PTA guidance for managers

The benefits of the University's contracting arrangements for postgraduate students include:

• Greater professionalisation of the role of the Postgraduate Teaching Associate, including clear association with the Education and Scholarship academic terms and conditions of employment;
• Enhances students' future employment opportunities by including employment status on CV’s;
• A commitment by both parties - in terms of the University to provide work and by the employee to undertake the work that has been agreed;
• Participation of postgraduate students in induction, probation, training and Performance Development Review procedures (via ePDR) for which payment will be made for participating in these activities;
• Membership of the university’s pension scheme arrangements “Universities Superannuation Scheme” and other benefits received by employees of the University, including sickness benefits;
• Ensures that the terms and conditions and benefits are applied equitably with other employees on similar contracting arrangements.

New contracting arrangements for Postgraduate Teaching Associates were launched in September 2018. The aim of these new arrangements were to improve the employment and payment options for our postgraduate students by offering annualised or termly staff contracts or casual work in line with the University’s business rules for engaging workers.

These changes provide simpler and more efficient contracting arrangements, and a contract and payment process that reflects the flexible nature of PTA working patterns. They include:

• The PTA Assignment Spreadsheet has replaced the HAT form as the method of recording the hours allocated to a student for teaching, assessment, preparation and training. The spreadsheet should be completed by the PTA Co-ordinator, or person responsible for supporting PTA work, and shared with their Faculty administration team. A new PTA Assignment Spreadsheet will be circulated to Faculties at the start of the new academic year.
• A new Assignment Schedule has been designed for managers to record a full description of the student’s hours of work and training.
• If the student will undertake ad-hoc temporary work they can be engaged on a casual basis via the Claims Payroll. If further work is offered that is regular and/or pre-scheduled, they will be transferred to a guaranteed hours contract.
• All students must provide evidence of their Right To Work documents before they can commence employment. If you are meeting with your student before they start work, then please ask for these documents so that you can check them and send them to HR, it will help to speed up the appointment process. HR will conduct checks for any student that has not been able to verify their right to work with you.
• Once the details of the students work have been added to the PTA Assignment Spreadsheet and approved by the Faculty, and the right to work check and registration form has been completed, HR will issue the contract. Postgraduate students who are engaged for regular/pre-scheduled work will be employed on a guaranteed hours contract of employment. This contract reflects that PTA working patterns can vary, and provides flexibility and security by guaranteeing a minimum number hours of work that will be paid by the end of the contract, even if those hours are not worked.
• Students will be paid by submitting claims based on the hours they have worked via iTrent, the University’s payroll and Employee Self-Service system. PTA Co-ordinators/Line Manages will be required to approve these claims, and the payment for that work will be made in the next available monthly payroll.
• If the student undertakes other, non-PTA work they should complete a additional hours form.
• Students will start on the first point of Grade E, and will be eligible for the annual salary increment. For further information please see the University .
• Students will continue to be engaged in accordance with the arrangements set out in the “Employment of Postgraduate Students: Code of Good Practice”.
• Students will be automatically enrolled in the pension scheme.
• Hours will be allocated as appropriate for induction, probation, training and performance development review processes.
• Faculties/Disciplines must advise students of line management arrangements and may wish to allocate activities across more than one manager where appropriate, and should ensure postgraduate students are clear on local arrangements for induction, probation, mandatory training and ePDR processes. The Doctoral College advise that the line manager for teaching activity and other PTA activity should be appointed from outside the student’s supervisory team. This is to avoid conflict of interest in terms of teaching performance and employment and their academic progress;
• If a student leaves their PTA role before the end of the contract, you should follow the leaver process for staff.

