Received your BIA offer

Priorsfield building

Welcome to the Birmingham International Academy! If you have received an email offer from us for a summer teaching post on one of our presessional courses, you are in the right place.

We know you are bound to have plenty of questions and the information on these pages should help guide you on the next steps to take. We hope you can find the answer to any questions you may have on these pages but if you can’t find it, please contact us at: biarecruitment@contacts.bham.ac.uk 

What is the BIA?

The Birmingham International Academy (BIA) was established in 2012 and combines the highest standards of one of Britain’s leading global universities with an integrated student experience. The BIA is a division of Academic Services within the University of Birmingham and accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK.

What are the Presessional English course start and end dates for this year?

The start and end dates for all our summer courses can be found on our Presessional coursefinder web page. You will need to attend a staff induction in the week prior to each start date. 

Teaching staff recruited for these courses are expected to be available for the whole teaching period of the course they are working on.

On the longer 20 & 15-week on campus courses, there is a non-teaching week preceding the final 10 weeks of the programme where staff can take leave.  

Do I need a DBS check? How do I obtain a certificate?

If you will teach students under the age of 18 years, you will be asked to have a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check as part of our safer recruitment policy and procedures. You will be contacted if a DBS or overseas criminal record check is required. If you hold an enhanced DBS check with child barred list and are on the DBS update service, please email biarecruitment@contacts.bham.ac.uk to let the team know. Our HR department will contact you after making you a formal offer if a DBS check is required.

What is the Right to Work (RTW) check?

All employers in the UK have a responsibility as laid out in the Asylum and Immigration Act 2006 to prevent illegal working. In order to meet this responsibility employers are legally obliged to check the entitlement of anyone they plan to invite to undertake work. All workers (including UK nationals) are required to provide evidence that they are legally able to work in the UK.

We will need to conduct a RTW check before HR can issue a fomral offer to you. If you rely on a Home Office check you can email your Share Code and date of birth to: biarecruitment@contacts.bham.ac.uk

If you hold a current British or Irish passport you can consent to an online check otherwise a face-to-face passport check will be necessary. Further details will be sent to you after you have accepted the inital offer. 

If you hold an expired British or Irish passport, this will need to be produced to conduct a check.

Find information on proving right to work and home office guidance

Can I park on the University campus?

Car parking is available for staff on campus. You must apply for a UoB car permit (or sticker) to benefit from the reduced rate for staff. Cars not registered with the University will be liable to pay the full rate. 

  • Permits can be applied for a few days before you start. You must state on the application form that you are BIA Presessional staff.
  • Staff teaching on a 10 or 6-week presessional course can only apply for a pay & display permit
  • Staff teaching on longer 20 and 15-week presessional courses can apply for monthly paid or a pay & display permit
  • Staff who have not yet been issued with a UoB staff ID number when the application is received will need to request to be added to the car parking approved list for a temporary period pending ID number allocation.
  • If the accommodation on offer is not on campus, please check car parking is available.

Find information on University car parking and how to obtain a permit

The Birmingham International Academy is now based across two buildings. We are in Priorsfield, (G18 on the campus map) and neighbouring Lucas House (G18 on the campus map).

Find a campus map and directions   

Can I book campus accommodation over the summer?

The BIA can offer teachers living out of commuting distance from the University accommodation in a shared flat.

  • Bedrooms are en-suite with a communal area and kitchen shared by those teachers in the flat.
  • You will be provided with a bedlinen pack (a duvet, 2 pillows, 2 sheets, 2 duvet covers and 4 pillowcases) and a basic cleaning pack.
  • No cleaning or bedlinen change service are provided.
  • The BIA will cover the cost of this accommodation, though there may be tax implications for teachers who take up this offer. 
  • University accommodation is available from Sunday 9th July 2023 after 4pm. Checkout will be 10:00am on  Friday 15th September 2023.

 Book your accommodation - teachers

 

If you need to contact Living about your booking please email info@living.contacts.bham.ac.uk. This email is used by students, so please state that you are a BIA presessional teacher. You can disregard the automated message that you will receive. 

How do I take up my offer of a post?

If you are happy to accept this post, please reply to our email within a week to confirm your acceptance. 

If you do not wish to take up our offer of a teaching post this summer, please state this in your reply to our email. 

Email: biarecruitment@contacts.bham.ac.uk

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