UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA)

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

for the appointment of an

ADVICE & TRAINING OFFICER

UKCISA is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (Company Number: 4507287) and a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Charity Number: 1095294). Its registered office is at 9-17 St Alban’s Place London N1 0NX

THE ORGANISATION

The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), was established in 1968 (with the name ‘UKCOSA’) as a national education charity to look after the needs and promote the interests of international students in the UK and UK students studying in other countries.

In recent years most institutions in the further and higher education sectors have worked hard to increase their recruitment of international students, who now make up 20% of the total number of higher education students in the UK. As a result of this and of an increasingly complex regulatory environment, especially in respect of immigration law, demand has grown for specialist advice and training on aspects of the legal and welfare issues that arise from an international student population.

UKCISA currently has over 500 members. They include allUK universities; further and higher education colleges; professional, accreditation and voluntary bodies; and a range of other agencies and individuals with an interest in international education.

UKCISA’s activities can be summarised as follows:-

Services to Members

  • Organising training courses to develop the skills and knowledge of staff working with international students. Subjects covered include legislation on immigration, tuition fees, student loans, welfare issues and other relevant topics such as orientation and mental health. We also offer an online self-access introductory training programme.
  • Providing tailored, in-house training for members and other customers.
  • Organising an annual conference and occasional events to facilitate discussion and debate on key issues in international education.
  • Providing an advice service, including a telephone help-line, for professionals engaged directly in helping international students. UKCISA also responds to telephone and written enquiries from students worldwide. Generally, between 6,000 and 8,000 telephone enquiries are handled each year.
  • Publishing material on international education issues. This includes regular email updates for members; an extensive information manual; guides to good practice in working with international students; and a website ( including sections for students and for UKCISA members, a range of advice and information web items for students,and briefing documents for advisers, on technical and legislative matters such as immigration rules and the fees and awards regulations.
  • Providing secretariat services for two special interest groups, the Association of International Student Advisors (AISA) and the Immigration Compliance Network (ICN), and administering UKCISA’s Discussion Forum in the members’ area of our website.
  • Undertaking occasional research and project work, often in conjunction with other sector bodies, to support and develop services for international students. Also, we have recently established a grants scheme, details are at:

Policy Development, Representation and Lobbying

UKCISA is well placed to offer an authoritative view on international student issues and liaises with government and other agencies in the development of national policy and practice on issues affecting international students. This aspect of its role involves a significant representational and lobbying element: UKCISA monitors the impact of government policy on international students and represents both their interests and those of its member institutions.

UKCISA also works with government departments and other sector bodies to achieve an appropriate response at a national level when political or economic crises affect particular groups of students in the UK.

Organisation and Staffing

UKCISA’s Board of Trustees is composed of representatives of member organisations. It normally meets three or four times a year. It determines overall policy objectives and ensures that UKCISA fulfils the purposes for which it was established. It delegates responsibility for specific areas of work to two committees:-

  • Finance and General Purposes Committee (finance, staffing, premises and sets membership policy)
  • Services and Representations Committee (monitors research, development and policy issues and advises on UKCISA’s activities).

The established staff is 17, organised as three small teams headed by the Director of Advice and Training, the Director of Policy and Services and the Director of Finance and Resources. The organisation is led overall by the Chief Executive.

Income

In 2017/18 some 25% of our funds will come from grant-in-aid from the Department for Education(DfE) and a grant from the Scottish Government, 50% from membership subscriptions and 25% from training activities and the annual conference.

UKCISA's offices

UKCISA currently occupies the second floor of a multi-occupied building the common parts of which, including the toilets, are not wheelchair accessible. However, UKCISA will need to move to new premises by the end of September 2018 as the current landlord is redeveloping the building.

Candidates who are wheelchair users are invited to contact Bhavesh Kotecha for a discussion of their needs. It is a non-smoking office.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

The major terms and conditions are summarised below.
Salary: / The salary is on a scale from £33,989 to £39,913 per annum, including London Weighting, with a possible progression to £42,624.
Hours: / 35 hours per week including core office hours which are 10.00am to 4.00pm (with the remaining hours being flexible around those core times).
Pension: / UKCISA is a member of the Universities Superannuation Scheme Ltd (USS), a final salary scheme where currently the employer contributes 18% of gross salary and Staff contribute 8% of gross salary.
Leave: / Leave for full-time staff is 25 days, rising to 30 days with length of service
Probation/ notice: / There will be a probationary period of three months and thereafter a notice period of two months on both sides.

METHOD OF APPLICATION

Please see the application form for the method of application.

The closing date for applications is 5pm on Friday, 15June 2018.

We will acknowledge all applications and inform applicants if they have not been shortlisted. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend for an interview which will be held on Wednesday, 11July 2018.

May 2018

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