Royal College of Music
Job Description
Identifying factors
Post title: Admissions Officer
Grade: 6
Line Manager: International & Admissions Manager
Job purpose and major tasks
The Admissions Officer administers the College’s annual admissions cycle, has responsibility for arranging the annual auditions, both at the RCM and overseas and is the College’s first point of contact for all CUKAS matters. The postholder will support applicants offered places throughout the admissions cycle up to registration, including by assisting overseas students with visa applications and supporting the International & Admissions Manager in the range of tasks involved in complying with Home Office requirements.
Additionally the Admissions Officer will administer the compilation of the College’s professorial teaching allocations for new and returning students each year. The postholder will assist the International & Admissions Manager in the administration of the College’s various international exchange programmes, as well as assisting with the administration of the College’s scholarships programme.
Duties
1. To be the first point of contact for all admissions enquiries, by phone, email and in person, advising applicants on entry requirements
2. To ensure that the auditions and other admissions-related and international student information on the RCM website is maintained and updated. To maintain the RCM’s institutional profile on CUKAS, and to maintain the course and audition information appearing on the CUKAS/UCAS CourseSelect database, including course profiles, entry requirements, audition information, fees and funding sections and standard offers.
3. In conjunction with the Registry Information & Systems Manager, to maintain the interface between the Agresso and CUKAS systems
4. To schedule the RCM’s London auditions, including creating the audition schedule, booking rooms, booking audition panels, booking accompanists and stewards, and communications with applicants.
5. To liaise with colleagues in other Conservatoires to avoid clashes in London audition schedules
6. To run the auditions held at the RCM, providing the audition panels with the relevant documentation for each day’s auditions, to receive the results of the auditions and to prepare recommendations for the Senate Executive Committee admissions meetings in December and February and to log the decisions
7. To maintain the auditions outcomes on Agresso and CUKAS, ensuring the correct offers are made promptly, maintaining the offers library on CUKAS, and monitoring the responses from successful applicants, providing statistics proactively and as requested
8. To prepare offer letters and information sent to successful applicants
9. To administer scholarships data and communications, in support of the International & Admissions Manager, including liaison with heads of faculty during the admissions process to obtain recommendations for scholarships
10. To schedule the auditions held overseas (Far East and North America), including providing audition materials to RCM staff conducting the auditions
11. To assist the International & Admissions Manager in the fee assessments of all applicants
12. To support applicants offered places throughout the admissions cycle up to registration, including by assisting overseas students with visa applications and supporting the International & Admissions Manager in the range of tasks involved in complying with Home Office requirements.
13. To liaise with Heads of Faculties in the allocations of successful applicants to professors, and to create the spreadsheet recording all of the RCM professorial allocations
14. To receive and process the Doctoral applications (which are made direct to the RCM)
15. To assist the International & Admissions Manager in the administration of the RCM’s exchange programmes (both outgoing and incoming), and to ensure that the RCM’s records of incoming students from the US (Boston and Princeton Universities) and Singapore (Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts) are maintained
16. To provide assistance to the International & Admissions Manager in the running of the RCM’s annual Graduation ceremony
17. To carry out other such duties as the International & Admissions Manager and/or Academic Registrar and/or Deputy Director might reasonably require, consistent with the grade of the post and to contribute to the tasks undertaken by the Registry team as appropriate.
Analysis of performance requirements
Significant internal contacts
· Registry team
· Professors
· Facilities staff
· Heads of Faculties and Programmes
· Deputy Director
· Director of Programmes & Research
· Development and Finance Offices
· Performance & Programming and Faculties administration staff
Significant external contacts
· CUKAS
· UKCISA
· Overseas Audition Venues
Knowledge, experience, personal qualities and skills required
Essential
· Educated to first degree level or equivalent
· Experience of the admissions processes in a higher education environment
· Knowledge of CUKAS/UCAS admissions processes
· Proven organisational and time-keeping skills
· Exceptional attention to detail
· Experience of prioritising and balance a diverse workload while working with precision
· Experience of being administratively self-sufficient and accustomed to exercising initiative
· Experience of understanding complex regulations and giving advice about them
· Good general IT and keyboard skills with experience of the MS Office suite (particularly Word and Excel)
· Good written and oral communication skills and a high level of numeracy
· Proven advanced customer service experience and resilience when dealing with demanding individuals
· Commitment to working as part of a team
· Practical knowledge of music, preferably of a classical nature
Desirable
· Knowledge of the Agresso student records system
· Familiarity with the particular requirements of the UK Border Agency as they relate to applicants
The duties and responsibilities assigned to the post may be amended by the Deputy Director and Academic Registrar within the scope and level of the post.