Work for Us

Working for CWA

The College of West Anglia is one of the largest colleges in the Eastern region, with a vision of ‘changing lives through learning’. Currently there are around 800 full-time and part-time staff. CWA has a large and diverse student body including around 2,600 full-time 16-18 year old FE students, 3,000 full and part-time adult FE students (including those recruited through our partnerships) and more than 300 students on higher education programmes. We also have more than 1,000 apprentices in training. The college turnover is around £35million.

• Our catchment area

  The college serves a mainly rural catchment area covering Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and south Lincolnshire. The largest campus is in King’s Lynn – a historic market town with a population of around 43,000. There are two other campuses located in Milton and Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, the former specialising in a landbased curriculum. We also provide specialist facilities to our sports students, who are based at our sports campus within Alive Lynnsport in King’s Lynn and we have a specialist centre for students with learning difficulties and disabilities at our Downham Market facility.

• Our commitment to improvement

  The college has completed several major building projects to improve all of our campuses, including refurbishment of the landmark ‘tower block’ and a new creative industries facility at the King’s Lynn campus, two new technology buildings at our King’s Lynn and Wisbech campuses, a new build and refurbishment of the main building at the Wisbech campus and an overhaul of buildings at our Cambridge campus. A £6.5million centre for Higher Education opened at our King’s Lynn campus in September 2016.

  Our most recent investment at our King’s Lynn campus is in the form of a £0.9 million new building housing our School of Nursing Studies (SoNS), with state-of-the-art clinical facilities. The SoNS is the first Further Education facility in the UK to boast the Laerdal SimMan3G+ high tech simulation mannequins.

• College organisational structure

  The college is overseen by a board of governors, which comprises members from local industry, public bodies, councils and staff who serve on various committees with no remuneration and determine the college’s direction in terms of its strategy, mission and finances. An executive (senior management team), consisting of the Principal/CEO, 1 Deputy CEO/Vice Principal Curriculum and Quality, 1 Vice Principal Corporate Services and 2 Assistant Principals (Funding and Performance, and Student Services), leads the college.

• Curriculum structure

  Curriculum is organised into 6 teaching faculties, each with a head with responsibility for courses, student recruitment and teams of teaching staff in designated areas:

  • Business, Humanities, Science and Computing
  • Public Protective Services
  • Creative Arts & Foundation
  • Landbased
  • Technology
  • English, Maths and ESOL

  The college has strong working partnerships with local schools with a healthy number of 14-16 students attending each year.

• Employer-responsive

  CWA is employer-responsive, with activities including work-based learning provision and all offsite employer training delivery. Our employer training offer includes apprenticeship programmes, short bespoke courses and work-based assessment.

• Higher education

  In partnership with Anglia Ruskin University, CWA offers a range of higher education programmes, delivered in curriculum areas. This provides opportunities for HE courses from HNC and Access up to Degree level. The college also delivers teaching qualifications through the Learning Practice team, in partnership with the University of Huddersfield.

  We are also now working in partnership with the Open University and are offering a wider range of courses, utilising distance learning.

• Business support units

  Our teams of support staff, who are responsible for cross-college activities, are:

  • Additional Learning Support
  • Exams and Achievement
  • Finance
  • Human Resources
  • The Learning Practice
  • Marketing
  • Property Services
  • Student services
  • Employer Engagement and Partnerships

  Staff in all departments and units are considered vital to the smooth and efficient operation of the college and essential to continuous improvement.

• Strategic ambitions

  Our strategic ambitions are to:

  • Deliver outstanding learner success
  • Impact positively on local social & economic prosperity
  • Develop a high performance culture
  • Ensure financial resilience

  The College of West Anglia is a great place to work with an exciting future – why not come and join us?

• Privacy information for job applicants

  The types of information we collect

  In connection with your application for work, and if you work for us, we will process the following categories of personal information about you:

  • The information you have provided to us in your application documents (CV, covering letter or supporting statement) including name, title, address, telephone number, personal email address, date of birth, gender identity, employment history and qualifications.
  • Any information you provide to us during interview and the results of any assessment
  • Copies of right to work documentation and references.

