Offer and appointment

Deciding starting salary

• The Chair and/or Recruiting Manager should discuss the starting salary to be offered to the preferred candidate
• Normally this should be the bottom point of the salary scale.  If there is evidence to support someone being offered a salary which is higher than the bottom of the band please contact your Recruiter/HRBP to discuss this and to obtain approval

Additional things to consider

• Available Funding - the salary range for appointment approved on the e-SR1 (i.e. an appointment may not be made above the highest point for which funding is available without further consultation with your Recruiter/HRBP)
• Comparability within the University and the Faculty/Service - with existing staff of similar relevant experience and skills
• Salary increments - Subject to satisfactory performance and a minimum of six months’ service in the grade, increments are payable on 1 August each year until the top normal progression point of the grade is reached.  Progression into and through the contribution points is subject to performance in the role

Communicating the decision to the successful candidate

• After interview, the Chair or nominated panel member should make the offer to the successful candidate
• An offer of employment should be made subject to standard pre-employment checks

Additional points to consider if appointing international candidates:

The UK operates a new points-based system for the Skilled Worker Visa and this now applies to EU as well as non-EU candidates. If you plan to offer the role to an international candidate who will need a visa to work in the UK please contact your recruiter before making the offer. We will need to check the job and candidate are eligible for sponsorship for the New Skilled Worker Visa or the Global Talent visa

Feedback to unsuccessful candidates

• Once an offer has been accepted, contact the unsuccessful candidates and notify them of the outcome and provide feedback (ideally within 2 working days of the interview)
• For internal candidates - unsuccessful internal candidates should be able to receive verbal / face to face feedback if requested

Sending the contract

• The Recruitment team endeavour to issue contracts of employment within 5 working days of receipt of the e-SR1 appointment form
• Please ensure you agree a start date of no less than two weeks from the date of job offer. If there is a critical reason for the canddiate to start sooner, please contact your Recruiter. 

Before commencing work with the University there are some pre-employment screening checks that all staff must complete and some that need to be completed depending on the role.

• Right to work - proof of right to work
• Health checks - pre-employment assessment
• DBS - DBS introduction

Read more about pre-employment screening

A successful applicant to a post paid on grades E and above who lives more than an hour away from their University work location (as notified in their letter of appointment) may be offered assistance with their relocation to an address significantly closer to their University work location. Find out more about the Relocation Assistance Scheme.

General

• Contact the new member of staff to advise them of specific joining instructions (eg venue, time, who to ask for etc) in preparation for their first day
• On or before their first day of work they must also present their right to work documentation. Failure to do so will mean that the new staff member has to return home, without pay, and will not be allowed to start work until they can provide evidence of their eligibility to work in the U.K.

Induction

• The Induction Facilitator named on the e-SR1 appointment form will ensure the institution induction is undertaken.

• Also ensure that Faculty/Service (local level) induction is undertaken

• Induction is an essential part of the recruitment process.

• Undertaken effectively, it ensures that new employees settle quickly into their new role and into the University.

Find out more about induction at the University.

Probation

• The purpose of a probationary period is to allow time for the employer to assess a new employee’s suitability for his/her new appointment and, equally to give time for the new employee to determine whether the new appointment is suitable for him/her.

• The criteria for assessment under probation should be clear to both the employee and the University (as the employer) at the time the employment commences.  These criteria will be those specified in the person specification for the appointment, together with satisfactory conduct and attendance.

Please visit out Probation webpage for further details.