The UTS: casual academics site provides links to information about teaching and learning support and resources plus news and events for casual academic staff at the University. The site also covers every day matters including practical advice, classroom matters and Faculty contacts.
Human Resources provides information and services relating to your employment at UTS such as: your employment contract; orientation and induction; pay, conditions and benefits; career and professional development; safety and wellbeing and an overview of campus services of interest to casual academic staff.
Your academic supervisor plays an important role in your employment. The HR Resource Guide for Supervisors of Casual Academics covers a range of useful information for supervisors of casual academic staff, together with the HR Guideline for the Employment of Casual Academic staff.
Employment contract
At UTS casual academics perform teaching and learning related activities on a casual basis, which may include work as a casual lecturer, tutor or clinical educator. Once you have accepted an offer of employment you will be asked to sign a contract. The contract of employment outlines the legal arrangement of your employment as a casual staff member at UTS and specifies your duties, the amount of time expected for each, the applicable rates of pay and some conditions and information relevant to your employment. By signing your contract you are agreeing to read and abide by the legal and ethical responsibilities outlined by the University.
It’s critical that you sign and return your contract in order to be paid, obtain passwords and a login, set up email, obtain a staff card and library access. Your signed contract should be returned to your subject co-ordinator or Faculty contact who will forward it to Payroll in the Financial Services Unit.
Enquiries about your contract should be directed to your Faculty contact (usually your subject co-ordinator), in the first instance. Alternatively, please contact the Payroll team member that looks after your Faculty.
Induction - starting at UTS
Starting at UTS is our online induction information for all UTS staff, which will get you up and running quickly and also provides useful reference material for every casual academic. It provides all the basic information staff need on getting paid, setting up your email account, passwords and logins.
Pay, conditions and benefits
Your conditions of employment are governed by the Academic Staff Enterprise Agreement and the HR Manual and further covered in pay and conditions on the HR site.
The rates of pay for casual academic staff are contained in schedule 2 of the Academic Staff Agreement. The activity descriptors for casual staff (schedule 4 of the Agreement) provide information about the activities applicable to different rates of pay. The casual academic contract of employment will set out the contract hours to be paid and payment will be made every second Thursday. If all hours are not completed a variation of contract form must be completed and submitted to Payroll. The form is available from your Faculty contact or Payroll.
Casual academic staff are paid on an hourly basis. The hourly salary rate for lecturing, tutoring and clinical nurse education encompasses a rate of pay that takes into account both the actual face-to-face teaching time as well as time spent in all associated duties such as preparation, marking which takes place during a lecture, tutorial or clinical session, administration of student records and student consultation. Thus, whilst your contract describes your employment on an hourly basis (based on your face-to-face teaching load), the rate of pay for that hour covers time spent on all activities associated with teaching preparation, delivery, evaluation and consultation for that hour of teaching. The rate also includes a loading in lieu of paid leave entitlements (see note below). Marking undertaken outside class time is paid the relevant rate of pay for marking.
Casual academic staff are provided with a contract that details the period of work and the total value of payments for their services. This information determines the fortnightly payments they will receive. An electronic pay advice is issued for each payment generated and is accessed via Employee Self Service in NEO. A pay advice example (PDF 961k) shows the contract details that appear on the pay advice (shaded in red) and data used to calculate the payment amount (shaded in green).
Note:
- Staff employed under a casual employment contract do not receive payment for any leave (including sick leave, annual leave and public holidays). They are paid a 23% salary loading in lieu of payments for leave (this will increase to 24% with effect from 1 November 2011 and to 25% with effect from 1 November 2012)
- A 9% superannuation contribution is paid to UniSuper on behalf of casual staff less then 70 years old
- There is a message section on the pay slip which is used to communicate information to staff (e.g. date when annual payment summaries will be available)
If you have any queries concerning your payment contact Payroll.
Casual academic staff may enter into a salary packaging arrangement to salary sacrifice all of their before tax salary into UniSuper or another superannuation fund of their choice.
To view and update your personal details (eg address, qualifications, bank account information) you need to activate your account for Employee Self Service in NEO.
Enquiries relating to your employment at UTS can be directed to your Faculty contact or Staff Services - staffservices@uts.edu.au or ext: 1060. Pay enquiries can be directed to the Payroll team member that looks after your Faculty.
Career and professional development.
IML (Institute for Interactive Media and Learning) supports learning, teaching and professional development through the provision of a range of materials, resources and services including; courses and other opportunities for professional development, support for faculties and for individual academics.
This IML site also contains a wealth of online learning and teaching resources and materials including; face-to-face teaching, assessment, marking and feedback, group-work, teaching with technology (eg UTSOnline).
Casual academic staff can discuss their professional and career development and performance development needs with their Faculty contact and/or subject coordinator.
Career opportunities
Casual academic staff who are interested in an academic career:
- may be eligible to participate in the Early Career Development Fellowship Scheme
- should register to receive job alerts through Careers@UTS and apply for suitable positions as they arise.
Safety and wellbeing
In an emergency dial 6 (from internal phones) or freecall 1800 249 559.
As a casual academic you are covered by the University’s worker’s compensation insurance scheme. Signing your contract means you have a legal responsibility for ensuring the safety of students and visitors in your classes, for providing relevant and practical safety and wellbeing information to students and ensuring you and your students adopt safe work practices.
All accidents or incidents at UTS whether requiring medical treatment or not should be reported on an Accident/Incident Report to Safety and Wellbeing.
All staff at UTS are encouraged to access services that help them balance work, home and leisure activities and foster wellbeing.
Campus Services - quick overview
- Location maps - UTS has buildings at four Sydney locations - Broadway, Markets, St. Leonards and Kuring-gai. You are welcome to use University and UTS Union facilities at any of these locations during your employment at UTS.
- Library - the main University Library, Blake Library (City Campus), is located at the Markets Campus on the corner of Ultimo Road and Quay Streets. There is also a Library at the Kuring-gai Campus. The Library has extensive online information, tools and resources for staff. Contact your Information Services Librarian for further assistance.
- Parking - the University does not provide staff with parking facilities at the city campuses. There is a commercial parking station on Levels 0 and 1 of Building 10, and in Jones Street, in which staff can park at discounted rates. Accessible parking can be arranged through Equity and Diversity. You may contact Security Services on ext 1192 who might be able to help you arrange either pick up or drop off parking for collecting students’ assignments, resources etc.
- UTS Union - operates facilities for students and staff on all campuses, including cafeterias, bars and sporting facilities. The union also provides legal and other administrative services, administers all UTS sporting bodies and operates a number of campus shops.
- National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU)
– a national union solely representing staff in tertiary education. - Health Service - The University Health Service also operates a general practice. If attending this service you will need to provide your Medicare details. Phone ext 1166 at Broadway or ext 5342 at Kuring-gai to make an appointment.
- Childcare - There are childcare services operating at the city and Kuring-gai campuses. For information about these services please contact the centres directly as follows:
- Blackfriars (city) 9514 2960
- Kids Campus (Kuring-gai) 9514 5105,
- Magic Pudding (city) 8289 8400.
For general enquiries re child care at UTS contact Debra Clarke, Children's Services Coordinator, PO Box 123 Broadway, NSW, 2007 of Telephone: (02) 9514-1415 FAX: (02) 9514-1545 or e-mail: Debra.Clarke@uts.edu.au .
