Student Support Adviser (Psychology) – Kaplan International

We’re currently recruiting for a Psychology Student Support Adviser to provide a range of support to our online students, undertaking our Essex programmes. If you’ve got a background in Psychology and have a passion for supporting Psychology students, then we’d love to hear from you.

About Kaplan Open Learning

At Kaplan Open Learning, we are experts in online Higher Education. Working closely with our partner universities, our vision is to become a world leader in online learning, making higher education accessible to anyone with the potential and drive to succeed.

We develop, deliver, support and market, sector-leading online higher education programmes to a global student audience. Our innovative and unique online pedagogy utilises the latest digital learning technologies to provide teaching excellence and a world-class student experience.

We work in collaboration with our university partners to develop engaging, interactive learning materials using the latest digital learning technologies. This approach blends our unique online pedagogy with the research-led subject expertise of our partners

Summary of the Role

As a Student Support Adviser, you will be joining a growing Student Support Team, as the primary contact for Psychology students undertaking our University of Essex Online programmes.

You will provide our students with pastoral support from the point of enrolment and throughout their learning journey, offering a warm welcome and taking responsibility for planning their ongoing study. You will inform students of their progression options, monitor engagement to identify anyone who might be considered ‘at risk’, and explain complex policies and procedures affecting study, for example surrounding the impact of extenuating circumstances and module failure.

You also will guide students when making key study choices and offer recommendations as to which study path is most appropriate. At the end of their study journey, you’ll hopefully have the chance to meet your students and their families at graduation to celebrate their success.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the first point of contact for any non-academic queries.
• Provide advice and guidance relating to study choices e.g. module choices study speed.
• Monitor student engagement in relation to their academic studies, including module assessment engagement.
• Identify ‘at risk’ students, liaise with relevant departments to establish appropriate support mechanisms and formulate personalised contact plans.
• Provide encouragement for students to remain actively engaged with their studies through regular contact by phone and email, taking into consideration individual circumstances and academic profile.
• Supporting students at critical points during their studies, e.g., within the resubmission/induction period, with reassurance and guidance.
• Collaborate with the Academic Quality Teams to identify and resolve any issues related to the academic journey, offering advice and guidance to students where needed.
• Create accessible materials aimed at providing additional support to students and enhance internal processes to better support students.
• Maintain and enhance overall student satisfaction and retention.

Key Requirements

This exciting opportunity requires applicants to have an undergraduate degree, and we would particularly welcome applications from candidates with a postgraduate qualification and/or experience of working in a higher education or customer-service environment. Requirement specifics include;

• A Psychology Undergraduate degree
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including diplomacy and tact
• Ability to manage a busy workload to tight deadlines, with excellent organisation and attention to detail
• Evidence of initiative and problem-solving skills
• Excellent IT skills, particularly in Excel and Word
• A professional manner and an ability to handle sensitive information on occasion
• A desire to work in a highly collaborative environment
• A willingness to understand and adapt to new challenges

CV and Covering Letter

If this sounds like the kind of job you’d enjoy, please apply with your CV. In your cover letter, please answer the following questions as part of your application to help us understand your motivation for applying for this role:

• Why do you feel you are the best candidate for this position? (100 words maximum).
• Tell us about your previous experience supporting students/clients? (100 words maximum).
• What areas of Higher Education are you passionate about and why? (100 words maximum).

Further Information

Starting Salary: £23,500

Closing Date: 11th December 2022

Mode of Interview: All interviews will be held via Zoom on either the week commencing the 12th or 19th of December.

Benefits

• Contributory pension scheme
• Life assurance and income protection schemes
• 28 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Working hours 37.5 per week
• Remote working opportunities
• The opportunity to grow as part of a division in a successful multi-national education company.

At Kaplan International, we are committed to working in a diverse organisation and strive to provide equality of opportunity for all. We encourage and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or identity, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnership. If you would like to be considered for an interview under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please complete this form or email us on disabilityconfident@kaplan.com

As part of our commitment to safeguarding, successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Applicants must be able to provide proof of eligibility to work in the UK.