• tudents will continue to be engaged in accordance with the arrangement set out in the “Employment of Postgraduate Students: Code of Good Practice”.
• Students will be employed on a fixed-term contract, and will be associated to the terms and conditions of employment attached to the Education and Scholarship Academic Job Family.
• Students will be required to demonstrate their Right To Work before commencing any work at the University. 
• Students will receive an Assignment Schedule from the Faculty with a full description of their hours worked and hours training.
• Once the work is approved by the Faculty, HR will issue a guaranteed hours contract. The contract does not provide a full description of the hours worked as these may vary, but it guarantees a minimum number hours of work that will be paid for the contract, even if those hours are not worked.
• Students scheduled to undertake ad-hoc temporary work will be engaged on a casual basis. If further work is offered that is regular and/or pre-scheduled, they will be transferred to a guaranteed hours contract.
• Students will be paid by submitting claims based on the hours they have worked via iTrent, the University’s payroll and Employee Self-Service system. PTA Co-ordinators/Line Managers will be required to approve these claims, and the payment for that work will be made in the next available monthly payroll.
• Students will start on Grade E, point 23. Students will be eligible for the annual salary increment. For further information please see the University Salary scales.
• Students are permitted to undertake other casual assignments at the University (e.g. exam invigilation, research assistant, supporting WP and outreach activities). They are asked to be mindful of the recommended maximum 180 hours annually that students engaged in postgraduate study are permitted to work. Additional hours for non-PTA work can be claimed using the PTA103 Additional Hours form;
• Students will need to give notice and resign if they wish to be released from work commitments.

A flowchart setting out the contracting arrangements can be found here: PTA Recruitment and Onboarding process, and below is a summary of the key stages:

Pre-Employment

The PTA Co-ordinator, or the person responsible for allocating and/or supporting PTA work, should add the appointment details to the departments PTA Assignment Spreadsheet  recording the hours allocated to a student for teaching, assessment, preparation and training. The spreadsheet should be shared with the college administration team (details below). 

For each module a student is engaged to work on the student will be provided with an Assignment Schedule. This record provides a full description of the expected hours of work and training.

All students must provide evidence of their Right To Work documents before they can commence employment. If you are meeting with your student before they start work, then please ask for these documents so that you can check them and send certified copies to HR, it will help to speed up the appointment process. HR will conduct checks for any student that has not been able to verify their right to work with you. Please note that further checks may be required for students that hold a Tier 4 visa.

To be eligible for a PTA position the student must be registered as a student at the University of Exeter and should not have completed their studies at their start date (if a student completes their studies part way through the contract then they can still work to the end of that contract but will not be eligible for a new one the following year).

Contract and Pay

The HR team will prepare and send an electronic copy of the contract of employment to the student. The contract provides important details about employment at the University, including information relating to terms and conditions, salary and deductions, hours of work and pension arrangements.

Any changes to the number of hours worked should be discussed and agreed by the PTA Co-ordinator (or appropriate manager) and the student. Additional hours that are allocated during the contract period should be recorded on the PTA Assignment Spreadsheet. If the additional hours are an amendment to hours already allocated a new Assignment Schedule need not be sent (the amendment can just be confirmed via email), if the additional hours are a new allocation then a new Assignment Schedule should be issued.

The starting salary will be at Grade E Point 25 on the University pay scale. This is the same rate of pay used for Associate Lecturers at the University. Students working as a PTA will be eligible for the University's salary increment. For more information see the University's latest salary scales.

Students will be paid by submitting claims based on the hours they have worked via iTrent, the University’s payroll and Employee Self-Service system. PTA Co-ordinators or line managers will be required to approve these claims, and the payment for that work will be made in the next available monthly payroll.

Students will also receive payment for training, induction, probation and performance development meetings that have been agreed with their manager. These hours can also be claimed via the iTrent Employee Self-Service system.

Casual engagement

If the assignment is for ad-hoc temporary work, the work can be offered on a casual basis. In this case the PTA Co-ordinator should advise the student to complete the casual claims registration process.

If a student working on a casual basis is offered additional pre-scheduled or regular work, or work that extends their contract period over 12 or more weeks, they should be offered an employment contract. 

End of contract

If a student leaves their PTA role before the end of the contract, the PTA Co-ordinator or line manager should follow the standard University leaving process for staff.

At the end of the fixed term contract, the HR team and Faculty teams will review the student’s claims and will check whether they have worked the minimum guaranteed hours specified in their contract. If payment is due this will be made in the month after the employment ends.

More information is available here: Code of Good Practice 

Contacts

If you have further queries please refer to the following contacts:

For queries relating to contracts - please contact humanresources@exeter.ac.uk

Students undertaking work as a PTA will be employed on a guaranteed hours contract of employment.

