Frequently Asked Questions

We have compiled the responses to some commonly asked questions about applying for a role or working at Orbital South Colleges. If you can’t find the response that you are looking for or need any further information please feel free to contact us.

What will the selection process be?

The selection process can vary depending on the position, but if you are successfully shortlisted you will be invited to attend an interview at either of the Colleges. As part of this process, you may also be asked to complete a task (relevant to the role), a micro-teach (for teaching roles) and/or a presentation. You will also be required to complete a numeracy and literacy test if you do not have Maths and English at Level 2 or above (with certification). You will receive all the details for this in your invite to interview correspondence.

The recruitment team will complete a social media check on all candidates who are shortlisted for interview. In the event that information of concern is identified, this will be noted and you will be given the opportunity to discuss it during the interview.

When you come for your interview, you will be welcomed by HR and then you will meet the recruiting manager for the role and the rest of the interview panel, which will usually be 2 - 4 people, depending upon the role. Sometimes a decision is made after one round of interviews. At other times, you may need to come back to the College to attend a second round of interviews or further tests or assessments. If you are successful at this stage, then you will be contacted after the interviews and given a conditional offer for the role.

What does ‘a conditional offer’ mean?

All offers of employment are subject to a number of checks being made satisfactorily (see Employment Conditions under the “Working for OSC” section).

These checks are known as ‘Onboarding’ and the time these take varies from person to person. It is always a good idea to inform your referees beforehand so they will be expecting us to contact them, which can greatly speed up the process.

In some cases you can start at the College before all onboarding has been completed, but this is at the discretion of HR Management who will risk assess each individual situation and minimum checks must be in place.

What type of job opportunities do you offer?

We offer a huge range of Teaching, Support and Management roles across both College Campus’. We offer full time and part time roles which may fall into permanent, sessional or term time only contracts.

What does a ‘Sessional’ contract mean?

A Sessional contract is a zero hours contract. We need flexibility to deliver a range of specialised courses throughout the academic year and staff on these contracts also welcome the flexibility to choose what they commit to teach each term around their other commitments. Sessional staff are added to our ‘bank of staff’ and will be contacted by their Manager when hours are available that suit their skills and experience, to discuss whether the staff member can commit to them. If so they will be allocated the hours on the timetable and paid an hourly rate, dependent on their role.

Benefits

There is a comprehensive list of Staff benefits here.

Will my application be considered if I’m a non-EU resident?

Yes, the College will consider all applications received. However, we are required to check that all of our staff are eligible to live and work in the UK. If you are successful in your application, you will be required to provide evidence of this.

We will need to see a valid working visa or residence permit as part of our background check.

We do not offer sponsorship for any of our roles.

Will my referees be contacted before I receive a job offer?

Not usually. Your referees will usually be contacted once we have made a conditional offer of employment, however we may choose to take up your references before offer unless you have indicated that we may not do so on your application.

Is there any flexibility on interview dates/times?

Interviews will be organised through the recruitment team and, where possible, we will try to be as flexible as we can.

In the majority of cases we are unable to re-schedule an interview if the interview is cancelled with short notice, as it is very difficult to get the panel together for more than one date to conduct interviews due to time restraints and resources. However, if the panel do not recruit from that round of interviews you will likely be contacted and offered an alternative date if you are still interested.

If you are unable to attend your interview please email recruitment@esc.ac.uk stating which role you are being interviewed for, the time, your reason for not attending.