IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ PRIOR TO COMPLETING THE APPLICATION

GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS

Deadline for applications: 4pmonWednesday 16th March 2016

Accessibility

If you require copies of the enclosed documentation in alternative formats e.g. large print, Braille etc, please contact Human Resources on 02380 514747 or via e-mail at

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The Application and attached information

In this pack, in addition to the application form and equal opportunities monitoring form, you will find information about the College, a Job Description and a Person Specification. Please read all the information before making your application.

Please complete all sections of the application form as fully as you can. The selection panel can only use information you provide in your application and will not make any assumptions about you. You may include a CV with your application but it should be in addition to, not instead of, the completed application form.

The person specification is very important. It tells you what qualifications, skills, abilities and experience a person must have to be able to do the job. It is used to assess applicants at both the shortlisting and interview stages of the selection process.

We decide whom to invite to interview by comparing what you tell us in your application with what we have asked for in the person specification. Make sure that you provide evidence by describing or explaining the things that you have or achieved that demonstrate that you can meet the requirements of the person specification. You may use examples from paid or voluntary work. It is also important that you explain your reasons for applying for the post. You will only be shortlisted if you show that you meet the requirements set out in the person specification.

We plan to shortlist for theseposts on 17thMarch 2016 with interviews to be held during the week commencing 21st March 2016. If you haven’t heard from us by the end of April 2016 you should assume that your application was unsuccessful.

References

The purpose of seeking references is to obtain objective and factual information to support appointment decisions. We have asked you to supply details of two referees who will be able to provide an objective opinion in relation to your suitability for the post. It is the College’s responsibility to obtain references directly from referees, therefore, we cannot accept testimonials or open references provided by the candidate. We do request that you provide details of at least two referees who may be approached to provide a confidential report, one of whom should be your present or most recent employer. Unfortunately, we are unable accept family or friends as referees as the reference specifically requests information relating to work conduct and performance.

Please ensure that the referees you have chosen are aware that they may be required to provide a reference and that they are happy to provide a full and detailed reference.

We aim to seek references prior to interview for all candidates who have been shortlisted so that any issues or concerns can be explored further with the candidate at interview. If you do not wish a referee to be contacted prior to your interview, please ensure that you provide reasons for this in a separate letter to be included with your application. However, you should be aware that no firm offer of employment can be made until two satisfactory references have been received.

It is essential that you give clear and full contact details for your referees, as difficulties in contacting referees and obtaining references may effect the time it takes to confirm the offer of employment.

Equal Opportunities

The College aims to ensure equal access and equal opportunities for all irrespective of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity. In this respect, no one should receive less favourable treatment in relation to the curriculum or any other aspect of College life.

In order to monitor that this policy is working and that we are not discriminating against any group, we ask you for details of your gender, ethnic origin and age, and whether you have a disability, on a separate Monitoring Form which is detached from your application form and will not be seen by the selection panel.

Richard Taunton Sixth Form College is committed to the employment and career development of people with disabilities and as a result we have been awarded the positive about disabled people symbol by the Employment Service. As a symbol user, we guarantee an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the post. The essential criteria are highlighted in the person specification.

If you have a disability, please do not hesitate to tell us if there are any facilities or equipment you need to help you at the interview or enable you to carry out the job, if appointed. This will help us to assess you equally with other applicants. Please contact the HR department if you wish to see a copy of the College Policy on Recruitment and Training of Disabled People.

Medical Declaration

All employees at the College are in close contact with young people at a vulnerable stage in their physical and emotional development. Therefore, we must ensure that those employed by the College are physically and mentally fit. If you are successful in securing a position with the College, you will be required to complete a medical declaration. All offers of employment will be subject to completion of a medical declaration and in some cases a full occupational health referral. The medical declaration provides information relating to the employees’ health status, and assists the College in assessing whether they are likely to have any needs for special provision or reasonable adjustments during their employment. As mentioned previously, in some cases, it may be necessary to refer this information onto an Occupational Health advisor who would assist in determining this information.

Criminal Convictions and Rehabilitation of Offenders

Since jobs within the College involve contact with children and vulnerable young adults, they are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, 1974, which means that you must give us details of all convictions, spent or unspent, reprimands or cautions you may have had, however long ago, and if there is any court action pending against you. Please disclose anything that might have a bearing on your suitability for employment with us. You should give any such details in a letter in a sealed envelope addressed to the Human Resources Manager, and attach it to your application. The information will be treated in the strictest confidence. You should be aware that an application for an Enhanced Disclosure to the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) will be required from each person offered employment. Please note that you will not be able to start in our employment until we are in receipt of a valid DBS disclosure. Please do not be put off by this requirement. Having a criminal record will not necessarily preclude us from offering you employment, since each case is determined according to the nature of the position and the circumstances of the offence. However, failure to disclose relevant information may result in the offer of employment being withdrawn or, if you have been permitted to start work, in dismissal.

