Durham Doctoral Teaching Fellowship in Law

Job Details

Job title:                                      Durham Doctoral Teaching Fellowship in Law                

Department:                                Law School

Responsible to:                           Professor Volker Roeben, Dean of the Law School

Remuneration/Grade:              Fee waiver at UK Home Fee Rate plus Stipend at UKRI Level/ Payment at Grade 6 Level (Teaching Component)

Working arrangements:          Full time

Duration                                        42 months

Open date:                                   -            

Closing date:                                Friday 30^th June 2023 5pm (UK Time)

Preferred start date:                 Successful candidates will ideally be in post by 1^st October 2023

Informal enquiries to:              Dr Andy Hayward, Postgraduate Research Director - a.p.hayward@durham.ac.uk

 

About the Role

The Law School at Durham University seeks to appoint a talented individual to the role of a Durham Doctoral Teaching Fellow. The Fellow will undertake a PhD within the Law School and, at the same time, be required to undertake occasional teaching, supervision and marking activities for undergraduate and taught masters courses. As well as enhancing the Fellow’s skills in teaching delivery, undertaking this role will help enhance their technical abilities, broaden their knowledge base and gain management experience. Fellows will also be able to build up a teaching record, which will be invaluable should they choose to pursue an academic career after their studies.

The Fellow will need to be accepted onto Durham Law School’s PhD programme and meet our entry requirements, detailed below. Staff research expertise and areas in which they are willing to offer supervision are available here. While we will accept PhD proposals in all areas for which we have supervisory expertise, for this Fellowship we particularly welcome applications in the areas of: Constitutional Law, Contract Law, Criminal Law, Employment Law, European Union Law, Family Law, Land Law, Property Law, Tort Law, Trusts and Equity.

Fellows must be willing to teach on at least two core undergraduate LLB modules. The Fellow will work under the supervision of the Law School, and be assigned a teaching mentor who will provide oversight, supervision and support. Fellows will be full Durham University employees and as such will be expected to maintain the standards of behaviour and conduct expected of any staff member.

The Fellowship will last for four and a half years and comprise three and a half years of research and one year of teaching (1540 hours, based on a 35-hour week and a 44-week year). The division of time allocated between research and teaching each year will be determined in consultation with the Fellow upon appointment.

Key Responsibilities

The key responsibilities of the Fellow are to assist with teaching and to support student learning. Specific tasks may include: 

• Teaching modules in appropriate learning environments at undergraduate/postgraduate levels;
• Demonstrating an increasing awareness of different approaches to and methods of teaching and supporting student learning;
• Developing and delivering an inclusive curriculum and making an active contribution to an inclusive community in which diversity is embraced and celebrated;
• Providing guidance on course materials, study skills and progress feedback; 
• Assessing work based on published criteria; 
• Building internal contacts and participating in networks to exchange information;
• Attending departmental committees;
• Undertaking effectively and efficiently any administrative role allocated by the Dean of the Law School;
• Contributing to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect;
• Engaging in wider citizenship to support the Law School and wider discipline.
• Engaging in continuing professional development by attending relevant induction, training and development courses.    

More experienced Fellows may additionally be asked to: 

• Co-teach a module and demonstrate the ability to manage own teaching and designing, planning and writing teaching materials;
• Revise or update module material. 

Remuneration & Benefits 

The Fellow will receive the following support for their studies:

• Fee waiver. The Fellowship covers the cost of Home (UK) fees for 42 months over the duration of the programme. 
• Stipend. In addition to the waiving of fees, the Fellow will receive a stipend at UKRI rates for 42 months over the duration of the programme. 

Fellows will also receive the following employment benefits: 

• The Fellow will be employed on a Grade 6 salary for the teaching element of the programme. 
• As an employee Fellows will be eligible for all normal staff benefits, including pensions, paid holidays and many other benefits.
• The Fellow will be entitled to a total of 42 months of stipend and 12 months of salary during the duration of the fellowship. How this time is divided will depend on the structure of the Fellowship agreed with the Law School.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the scheme, the candidate must be:

• Eligible to work in the UK;
• Possess Home Fee Status for the purpose of PhD study;
• In receipt of a doctoral degree offer from Durham for October 2023 entry. Note that currently enrolled/registered students are not eligible to apply.
• Able to commit to the scheme full time and adhere to the standard terms and conditions of both employment with Durham and of being a registered student.
• Have no other commitments that would preclude their ability to deliver on either the Fellowship or on their studies (e.g. secondary employment).
• Willing to engage with the training framework and attain Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)

Person Specification

Candidates applying for this position will have recently completed or be concluding their Masters and, while they may have limited direct experience of the requirements for the post, they must outline their experience, skills and achievements to date which demonstrate that they meet or that they have the potential to achieve the below criteria:  

