Benefits of working here
Training courses for early career researchers are brilliant – entertaining, informative and applicable.
Marco Palomino, Research Fellow
The University offers a Pension Salary Exchange scheme for members of USS and ERSS. For further information about these and other pension schemes, please visit our pensions webpages.
The University's learning and development team put provision in place for a wide range of training courses and personal development. They make use of specialist providers both internally and externally to design programmes that meet specific requirements.
To find out more, see the learning and development website.
Annual leave
The University strives to work with our staff to help create a healthy work/life balance, and offer generous annual leave entitlement. The leave entitlement for full-time staff employed all year is as follows:
- Grade A to D: 284.7 hours (39 days) inclusive of bank holidays and closure days.
- Grade E+: 299.3 hours (41 days) inclusive of bank holidays and closure days.
Compassionate leave and emergency leave
Compassionate leave applies to all employees, regardless of length of service, including those on fixed-term and part-time contracts.
» Compassionate leave
» Emergency leave
Study leave
Academic staff may apply for study leave that aligns with their College’s Research Plans and the University Research Strategy.
» Study leave/ Leave of AbsenceCareer Break Scheme
To help achieve our vision of being one of the world’s leading universities, we want to build a world class workforce. We can work towards this through enabling our managers to build flexible teams whilst creating a positive working environment in which all our staff can succeed.
Through these arrangements, we aim to support our managers to deliver flexible services that meet the changing needs of our students and other customers, as well as assist our workforce to achieve a positive work-life balance.
The University is committed to helping working parents and carers, and offers a variety of benefits for staff, including:
Maternity, paternity and adoption leave
The University has sector leading schemes that ensure we can support staff who maintain responsibilities as a carer alongside their job. All our policies to support Parents and Carers aim to be inclusive, and the University provides generous maternity, paternity and adoption leave, as well as shared parental leave. These schemes offer up to 26 weeks full pay for maternity, adoption and shared parental and 6 weeks full pay paternity leave.
Childcare facilities
The Owlets Nursery at Streatham and Little Wonders Nurseries in Penryn and Falmouth provide childcare to staff and students at the University.
Childcare vouchers
As part of its range of family friendly initiatives, the University has made arrangements to participate in a scheme which enables employees to purchase, via a salary sacrifice arrangement approved by HM Revenue & Customs, childcare vouchers without paying tax or National Insurance Contributions.
Flexible working
The University's flexible working policy can help parents to achieve a better work-life balance, and enable them to develop a work pattern that suits their family commitments.
Cycle to Work and Pool Bike schemes
The University of Exeter participates in the Cycle to Work programme - a government scheme to encourage people to cycle to work, which saves you income tax and national insurance on the cost of the cycle, and spreads the cost over 12 months.
We also have some pool bikes available for use by all University employees.
Car scheme
The University's car scheme offers eligible staff the opportunity to acquire a new energy-efficient car through salary exchange at lower rates than those generally available to members of the public.
Discounted bus travel
As part of its Sustainable Travel Plan, which aims to encourage alternatives to travelling to work by car, the University has partnered with Stagecoach to offer staff a 10% discount on bus passes. Staff also receive a one third discount on D and H buses to and from the campuses in Exeter.
University minibus
The University minibus operates in Exeter and is free of charge for students and staff.
Car sharing
The University offers a suite of car sharing incentives which will save you money on your University parking permit, make finding a car parking space easier.
The University offers a wide range of financial benefits to staff including discounts at both local and national shops, NUS Extra cards, and the Exeter Rewards cashback card.
Workplace wellbeing
Positive wellbeing enables an employee to flourish and achieve their full potential for the benefit of themselves and the University. All of our campuses are well-served by state of the art fitness centres, which staff can make use of. Other opportunities to promote wellbeing include community challenge days, and special interest groups run by Staff Life.
Spectrum Life
Spectrum Life provides confidential, impartial advice and support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The service is free for University of Exeter staff members and postgraduate research students to access whenever you need.
Health checks
As part of a healthy lifestyle it is important to monitor your body, and so to help you maintain and monitor your health the Sport Park offer the following health checks free of charge: Body Fat, Blood Pressure, BMI. The tests take no longer than 5 minutes.
Eye tests
The University provides free eye tests to staff who use Display Screen Equipment (DSE) on a regular basis, this is carried out through a voucher scheme in partnership with Specsavers Opticians.
Smoking cessation course
The Sports Park, Streatham Campus, regularly deliver free smoking cessation courses. During the workshops you are able to talk to advisors from the Devon Primary Care Tust Smoking Cessation Team about the best way of quitting.
Chaplaincy
The University's multifaith chaplaincy team works together to serve the whole University staff, academics and professional services staff.
Find out more.
The University believes people should work in an environment where they are valued and where exceptional performance is recognised.