We follow the Disclosure & Barring Services Code of Practice, which can be viewed on the DBS web site at Copies of the codes are also available from the Human Resources Department.

Information about you will be held on secure computer files and in secure Personnel files. It is our policy to comply fully with the principles of the Data Protection Act, 1998 and the Disclosure & Barring Services Code of Practice. Disclosure information will not be kept any longer than is necessary to make an employment decision. The unique reference number, the date of the disclosure and the employment decision will be recorded on the personnel file of a new employee and the disclosure information will be disposed by a secure means, e.g. shredding. A copy of the College Statement on the Handling of DBS Disclosures is available from HR.

Asylum and Immigration Verification

In accordance with the Immigration,Asylum and Nationality Act2006, if you are asked to interview you will be required to provide evidence (original documents only) that you are allowed to live and work in the UK. If you are offered the post the evidence provided will need to be copied and recorded by us prior to commencement. These will be original documents which will be copied and returned; the copy will be retained on your personal file.

Acceptable evidence includes

  • one of the documents (or a combination where necessary) included in list A below; or
  • one of the documents (or a combination where necessary) included in list B below.

List A – Documents which show an ongoing right to work in the UK

  1. A passport showing that the holder, or a person named in the passport as the child of the holder, is a British citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies having the right of abode in the United Kingdom.
  2. A passport or national identity card showing that the holder or a person named in the passport as the child of the holder, is a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.
  3. A residence permit, registration certificate or document certifying or indicating permanent residence issued by the Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency, or the UK Border Agency to a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.
  4. A permanent residence card or document issued by the Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency, or the UK Border Agency to the family member of a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.
  5. A Biometric Residence Permit issued by the UK Border Agency to the holder which indicates that the person named in it is allowed to stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom, or has no time limit on their stay in the United Kingdom.
  6. A passport or other travel document endorsed to show that the holder is exempt from immigration control, is allowed to stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom, has the right of abode in the United Kingdom, or has no time limit on their stay in the United Kingdom.

If you are unable to produce one of the above documents, you should present:

An official document issued by a previous employer or Government agency, e.g. HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, the Training and Employment Agency (Northern Ireland) or the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency, which contains your National Insurance number and your name; AND ONE OF THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS:

  1. An Immigration Status Document issued by the Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency, or the UK Border Agency to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the person named in it is allowed to stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom or has no time limit on their stay in the United Kingdom.
  2. A full birth certificate issued in the United Kingdom which includes the name(s) of at least one of the holder’s parents.
  3. A full adoption certificate issued in the United Kingdom which includes the name(s) of at least one of the holder’s adoptive parents.
  4. A birth certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland.
  5. An adoption certificate issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland.
  6. A certificate of registration or naturalisation as a British citizen.
  7. A letter issued by the Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency or the UK Border Agency to the holder which indicates that the person named in it is allowed to stay indefinitely in the United Kingdom.

List B – Documents which show a right to work for up to 12 months

  1. A passport or travel document endorsed to show that the holder is allowed to stay in the United Kingdom and is allowed to do the type of work in question.
  2. A Biometric Residence Permit issued by the UK Border Agency to the holder which indicates that the person named in it can stay in the United Kingdom and is allowed to do the work in question.
  3. A residence card or document issued by the Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency, or the UK Border Agency to a family member of a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.

If you are unable to produce one of the above documents, you should present documents as described in EITHER of the following three combinations:

First Combination

  1. A work permit or other approval to take employment issued by the Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency or the UK Border Agency; PLUS ONE OF THE TWO FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS

a)A passport or other travel document endorsed to show the holder is allowed to stay in the United Kingdom and is allowed to do the work in question; OR

b)A letter issued by the Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency, or the UK Border Agency to the holder or the employer or prospective employer confirming the same.

Second combination

  1. A certificate of Application issued by the Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency or the UK Border Agency to, or for a family member of, a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland stating that the holder is permitted to take employment which is less than 6 months old; OR
  2. An Application Registration Card (ARC) issued by the Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency or the UK Border Agency stating that the holder is permitted to take employment.

Third combination

  1. A document issued by a previous employer or Government agency, e.g. HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, the Training and Employment Agency (Northern Ireland) or the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency, which contains your National Insurance number and your name; PLUS ONE OF THE TWO FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS:

a)An Immigration Status Document issues by the Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency or the UK Border Agency to the holder with an endorsement indicating that the person named in it can stay in the United Kingdom, and is allowed to do the type of work in question; OR

b)A letter issued by the Home Office, the Border and Immigration Agency or the UK Border Agency to the holder or the employer or prospective employer, which indicated that the person named in it can stay in the United Kingdom and is allowed to do the work in question.

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