Essential Criteria:

• Hold a first class or upper second class Bachelor’s in Law or related discipline (65 average or above);
• In addition, hold or expect to hold a Master’s degree in Law or related discipline at a first class or upper second class level (65 average or above) and/or significant relevant professional experience;
• Have excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to engage with a range of students and colleagues across a variety of forums;
• Possess potential to contribute to the development and delivery of high-quality teaching and/or assessment of learning, including the design and creation of successful learning environments and curricula;
• Have potential to participate in the collegial/administrative activities of an academic department and/or discipline.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of teaching and examining, where relevant, at University level with positive student feedback gained.
• Experience of successfully developing innovative teaching methods for the design/delivery of high-quality teaching.
• Experience of successfully working in an administrative role within an organisation or department.
• Experience of providing high quality one-to-one student supervision.
• Attending and presenting internal and/or external seminars or at a regional conference.

How to Apply

Candidates must also submit the following documents by the deadline via our online application form.  Applicants must: 

1. Submit a current CV;
2. Submit a two-page personal statement that details their experience, skills and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out above;
3. Submit academic transcripts with a full breakdown of module marks and degree classification;
4. Provide a photo page of their passport.
5. Supply two academic references from within the past two years. We may also accept one professional reference and one academic reference. Candidates should not email references directly to us. Each reference must be either emailed by the referee directly to us using the following email address: law.researchofficer@durham.ac.uk or uploaded via the application system. All references must be on headed paper and clearly dated. If the applicant is a Durham University candidate, one reference may be from within the university and the other from someone independent of the university.
6. Submit a satisfactory research proposal of no more than 2,000 words, excluding bibliography. Details of the content of a good research proposal are explained here. Acceptance is dependent on whether we have the necessary academic expertise in the School. Candidates must make informal contact with a potential supervisor to discuss their Fellowship application and research proposal at an early stage and in advance of the Fellowship deadline. Please note, however, that such contact does not necessarily mean that you will eventually be accepted.
7. State on the application that you would like to be considered for the Durham Doctoral Teaching Fellowship

Candidates must ensure they include all relevant documentation when applying. Incomplete applications will not be processed.

Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in the University.

Selection Criteria and Next Steps

After receipt of an application, candidates will be assessed on the basis of: 

• Academic excellence 
• Research potential
• Teaching experience (or potential)

We will notify candidates on the status of their application at various points throughout the selection process. Candidates are advised to check spam/junk folders periodically to ensure they receive all emails. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview in July 2023.

For informal enquiries please contact Dr Andy Hayward, Postgraduate Research Director on a.p.hayward@durham.ac.uk. All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence. 

Further Details about Durham University

Durham University is one of the world’s top universities, boasting a welcoming and vibrant international community. Durham is an exceptional place in which to base your career. Our strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences see us listed as a top 5 UK and top 100 global university with our students and our world leading academics sitting at the heart of delivering our ground-breaking work. As part of our ambitious strategy we are growing and we look forward to welcoming your application.

About Durham University

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career while enjoying a high quality work/life balance. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.

Less than 3 hours north of London, and an hour and a half south of Edinburgh, County Durham is a region steeped in history and natural beauty. The Durham Dales, including the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are home to breath-taking scenery and attractions. Durham offers an excellent choice of city, suburban and rural residential locations. If you’d like to find out more about the University, please visit https://www.dur.ac.uk/jobs/recruitment/

The Law School

Durham Law School is a leading law school. Consistently ranked in the Top 10 nationally and Top 50 globally, it has been growing strongly over the past few years and now comprises a community of over 100 academics and professional support staff. Durham Law School fosters innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to legal research and wishes to attract scholars with strong backgrounds in these areas. The Law School provides a supportive environment for its community of academics, which comprises a very generous sabbatical policy and an infrastructure of high-profile research centres that brings together colleagues for collaborative projects.  The School is housed in the iconic Palatine Centre overlooking Durham Cathedral in the heart of the city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located on the main East Coast trainline connecting to London and Edinburgh and also within convenient reach of Newcastle Airport. The School has an extensive network of leading international partner institutions and close ties with the City of London and the Inns of Court. It counts among its alumni two Supreme Court Justices.

Our top-ranked global law courses are very competitive with an excellent and diverse student population from across the world delivering a cutting-edge, research-led curriculum with a commitment to small group teaching through seminars and tutorials much prized by employers.

Our School’s strategic objectives put EDI at the heart of everything that we do. We are committed to Equality Diversity and Inclusion and actively develop our policies and procedures to ensure that everyone within our community is treated fairly and is provided with the same opportunities. This applies to our everyday working in teaching, research and administration, including academic progression and promotion processes. Our Law School is currently in the process of applying for our Athena Swan Bronze award.