Stipendiary Lecturer in Spanish

Brasenose College and Balliol College wish to appoint a 6-hour Stipendiary Lecturer in Spanish from 1st October 2026 to 30th September 2027. The person appointed will co-ordinate with the Modern Languages Fellows and Lecturers to teach first, second, and fourth-year students in Spanish literature and language and to advise third-year students on their year abroad.  The Lecturer will also participate in student admissions and assist generally in the running of Spanish in collaboration with the Modern Languages tutors.

The salary will be within the range of £16,905-18,669, according to qualifications and experience. Note that this is a 0.5 FTE Grade 5 appointment. Further particulars, including details of pension provision, allowances, and lunch and dining rights, are available here.

An application form, letter of application, and CV should be submitted online HERE.

The closing date for applications is noon on 7th August 2026. Any queries about the application process should be addressed to the Academic Registrar, Brasenose College, Oxford, OX1 4AJ (tel: 01865 277823; email: academic.registrar@bnc.ox.ac.uk).

Brasenose and Balliol Colleges are equal opportunity employers.

The Appointment

Applications are invited for a Stipendiary Lecturer in Spanish at Brasenose College and Balliol College, Oxford. The post is tenable from 1st October 2026 to 30th September 2027. This is a teaching-only post and the salary will be within the range of £16,905-18,669, plus allowances, according to qualifications and experience. Note that this is a 0.5 Grade 5 appointment. The appointee will have the option of becoming or remaining a member of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS).

The salary range requires candidates to have the right to work in the UK since the salary will not meet the UKVI’s minimum threshold to enable a Skilled Worker Visa appointment. Since this is a teaching-only position, candidates must be available to start by the specified start date.

Brasenose College

Brasenose College is one of the older foundations in the University of Oxford.  Across all years within the College, there are approximately 375 undergraduates and 250 graduates. The College’s senior members comprise the Principal, Fellows (45 of whom constitute the Governing Body), and College Lecturers. Brasenose’s paramount objective is the pursuit of academic excellence for the public benefit and is concerned to foster research as well as high-quality teaching.  The College has a substantial library, mainly for undergraduate use, and well-developed IT provision.  Further information about the College can be found at www.bnc.ox.ac.uk.

The College has a reputation for being open and friendly and we are keen to be inclusive, encouraging applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds. As a Stipendiary Lecturer, you will be welcomed into the Brasenose community, and, through our various events, and especially over lunch (which is very popular and well-attended), you will have the chance to interact with a broad range of other academics across many different disciplines. The appointment offers scope to become as involved in the social and intellectual life of the College as you wish. Throughout the year, there are also opportunities to invite guests – a hospitality allowance (detailed below) encourages academics to do this. Brasenose also seeks to be a family-friendly employer and wherever possible will consider a flexible approach to work.

Modern Languages at Brasenose College

Modern Languages is a subject with traditional strength at Brasenose, which admits approximately seven undergraduate students each year, including undergraduates studying Modern Languages with another subject such as Classics, English, History, Linguistics, or Philosophy. Currently there are five undergraduates reading Spanish. Although there are no teaching duties for graduate students associated with this post, the college also admits graduate students of a high calibre studying for the MSt and DPhil in Modern Languages,.

Balliol College

Balliol is one of the best known of all the Oxford colleges. It combines an outstanding academic reputation and strong sense of collective identity with a welcoming and cosmopolitan environment. It has approaching 400 undergraduates and a roughly equal number of graduates and receives a large number of applications per place at both undergraduate and graduate level.

Modern Languages at Balliol College

There is a strong teaching team of two Tutorial Fellows in French and Italian, a language lecturer in French, as well as College Lecturers in both languages, and with a commitment to admit up to six undergraduate students each year who have applied to study one of the single and joint language combinations that are offered at the College, or one of the further joint modern language degree combinations, with English, History, Linguistics, and Philosophy. The College also admits to a range of postgraduate programmes and has a lively cohort of modern linguists on Masters and Research courses.

Responsibilities/Duties

1. The person appointed will undertake 144 weighted hours of tutorial or class teaching in Spanish literature and language for the colleges (72 for Brasenose and 72 for Balliol) to students in their first, second, and fourth year. Typically, this will include literature papers (III and IV) for the Preliminary Examination, a period paper and other specialist authors and subjects for the Final Honour School, translation from or into Spanish (or both), and associated revision classes for students approaching public examinations;
2. give feedback as required to students on their year abroad expected to submit four pieces of Spanish language work;
3. undertake all the normal duties of an undergraduate tutor, including mentoring and pastoral oversight, writing references, writing termly reports, organising and attending relevant start-of-term meetings, attending end-of-term meetings with students, setting and marking college exams and providing feedback;
4. participate in college open days and outreach events for prospective undergraduate applicants; communicate with potential applicants, as required;
5. participate in the annual admission process, including analysis of candidates, attendance at meetings, and involvement in interviews held in December;
6. provide advice and support to students preparing for and on their year abroad;
7. undertake such other duties as are reasonably required to support the teaching of Modern Languages and its related subjects in the colleges.

A weighting system moderates the amount of contact time needed to fulfil the teaching obligation. For tutorials given to one student, the weight is 1, for two students, it is 1.25, and for three students, it is 1.5.  As far as possible, tutorial teaching should be provided to pairs of students.

