Associate Lecturer in Wales

The Open University - Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS)

Unit: WELS
Salary: £38,784 pro rata
Location: Homebased
Please quote reference: WELS_WalesSocialWork

Part-Time: KZW216 – 0.123 FTE (Approx 32 days), Permanent
K355 – 0.103 FTE (Approx 27 days), Permanent

Closing Date: 5 December 2025 at 12:00 noon

Change your career, change lives

The Open University is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education.

The role

We are looking to recruit several Associate Lecturers in Social Work in Wales, in the School of Health, Wellbeing, and Social Care at the Open University.

The position is part-time and would involve teaching one or more modules. There are immediate teaching needs on the following modules: KZW216 and K355 in Wales.

The position is home-based. The workload will vary to support student needs and marking and assessment schedules. This is likely to include exam and end of module marking tasks. Other tasks will be required such as focused student support (individual and forum), such as peer mentoring and working with the module team on assessment activities and quality improvement. The ability to teach through the medium of Welsh would be welcome but is not essential. Some evening and weekend work will be required.

Contract start date: February 2025

Person specification:

The person specification for this position should be read in conjunction with the generic person specification for a Associate Lecturer at The Open University. As well as meeting all the requirements set out in the generic person specification, you should have:

• a first degree in social work or a relevant discipline.
• a professional social work qualification and practice experience (preferably recent).
• experience of delivering social work education as a practice teacher, practice assessor, or associate lecturer, familiarity with the literature, policies, and research in social work.
• familiarity with current practice regarding the delivery of personal social services.
• sensitivity to the needs of adult learners, and an understanding of how adults learn.
• evidence of ability to negotiate, liaise, and problem-solve with a range of agency contacts.
• experience in the use of IT or a willingness to train and experiment with IT.

It would be an advantage to have:

• A higher degree or Ph.D. (or equivalent).
• Evidence of having taken the initiative to deliver better teaching and learning or to take advantage of new technology in teaching.
• Teaching qualification in relevant subject or HEA accreditation.
• The ability to work through the medium of Welsh.

What you get in return

We have a strong commitment to providing training and development in and beyond your current role. To ensure they remain up to date with developments in their academic field, Practice Tutors are allocated 6 days (pro-rata) per annum for AL-led (ie. self-directed) Academic Currency and 1 day, plus 5 days pro rata, per annum for Agreed Academic Currency and Professional Development.

Benefits include a supportive and friendly working environment, 27 days holiday per annum (pro rata) with variable (pro rata) Bank holidays and an attractive pensions proposition.

Tuition Delivery
Mixed (face-to-face & online)

How to apply

An application form and job-related information are available from the links located below.

AL Application Form

Generic Person Specification

Terms and Conditions

Any queries regarding the application process please contact AL-Recruitment on AL-Recruitment@open.ac.uk, quoting the reference WELS_WalesSocialWork.

All candidates will be asked to provide proof of eligibility to work in the UK at interview.

The University is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role as per the requirement laid out the UK Visas and Immigration regarding Right to Work in the UK.

To work with us you will need access to the internet.

Successful applicants will be required to undertake a DBS check or equivalent for their nation of residency.

Early closing date notification
We may close this job advert earlier than the published closing date where a satisfactory number of applications are received. We would therefore encourage early applications.

Email: AL-Recruitment@open.ac.uk