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Vacancy Advertising Policy

Newcastle University’s policy on advertising job vacancies.

Vacancy advertising is a free service provided by Newcastle University Careers Service to enable employers to promote their opportunities to our students and graduates.

We have a duty of care to our students and graduates and reserve the right not to advertise opportunities which we believe are not in their best interests.

1. Introduction

We advertise paid job vacancies to our students and graduates on behalf of employers. This is a free service. We aim to:

  • Provide the widest range of opportunities possible
  • Support the business needs of our employer partners
  • Follow sector good practice

2.Employer registration

To advertise vacancies, employers must first request an account via our online Employer Portal.

We reserve the right to refuse any registration and when considering requests we review the following:

  • The information provided by the employer
  • The employer’s website
  • For registered charities: information on the Charity Commission’s website
  • For UK registered companies: information on the Companies House website

We will NOT approve an employer registration if:

  • The employer is an individual rather than a company
  • The information provided by the employer is misleading, unclear or incomplete, including in relation to the nature of the employer’s business. Employers must supply a postal address (telephone number; and email address. The email address must correspond with the employing organisation (private email addresses i.e. gmail accounts are not acceptable)
  • We deem that the employer is unsuitable to advertise vacancies to our students and graduates

3. Vacancy advertising

  • Employers can upload vacancies directly onto our website. Once uploaded, we check that the text advertising the vacancy complies with equality legislation and National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage requirements (NMW). In advertising with us, employers agree that the advert does not contravene UK laws or regulatory requirements. For overseas opportunities, we are not responsible for checking that the vacancy complies with employment law in another jurisdiction and we rely on employers to ensure that opportunities meet relevant legal requirements and good practice.
  • We advertise vacancies in good faith and expect employers to comply with our policy and relevant legal and regulatory requirements. We are not responsible for protecting employers’ legal liability as the authors of the advert and act only as the publishers of the advert. We reserve the right not to advertise vacancies we deem unsuitable for our students and graduates.
  • Vacancy advertisements including statements such as ‘must be able to/have permission to work in the UK’ will be amended to read ‘the successful candidate must, by the start of their employment, have permission to work in the UK’. Employers should only be seeking evidence that a candidate has the right to work in the final stages of the recruitment process, rather than at the initial application stage. In relation to employment of international graduates, we are guided by the statement set out by AGCAS, the professional body for Higher Education Careers Services (see below).

We will NOT advertise the following:

  • Any unpaid work (including work experience/placements/internships) unless it is with a registered UK charity and meets the conditions for exemption from NMW requirements for volunteers
  • Freelance/self-employed/subcontract vacancies – students/graduates should be employees
  • Overseas volunteering opportunities (we refer students to our website and online resources)
  • TEFL / Teaching overseas vacancies (again, we refer students to our website and online resources)
  • Applications to a personal email account i.e. gmail, hotmail accounts
  • Brand Ambassadors promoting products & services on campus – these companies need approval from the Students’ Union
  • Positions that ask for an up-front payment other than (A) a DBS check (in which case the advert text must tell the applicant where they can get independent advice) or (B) by UK registered charities where there is an unavoidable cost-price service being provided
  • Commission only roles
  • Partnership or equity only roles
  • Roles connected to pyramid or similar schemes
  • Roles in the Tobacco industry
  • Roles at an organisation where business is to edit, proofread or share academic material or study notes
  • Roles directly employed in a private home by the homeowner or tenant unless operated through the Direct Payments system
  • Roles requiring students to work alone and/or unsociable hours in a vehicle
  • Opportunities that don’t meet NMW requirements. The rate of pay must also take into account students who don’t fit into the 18-20 age bracket
  • Adverts which ask for students/graduates of a particular nationality e.g. ‘applicants should be native English speakers’ is not acceptable. Vacancies should state languages required e.g. ‘fluency in English is a requirement’ instead
  • Any adverts deemed to be discriminatory whether related to age/disability/gender/ nationality/race/religion/sexual orientation etc.
  • Any adverts asking for students/graduates to supply a photograph with their application
  • Part time roles for students requiring them to work more than 20 hours per week in term time
  • Any adverts where the language used is not English and therefore cannot be verified
  • Roles demanding applicants are double vaccinated against COVID-19 where this isn’t deemed to be an occupational requirement of the role.

Vacancies uploaded by recruitment consultants/agencies will only be advertised if they are:

  • Advertising graduate opportunities for their own company; or, if they are advertising for a client, that they provide details of the employer they are recruiting for. This will not be disclosed to students or graduates without permission
  • Already listed with us directly by the employer concerned and that the student or graduate is not required to make any payment to take up the opportunity. We may also contact the employer to verify that the agency has the agreement of the employer to advertise such vacancies
  • A Job Board organisation signposting directly to specific roles on their Job Board website, or, advertising positions in their own company. If they are advertising for a client, they must provide details of the employer they are recruiting for. This will not be disclosed to students or graduates without permission. For all vacancies advertising on behalf of a client, we will include the following text in the advert ‘Applicants may be required to register with an external jobs board in order to apply for this vacancy’

4. The University accepts no liability for the actions of students or graduates in relation to vacancies advertised through our website.

5. The employer shall indemnify the University in full in the event of any loss caused to the University as a result of a breach by the employer of any legal or regulatory requirements connected to a vacancy published by the University.

6. We ask that employers close their vacancy through the Employer Portal once filled so it’s removed from our website.

Queries

Please email employers@ncl.ac.uk.

Further useful information:

PDF version

If you'd prefer to read this information as a pdf, use the link below.

Vacancy advertising policy (PDF: 129KB)