Teaching will principally be to undergraduates of Brasenose College and Balliol College, but some exchange of teaching with colleagues in other colleges may be possible and is often desirable, in order to enable undergraduates to be taught by experts in their range of options.

The Stipendiary Lecturer will work alongside Prof. David Groiser and other academic staff, including Prof. Carole Bourne-Taylor at Brasenose, and Profs Sophie Marnette and Elena Lombardi at Balliol.  They will be expected to play an active part in the life of the colleges, sharing in the general responsibilities towards Modern Languages teaching.

The colleges offer undergraduates the opportunity to give feedback on tutorial and class teaching each year. The current system consists of termly individual electronic feedback.

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria for the post are:

1. A high quality of education and training at first-degree and postgraduate level in the appropriate areas of Spanish (essential). A doctorate in the subject is preferred, but applicants studying for a doctorate in the subject who are close to completion will be considered.
2. Native or near-native fluency in Spanish, and the ability to teach it – including translation into Spanish – at all levels within the undergraduate course.
3. Native or near-native fluency in English and the ability to teach translation into and from English.
4. Relevant experience of undergraduate teaching or equivalent, including the ability to teach:

• Texts specified for the first-year Spanish literature papers (Prelims Papers III and IV) – the tutor is not expected to be a specialist in all the texts, but rather to introduce the undergraduates to the study of literature across a wide historical range, and to the practice of writing literary commentaries and analytical essays (out-of-college teaching for the medieval ballads may be arranged, if preferred);
• At least one FHS period paper (VI, VII, VIII) to second and fourth years;
• Areas of competence within prescribed authors/texts papers and the special subject (IX, X, XI, XII);
• Language work to all years, including translation from Spanish into English, or English into Spanish (or both);
• Revision classes as required;
• Supervision of third-year students on year abroad, including language work, dissertations and essays for bridge papers.

For further details of undergraduate papers in Spanish see: https://www.mod-langs.ox.ac.uk/spanish/undergraduate-studies

1. Ability and willingness to participate in the full range of pastoral, administrative and similar duties required in the post.
2. Availability to start at the advertised start date

Notice Period and Probation

The Stipendiary Lectureship is offered on a fixed term basis to cover an interim period pending recruitment to a permanent post. The appointment will end on 30th September 2027 unless the colleges, for operational reasons, end it sooner. It should be noted that the expectation is that the entire period of the University Term of this Lectureship will be worked. Should exceptional circumstances arise, one month’s notice may be given by either party, or such longer notice as is required by statute. A letter of resignation should be addressed to the Senior Tutor of Brasenose.

The colleges reserve the right to end the employment without notice or payment in lieu of notice in cases of summary dismissal on grounds of gross misconduct.

Right to Work

To comply with UK employment legislation, the successful candidate will be required to provide documentary evidence of their right to work in the UK before taking up the post.

Further information is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas

Remuneration

Stipend. The salary will be within the range £16,905-18,669, plus allowances, according to qualifications and experience. The figure will be adjusted in line with any reviews of the University’s recommended salary scale for University Lecturers that may occur during the tenure of the post.

Allowances. The Stipendiary Lecturer will be entitled to two lunches or dinners per week free of charge at common table at Brasenose, when the College kitchens are open during Term and the vacations. Brasenose will provide a Hospitality Budget (currently £160 p.a.) and an Academic Budget (currently £257 p.a.). At Balliol College, there will be an entitlement to two lunches and two dinners free of charge during Weeks 0-9 of every Term.

Medical Questionnaire

The appointment is subject to the satisfactory completion of a medical questionnaire if required.

Equal Opportunities Policy

The colleges of the University of Oxford are equal opportunities employers.  They will work to remove any barriers, real or perceived, which might deter people of the highest quality from applying to the colleges as staff.  Entry into employment and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit and the application of criteria which are related to the duties of each particular post and the relevant salary structure. In all cases, ability to perform the job will be the primary consideration. Subject to statutory provisions, no applicant or member of staff will be treated less favourably than another because of his or her gender, marital or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, religion or belief, racial group, age or disability.

HOW TO APPLY 

The closing date for applications is noon on 7th August 2026. Candidates should submit the following documents via our online portal HERE:

1. A completed application form.
2. A letter of application, which should include statements of what they are able to teach, their research interests and activity, and other relevant experience.
3. A curriculum vitae (including the names, addresses and telephone numbers of two academic referees).

Queries about the application process can be sent to the Academic Registrar, Brasenose College, Oxford OX1 4AJ (academic.registrar@bnc.ox.ac.uk).

Timetable for applications and appointment 

The timetable for making the appointment is as follows:

(a)       The final date for the receipt of applications is noon on 7th August 2026.

(b)      A short-list will be drawn up shortly afterwards.  Candidates are asked to provide a telephone and email address, indicating where they can be reached.

(c)       Interviews will be held (date subject to confirmation).

Informal enquiries about this post should be made to Prof. David Groiser (david.groiser@bnc.ox.ac.uk).

Data Protection

All data supplied by applicants will be used only for the purposes of determining their suitability for the post and will be held in accordance with the principles of the UK Data Protection Act 2018. Please see the relevant privacy notice on the website:

https://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/about-brasenose/official-information/286-privacypolicies

Disclaimer

This summary of terms and conditions is provided for information purposes and the contents do not constitute a contract of employment.