The Brilliant Club

The Brilliant Club: A meaningful, well-paid teaching opportunity for postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers at the University of Exeter

The Scholars Programme is run by The Brilliant Club, an award-winning university access charity. They recruit and train doctoral and post-doctoral researchers to deliver programmes of university-style teaching to pupils in schools that serve under-represented communities.

How does it work?

On The Scholars Programme, tutors are trained to create a course based on their own academic research pitched at pupils in Key Stage 4 or 5. Tutors also have the opportunity to deliver a pre-designed programme to younger pupils aged 8-10. They deliver this course in university-style tutorials to groups of 7.

To help fit alongside their other commitments, tutors indicate their availability on a termly basis. Placements are paid from £550 per placement, with an additional £121 for designing a Scholars Programme course (plus London weighting). Travel expenses are also paid.

Why Become a Brilliant Club Tutor?

Support local pupils from underrepresented backgrounds to access university

Get expert training and real experience to develop your teaching and other transferable skills
Earn from £550 per placement plus an additional £121 for designing a new course (plus London weighting), and travel expenses
Disseminate your research to small groups of school pupils
Join a nationwide community of like-minded researchers making a huge impact on university access

Tutors are supported by a, currently online, training programme including sessions on tutorial pedagogy, assessment and designing a course handbook.

The Placement Journey consists of a Launch Event followed by six further tutorials either socially distanced in school or delivered remotely via The Brilliant Club’s VLE. At the end of the programme pupils submit an assignment which is marked by their tutor.

You can find out more about The Brilliant Club and the tutoring opportunity online here and their FAQ page is here Or to sign up for an information webinar, click here.

To apply immediately to work as a Brilliant Club tutor please complete The Brilliant Club’s online application form.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to email The Brilliant Club at apply@thebrilliantclub.org.

Thinking of applying? You might find the following resources useful:

What is Public Engagement? – National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement
Presentation Skills
Presenting Yourself and Your Research to Non-Specialists – GW4 (you will need to request access to the GW4 portal to access this resource)
Answering Competency-Based Interview Questions – The Guardian Careers Blog

Part of the focus of The Brilliant Club recruitment is PGRs approach to interactive, reflective teaching. Therefore, PGRs interested in applying to The Scholar's Programme may benefit from having attended Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Programme (LTHE), which introduces the underlying principles and practical methods of effective learning and teaching.

Examples of Exeter PGRs projects taughts in skills, and placement workbooks: