Admissions
Registrar
Job Description
Background
to the post
St. Clare's offers a diverse array of courses at pre-university
and university levels and in English language. Until relatively
recently there was a central admissions office for all students
on all courses throughout the year. More recently admissions have
become more decentralised, recognising the different approaches
appropriate to handling applications for different courses, and
reflecting moves towards developing a more federal arrangement of
courses within the overall organisation. However, many enquiries
are received centrally and the Admissions Office has responsibility
for filtering all applications to St. Clare's. The post, based in
the Admissions Office, has three elements.
In addition,
however, it involves
-
dealing
with all other admissions enquiries received by the Admissions
Office - to a large extent by directing them to the appropriate
admissions area
-
maintaining
statistics about all general and pre-university course enquiries
received.
The post is
relatively new, and has taken shape under the present incumbent,
who has been here for about a year, and is leaving for medical reasons.
The Admissions
Office receives enquiries by all means: personal callers, telephone,
fax, letter, and increasingly, and to the largest extent, by email.
In sorting, redirecting or otherwise handling these enquiries, the
Admissions Registrar has a key function relating to all courses.
Enquiries that are clearly for Liberal Arts, for 18+ English or
for short courses are passed directly to people with admissions
responsibility for those areas. Others are likely to be for one
of the pre-university courses: International Baccalaureate (IB),
Pre-IB, EC16+ and University Foundation Course. The Admissions Registrar
and the Director of Studies will deal with these. The Principal
is also involved in admissions processes for these courses. He meets
prospective students and parents whenever possible, and takes an
overview of all College admissions, particularly in the interaction
with other areas, such as residential provision, academic staffing
and marketing.
In other cases,
the needs of enquirers are not always readily categorised. Further
information may be required to determine which, if any, course may
be relevant. It is hoped that the Admissions Registrar will have,
or in time will acquire, sufficient background to be able to handle
knowledgeably such general enquiries, and those that relate specifically
to pre-university courses.
Although not
an essential part of the post, there is the possibility of the Admissions
Registrar having some involvement in the external marketing and
promotion of pre-university courses. For someone with such interests
and aptitudes, the post could be shaped to reflect this.
The College uses a single database for all students on all courses.
It is imperative that the integrity of the single student database
is maintained, although admissions have become more decentralised.
Common procedures and standards must apply to data entry and record
keeping on all courses. The Registrar will have responsibility for
ensuring that within the Admissions Office all procedures established
by the student database manager are operated fully.
Responsibilities
and Duties
The Admissions
Registrar will report directly to the Director of Studies for pre-university
courses.
(S)he will also report to the Principal in relation to the handling
of general enquiries. (S)he will liaise closely with the student
database manager on the operation of the student database.
Specific duties
and responsibilities:
1. Associated
with all enquiries received by the Admissions Office
- forwarding
enquiries clearly associated with other courses to appropriate
people
- answering
general enquiries, or those relating to courses not offered
- maintaining
records (for instance of sources of enquiries)
2. Associated
with admissions to pre-university courses
- Enquiries:
Dealing with all telephone and walk-in enquiries, and with correspondence
by fax, letters and e-mail. It is expected that the Admissions
Registrar will be able to answer all routine enquiries from a
very early stage in his/her appointment. Other enquiries will
require consultation with the Director of Studies, although with
experience, the Admissions Registrar will be able to handle a
higher proportion of these. This work involves dealing with prospective
students, parents, agents and other schools.
- Admissions
processes: With the Director of Studies, ensuring that all
applications are appropriately handled; communicating with parents,
agents, schools etc.
- Assisting
with promotion and marketing: Assisting in the organisation
of open days, scholarship days and other similar promotional activities.
Some assistance to be given to the web manager and to colleagues
with responsibility for the presentation and production of publications.
- Procedures:
Operating all existing and agreed procedures. With the Director
of Studies, improving existing procedures or devising new procedures
for responding to student enquiries and applications, and subsequently
tracking applications through their various stages, including
initial response and follow-up, interview, the seeking of references,
and letters of acceptance (or not).
- Supervision:
Of the work of any additional staff engaged on pre-university
admissions work. (The need for such assistance will be assessed
after the appointment of the Admissions Registrar).
- Statistics:
The maintenance of statistical records and the production of regular
statistical reports giving details of numbers, sources and types
of enquiries and applications received and processed, as required
by the Director of Studies, marketing staff, the Bursar and the
Principal.
- Relating
to the student database:
- Ensuring
correct entry of key data in the student database for all
pre-university students' applications/admissions
- Producing
regular statistical reports drawing on the student database.
- Recommending
changes to data kept on students
Responsibilities
extend only to key information common to all students on all courses
e.g. dates of birth, names, addresses etc. The database is also
used to maintain academic and other records, and much other general
information related to College administration, entry and maintenance
of which is the responsibility of others. The Registrar will liaise
closely with the manager of the whole database.
Person Specification
Essential
Requirements
The person
appointed will:
- be an excellent
administrator
- have knowledge
of or interest in acquiring knowledge of different educational
systems, to enable some academic counselling to be undertaken
- have strong
IT skills, particularly in storage and manipulation of data
- have very
good interpersonal skills
- have an interest
in and aptitude for promotion of the College to prospective students
and parents
- have a good
telephone manner
- have excellent
written and spoken English
- be a graduate
or of equivalent educational background
- be motivated
to achieve recruitment targets, while ensuring maintenance of
quality
Desirable
In an international college, and particularly in this post, knowledge
of languages other than English will be an advantage
Natural administrative
skills; ability to devise and implement simple and effective procedures
Terms and Conditions
Working hours:
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm with one hour for lunch. Some flexibility
is essential here. On occasions, work will be needed outside these
hours to meet deadlines etc. This may involve occasional weekend
work, for which there is time off in lieu.
Holidays:
22 working days per year and the period over Christmas when the
College is closed (24 December - 1 January inclusive). (Although
officially closed over Christmas we do need to have post checked
once or twice by an appropriate person). The College operates during
bank holidays in May and August and work may be required on one
of these days, with time off in lieu.
Salary and
benefits:
Starting salary will be according to qualifications and experience.
This will be related to an appropriate St. Clare's scale, these
scales being related to those in local authorities or universities.
Free lunches in the College dining room or café/bar during
the academic year and major summer courses.
Pension:
After three months service you are entitled to join the College's
group personal pension scheme. Employer pays up to 10% of salary
subject to the Employee contributing 5% of salary, the Employer's
contribution being double that of the Employee. Pension entitlement
may be backdated to any time from the date of commencement of employment.
Probationary
period:
The first six months will be probationary, within which notice is
two weeks on either side. Thereafter notice is one month on either
side.
Applications:
Please apply by short letter enclosing a full curriculum vitae to
include names, addresses and telephone numbers of 2 referees to:
Boyd Roberts,
Principal
St Clare's, Oxford
139 Banbury Road
Oxford OX2 7AL
Or by email
to: recruitment@stclares.ac.uk
Fax: 01865 -
310002
Closing date
for applications: 20 January 2004
Return
to vacancy information page
Top
|
