Assistant Language Tutor – School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music – 57806 – Grade 6

Position Details

School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £32,546 to £35,116 with potential progression once in post to £39,355

Grade: 6

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to August 2026

Closing date: 11th June 2025

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

To contribute to elements of teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students within German studies in the Department of Modern Languages. Teaching will be across both the BA in Modern Languages programme and our Institution-wide Languages for All provision.

Role Summary

The post-holder will be expected to teach courses predominantly in German, through allocated seminars and language classes, so that the Department’s teaching objectives are met.

Up to 16 hours of lessons per semester week: for advanced learners in the 1st, 2nd and 4th year of study as well as the University’s IWLP offer, but also exercises for beginners or post-beginners if required..

Main Duties

• Deliver teaching activities within a class, tutorial or other group context in support of teaching for which others have primary responsibility.
• Supervise class activities within a framework designed by others.
• Contribute to the design of modules with other colleagues, overseen by the academic with ultimate responsibility for the modules.
• All teaching units combine language lessons with cultural-historical or regional content, so there are no ‘conversation lessons’ in the traditional sense. Class sizes are usually 6 to 15 students.
• Supervision of around 15 students as a personal tutor.
• Assist with the marking of coursework, applying assessment criteria, as directed. (If the marking is summative, including assessed work contributing to the final award – as a mark or a credit – such as unseen examinations, essays, dissertations, or presentations, then the role-holder’s marking is subject to validation by the academic supervisor.)
• Support at Open Days, Offer Holder Visit Days, and outreach activities organised by the academic responsible for promoting the Department of Modern Languages.
• Update own subject knowledge, and to develop own teaching expertise.
• Carry out administrative tasks related directly to the delivery of teaching.
• Participation in relevant institute assemblies, examination boards, etc.
• Assist students as required offering advice to help them with learning problems.

Person Specification

• Degree-level qualification (minimum equivalent to UK BA 2:1) in a subject relevant to the post (the qualification must have been achieved by the time of application, or at the latest by the time of interview)
• Fluent in German and up-to-date knowledge of German society and culture, as well as of the German university system. This may be demonstrated, for example, by successful completion of a major part of a degree at a university in a German-speaking country, or by the attainment of a German degree.
• Ability to analyse information and communicate effectively.
• Ability to access and organise resources successfully.

Informal enquiries to Elisenda Marcer, email: e.marcer@bham.ac.uk

View our staff values and behaviours here

We believe there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.