  If you work for us, your personal information will be stored in the databases that hold staff personal files and related information. It will also be held in payroll and other related systems in order to facilitate your employment with the college. This information will include the categories of information related to recruitment above, and:

  • Your national insurance number, bank account details, payroll records and tax status information.
  • Any relevant pensions or benefits information and information for other pay deductions, such as student loans.
  • Marital status and dependents.
  • Start date and, if different, the date of your continuous employment, along with your leaving date and your reason for leaving.
  • Location of employment or workplace.
  • Copy of driving licence if required for Occupational Driving purposes or for checking your identity.
  • Performance related information, including records of any grievance or disciplinary processes.

  We may also collect, store, and use the following “special categories” of more sensitive personal information:

  • Information about your race or ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, political opinions, and trade union membership. 
  • Information about your health, including any medical condition, disability, and health and sickness records.
  • Details of any absences (other than holidays) from work including time on parental leave
  • If you leave employment for a health-related reason, information about that condition needed for pensions and permanent health insurance purposes.
  • Information about criminal convictions and offences.

Employment benefits

The College of West Anglia is great place to work and has a wide range of benefits for its employees, including:

• Generous annual leave entitlement

  Our annual leave entitlement is currently 30 days for support staff*, 37 days for curriculum staff* and 35 days for management*. All staff also receive an additional 5 days per year, when the college is closed, as well as nationally observed bank holidays. *All entitlements are pro-rata for part-time positions.

• Contributory pension scheme

  We are part of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme for curriculum staff, with an employee contribution of 7.4-11.7% (depending on full-time equivalent annual salary) and an employer contribution of 28.68% (as at April 2024).

  We are also part of the Norfolk Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) for support staff and non-teaching managers, with an employee contribution of 5.5-12.5% (depending on full-time equivalent salary) and a generous employer contribution rate, well above the average in the private sector.

• Staff development and course waivers

  We actively encourage the personal development of all our staff. Staff can apply for funding to attend events and courses and also can have fees waived for some college courses. We have 2 dedicated training days per year for all staff, and lecturing staff can apply for up to 5 days study leave per year (pro-rata for part-time staff).

  In addition, we support employees to undertake apprenticeships, provide a supportive and bespoke induction for curriculum staff to fit around their previous experience and qualifications, as well as an annual appraisal programme.

  We run a variety of courses for staff wishing to progress in their career with us which includes training for supervisors, new managers and curriculum staff, on top of college wide training days, mental health first aid training and more.

• Trade unions

  The College works closely with our recognised Trade Unions (UNISON for support staff, UCU for academic staff and NEU for managers) in order to maintain good communication links with staff.

  We meet with each of our trade union partners regularly and work with them to ensure that our practice, policies and processes are supportive to both CWA and our teams.

• Flexible working opportunities

  CWA operates a flexible working policy for all staff, allowing you to request flexible working opportunities at any point. This policy and procedure is available on the college intranet or from the HR Department

• Employee Assistance Programme

  We have recently re-introduced an Employee Assistance Programme providing free and confidential advice 24/7, 365 days a year for all of our staff. As well as providing access to counselling services, this also gives our staff advice and guidance on wellbeing, an online portal for shopping discounts and support for family members*.

  *Subject to meeting terms and conditions, please contact HR for advice on eligibility.

• Preferential rates at local gyms

  We have negotiated preferential staff rates for access to gyms including the Bodyworks fitness suites at Alive Leisure in King’s Lynn, Downham Market and Hunstanton, as well as the gym at The Knights Hill Hotel in King’s Lynn.

• Childcare

  Our King’s Lynn campus houses an on-site childcare centre, Applewood Nursery, offering a safe, friendly environment for your children. Staff members benefit from a discount on fees, please contact the Nursery directly for information on this.

• Healthy workforce scheme

  We are committed to ensuring a healthy workforce at CWA and run various initiatives to promote and assist staff, including health fairs and a cycle-to-work scheme, a staff only running club, training day sessions to include wellbeing and regular Mental Health First Aid training.

• Staff discount scheme

  CWA have arranged discounts with many local companies from leisure centres to RAC cover, as well as discounts offered by our Employee Assistance Programme partner. College staff are eligible to sign up to www.discountsforteachers.co.uk, https://teacherperks.co.uk or www.teachers.bluelightcard.co.uk.

• The Salon and Novus Restaurant

  Staff have access to our industry-standard salons at King’s Lynn and Wisbech, for hair and beauty treatments during term time in both the day and evening. Both staff and students can access treatments on offer at a 50% discount (excluding tanning).

  Meals, snacks and refreshments are also available at our Novus Restaurant in King’s Lynn, during term-time, including lunchtimes and selected evenings.