This contract reflects that PTA working patterns can vary, and provides flexibility and security by guaranteeing a minimum number hours of work that will be paid by the end of the contract, even if those hours are not worked. It also means that contracts and payment schedules do not need to be changed whenever there is a change to their allocated work.

At the end of the contract period, HR will review the student’s hours. If they have worked less than their guaranteed hours, they will be entitled to an additional payment to ensure they have been paid for at least these hours. 

For example, if a student is scheduled to work 20 hours for the period of the contract, and they work and are paid for 30 hours – they have worked for more than their guaranteed 20 hours and there are no changes to their payments. But if they are scheduled to work 20 hours for the period of the contract, and work and are paid for 6 hours – they will have worked for less than the guaranteed 20 hours. This means that they will be automatically paid the difference of 14 hours after the end of their contract.

In addition, students will also be paid for any untaken annual leave after the end of their contract.

Here is a summary of the other key points of the employment contract:

• Contracting period: All contracts will begin on the student’s actual start date and will run until 31 August (HR will not issue a contract until a right to work check has been completed for the individual).
• Method of payment: Students will be paid by submitting claims based on the hours they have worked via iTrent, the University’s payroll and Employee Self-Service system. For information on how to access and approve a claim via the Employee Self-Service system, please follow the Time and Expenses section of the  Quick Reference Guide - People Manager.pdf
• Annual leave: PTAs will be automatically paid their annual leave in their salary. This is called rolled up holiday pay and will be displayed as a separate line on their payslip.
• Multiple PTA roles: If students work across different disciplines for one Faculty, their contract will cover all of this work. On iTrent they will be set up in a separate position for each department they are working in ensuring claims reach the correct line manager and are charged to the correct area. If they work for more than one Faculty they will receive separate contracts for each Faculty PTA role that they undertake.
• Terms and conditions: All other terms and conditions, and the salary rate, will be the same as for all other staff.

Postgraduate Teaching Associates are paid by recording and claiming for the hours they work and hours for training via iTrent, the University’s payroll and Employee Self-Service system.

You will be notified by email when a student has submitted a claim for approval (and you will receive automated reminders about outstanding claim requests and payroll deadline dates). Once a claim has been approved, the student will be paid in the next available monthly payroll.

For information on how to access and review a claim submitted by a student via the Employee Self-Service system, and the process that is followed to make the salary payment, please follow this guide:  Quick Reference Guide - People Manager.pdf

If you receive notification to approve a claim but you are not the correct person to grant approval, you can either forward the claim to the correct person (by following the instructions in the  Quick Reference Guide - People Manager.pdf). or contact your Faculty PTA Administrator or Human Resources for further advice.

PTAs can claim an additional 1 hour at the end of their contract to cover the time required to input and submit claims via iTrent.

No, Early Career Researchers are already employed full-time on contracts of employment.

If you are allocating additional hours please record the information in the usual way via your departments PTA Assignment Spreadsheet.

If the student is reducing their hours please contact your Faculty's PTA Administration team or Human Resources to make them aware as soon as possible.

If the student has resigned, please follow the university's Leaving process

No, although it is expected that if the assignment is for ad-hoc temporary work this will be offered on a casual basis.

Yes, as for example Student Community Wardens. Also, if a student undertakes PTA work across different Faculties, they will receive a separate contract to cover the work they do in each Faculty.

Managers are asked to be mindful that the employment of a full-time student should not normally exceed 6 hours per week.  Individuals who hold a Student visa would continue to need to ensure they comply with the working restrictions prescribed in their visas.

Yes, students will be able to undertake other casual assignments at the University (e.g. exam invigilation, research assistant, supporting WP and outreach activities).  Additional hours must be claimed for using the PTA103 additional hours form.

Managers are asked to be mindful that the employment of a full-time student should not normally exceed 6 hours per week.  Individuals who hold a Tier 4 visa would continue to need to ensure they comply with the working restrictions prescribed in their visas.

All employees of the University are required to participate in induction, probation, training and performance development reviews (PDR). Students can be paid for training that is undertaken during their employment period. 

Induction and probation: ensures that students have full support during their first year to undertake their role as a Postgraduate Teaching Associate. All new employees must complete a probationary period of twelve months. For further information please see our Probation webpage. 

Training: ensures that students and other employees are trained to the same standard where these are necessary for their role.  

