6. help with arrangements for tutors, guest speakers, formal dinners, and informal social events;
  7. provide tours of New College and Oxford city;
  8. attend meetings with the Course Administrator and Directors as required;
  9. assist tutors with any AV requirements and hybrid teaching set-up;
  10. provide initial assistance for any urgent incident (e.g. theft, crime, illness) affecting an IHRL student, and promptly inform the relevant staff of the Faculty and College (please note that you are not expected to administer emergency first aid as part of this role)
  11. take meals in College with students and tutors from the IHRL programmes on most days except on days off; and
  12. be ‘on call’ throughout the summer courses, except with the prior permission of the Course Administrator. Further information about being ‘on call’ is provided below.

Further information on hours is provided below.

Dates

x1: Monday 1 July – Saturday 27 July (4 weeks) 

x1: Monday 1 July – Saturday 3 August (5 weeks)

x1: Monday 1 July – Saturday 10 August (6 weeks)


Applicants must be available to start and finish on the given dates. 

Hours

Normal working hours will be 40 - 48 hours a week, spread over 6 days per week. There are five days when all assistants must be available (Tuesday 2 July, Thursday 4 July, Saturday 6 July, Monday 8 July and Friday 26 July. A timetable will be drawn up by the Course Administrator in consultation with all assistants to ensure Working Time Regulations are met. Under these regulations:

  • the Assistant will not be required to work more than 48 hours per week calculated over the whole of the engagement
  • the Assistant will have one day off each week (to be discussed with the Course Administrator)
  • the Assistant will have an 11-hour break overnight

Please note:

  • All Assistants will also be "on call" to deal with urgent incidents throughout the course, except on their day off.  ‘On call’ hours do not count towards the 48-hour week unless the Assistant is actually called out. 
  • The working day is likely to be longer at the start of the course and shorter towards the end. 
  • The first 90 minutes of any informal social event organised by the Assistants count towards the maximum 48-hour working week but that anything longer than 90 minutes is considered to be in the Assistant’s own time.  

Reporting

The Summer School Assistant(s) will report to the Senior Course Administrator of the IHRL programmes, who will be responsible for approving timesheets.

Requirements

Essential:

  • have excellent organisation and administrative skills
  • have strong communication skills, with the ability to deal professionally, tactfully and confidently with people at all levels, including those from different cultures
  • have a high degree of accuracy and consistent attention to detail
  • have the ability to prioritise the workload, respond to changing deadlines or unexpectedly urgent issues and be calm under pressure
  • be able to work independently and as part of a small team
  • have experience of and enjoy organising groups of people 
  • have a positive and flexible attitude 
  • be able to demonstrate a keen interest in human rights law
  • be a current student at the University, and have completed at least one year of the course

Desirable

  • be a current Law student at the University
  • be knowledgeable about Oxford and the University of Oxford
  • have experience of a similar role

Eligibility

This opportunity is open to students, who must be available to work on site for the duration of the residentials.

Full-time graduate research students in the Faculty of Law are advised that any paid work should still allow them to spend at least 40 hours per week for a minimum 44 weeks of the year on their studies. Full-time graduate taught students are recommended not to undertake more than 8 hours’ paid work each week during term-time study periods.

Rate of Pay

The work will be paid at £11.92 per hour (equivalent to University Grade 2, point 5), on the basis of completed and approved timesheets which must be submitted to payroll@law.ox.ac.uk by the last Friday of each calendar month for payment on the last working day of the following month.

In addition, paid annual leave will be assumed to be taken in the month in which it was accrued.

Full board and accommodation is provided at New College.

How to Apply

A short CV and covering letter should be sent by email to ihrl-events@law.ox.ac.uk by 12 noon (midday) on Thursday 29 February 2024

The letter should state your current course of study and year, your reasons for applying, your relevant experience and examples of how you meet the selection criteria. Supervisors may be asked for a reference.  Applications will be considered in a gathered field by the Course Team and in-person interviews will be held in Week 8 of Hilary Term.

 

 

Guidelines for Faculty members, line managers and students

Work must not commence without a letter of engagement or variable hours contract and a right to work check having been carried out by the Faculty Personnel Officer.

Graduate student engagement opportunities in the Faculty of Law usually fall into one of three categories: Research Assistant; Graduate Teaching Assistant; or Blog Editor. 

Full-time graduate research students in the Faculty of Law are advised that any paid work should still allow them to spend at least 40 hours per week for a minimum 44 weeks of the year on their studies. Full-time graduate taught students are recommended not to undertake more than 8 hours’ paid work each week during term-time study periods.

Students may not work for their own supervisor without the approval of the Associate Dean for Graduate Students.

Any queries regarding the eligibility of a particular student should be directed to Geraldine Malloy in the Faculty Office.

It is expected that the work will be undertaken in the UK.

 

 

Deadline date for applications: Midday on Thursday 29 February 2024 

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