Mandatory training: students will have completed four online mandatory training courses as part of their PGR training, prior to their employment. These are:  

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity  

• Health and Safety  

• Research Integrity  

• Information Governance and Security  

 Students are required to complete one additional course when they start their employment: Safeguarding on our campuses.  For more information, please see our Mandatory Training webpage. The faculty should confirm if a student needs to complete any additional training (e.g. LTHE). If they have already taken a mandatory training course on the PGR version of LearnUpon, they are advised to send a copy of their certificate/result to peopledevelopment@exeter.ac.uk who will update their staff LearnUpon record. 

Performance Development Review (PDR): these meetings with a supervisor or line manager provide students with the opportunity to review their progress and to discuss their ambitions and development needs. For more information, please see our Performance Development Review webpage.

Faculties should confirm line management arrangements to PTAs, in some areas line management activities may be undertaken by more than one person.  

The Doctoral College advise that the line manager for teaching activity and other PTA activity should be appointed from outside the student’s supervisory team. This is to avoid conflict of interest in terms of teaching performance and employment and their academic progress.

No, the academic manager will assess suitability for the role in accordance with the “Employment of Postgraduate Students:  Code of Good Practice”

PTA contracts are for a fixed-term period of up to 12 months. This arrangement recognises that PTA teaching requirements vary from year to year based on student choice and student numbers, so it is only possible for the University to commit for the academic year.

If a PTA is sick and unable to undertake scheduled work, they should notify their academic manager or another contact in the Faculty as soon as possible. Their manager should follow the sickness recording process and provide cover where necessary or re-schedule the work.

Where work cannot be rescheduled then the PTA is able to submit a claim in the usual way (through iTrent) for work that they were due to undertake during their period of sickness as they may be eligible for University sick pay. 

For guidance on managing sickness please refer to the Managing absence Code of Practice. Advice can also be obtained from your  HR Advisor.

The work undertaken by postgraduate students is primarily related to teaching activities and this aligns to the Education and Scholarship job family.

Yes, subject to satisfactory performance, and subject to a minimum of six months’ service in the grade, increments are payable on 1 August each year up to scp 27. For further information on salaries and on costs please follow this link: Payroll Office and salary information | Payroll Office and salary information | University of Exeter

Yes, their continuous service from when they were issued their contract will apply in their new role (subject to any breaks between contracts).  However, they cannot continue to be employed as a PTA. 

University salaries are paid on the penultimate working day of the month.  The pay date may vary in December but a list of pay dates is confirmed at the beginning of each year.

Provided the claim is submitted and approved by the monthly Payment Claim Form cut-off date, the payment will be made at the end of that month. Further information on payroll deadlines and pay dates can be found here: Payroll deadlines

Claims should be submitted as soon as possible on completion of the work carried out and within 90 days of the 'week end date'. Please encourage your PTAs to claim their hours as soon as possible after working.

Please note that we must have received the student's right to work documentation and new joiner details in order to pay them.

UK law requires the University to check that every worker has the right to work in the UK, and we are expected to conduct this check for each new period of employment.

Students will accrue approximately 0.18 hours of annual leave for every hour they work and are paid for.

From 1st September 2024 we are making changes to the way PTAs receive payment for their annual leave. There is now no requirement for a PTA to book their annual leave, it will automatically be paid with their salary. This is called rolled-up holiday pay. The holiday pay will appear as a separate line of their payslip.

If they complete their PhD during the academic year, they can continue to do any planned contracted work in their role as a PTA until the end of the academic year (subject to Tier 4 expiry which may mean their contract will finish earlier).

In the event that a student withdraws from their PhD studies and ceases to be registered as a student with the University, the University will usually take steps to terminate the employment. However, each case will be assessed independently by Human Resources, following consultation with the line manager. If appropriate, the University may apply discretion in allowing the student to continue to do any planned contracted work as a PTA until the end of the contract (subject to Tier 4 requirements).  

In the event that a student interrupts their PhD studies for a temporary period, provided that the student remains registered as a student with the University and the circumstances for the interruption are discussed with the line manager, the University will apply discretion in allowing the student to continue to do any planned contracted work as a PTA until the end of the contract (subject to Tier 4 requirements).