• K9 Dog Grooming Parlour

  We have dog grooming parlours at both our Wisbech and Cambridge campuses which are open to the public. CWA staff can access grooming services at a discounted rate, the discount is calculated based on the type of service and dog.

• Salary Sacrifice Scheme- Cycle to Work

  We currently offer a cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme.

Our recruitment process

We can only accept completed application forms from candidates, we are unable to accept CVs due to regulations in place. Our preference is to receive electronic applications via our ‘Work for Us’ page; however we can explore reasonable adjustments to account for any difficulties that candidates may have in completing the online form. Please contact us on hr@cwa.ac.uk for further support and advice.

Our recruitment process ensures that all applicants have an equal opportunity to succeed and gain appointment at the college and complies with current Keeping Children Safe in Education legislation and safer recruitment guidelines

Each job advert on our site includes a full job description and person specification and applicant guidance notes. We strongly recommend that you read the guidance notes carefully prior to completing your application as these will help you to complete the application form to the best of your ability.

We are a disability confident employer and are happy to explore reasonable adjustments for our recruitment process for candidates on request. We are also committed to guaranteeing an interview to candidates who declare a disability and meet all of the essential criteria for the role they are applying for.

What happens after I apply for a job?

• What happens to my application after I have submitted it?

  We base our selection processes on the person specification for the job and you therefore need to make sure you have provided details on how you meet all of the essential criteria for the role.

  Once we receive your application it will be reviewed by the selection panel, which is made up of managers/supervisors in the relevant area. There are always at least 2 people who shortlist using the essential criteria in the person specification for the role. At least one member of the panel will have undertaken up to date Safer Recruitment training.

  We aim to respond to all candidates within 10 working days of the closing date of the advert; regardless of if you have been shortlisted or not. If you have been shortlisted, you will be informed of the interview details including the date, and if you have to do a presentation, test or task as part of the interview, by email. All of our interviews consist of at least two elements; a panel interview and then a suitable task to help you to demonstrate your skills and knowledge.

  Unsuccessful candidates will also be informed of the status of their application by email.

  For full details relating to how we store and use your information please see our privacy statement on the link below: Privacy & Cookies (cwa.ac.uk).

• Equal opportunities monitoring

  To ensure that we treat all applicants fairly, we ask you to complete equal opportunities information as part of your application. We do this so we can monitor whether the college is inadvertently creating any barriers for applicants and to ensure we do not discriminate in our practices. This information is held confidentially by HR and is not seen by the managers/supervisors shortlisting and interviewing.

  We appreciate that you may not wish to complete some of these questions; there are “prefer not to declare” boxes for many questions, so that the rest of the form can be completed.

• What do I need to bring with me to my interview?

  We will need to verify your identity, right to work in the UK and qualifications so it is important that you bring documents with you on the day of the interview. We will scan copies of these documents so that if you are successful you don’t need to bring them in again. If you are not successful we will securely delete the files from our system in line with our GDPR obligations.

  We use your identity documents to support an application for an enhanced DBS check with a child’s barred list check. The full list of acceptable documentation can be found on gov.uk website:

  ID checking guidelines for standard/enhanced DBS check applications from 1 July 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

  If you have been asked to prepare a presentation or micro-teach it is advisable to bring a hard copy with you too.

• I need sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa scheme- can you sponsor me?

  For some roles CWA can provide sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa scheme. Please refer to the guidance on the gov.uk website below for details on the scheme:

  Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

• What happens at interview?

  Interviews are usually conducted by a panel of people who have been involved in the shortlisting process. We try to use a variety of methods as part of the selection process as well as asking candidates a series of questions based on the person specification. These can include:

  • Presentation
  • Microteach
  • IT tests
  • Prioritisation and workload management exercise
  • Report writing
  • Data analysis

  Each candidate will experience the same selection process and will be asked the same standard questions. The purpose of the interview is to identify the best candidate; if you don’t understand a question, need it to be repeated or need to pause and think, it is important that you say so. We want to get the best out of you and may ask follow up questions or prompt you for a more detailed answer.

  All parts of the selection process will be scored using the same methods set in advance. The panel may wish to ask questions concerning your application during the interview, which would include covering any gaps in your employment, reasons for leaving previous role or if you have mentioned something in your application that is relevant to the role but hasn’t been explored in other questions. You will also have an opportunity to ask any questions or clarify any points at the end of the interview.

  At the end of the interview process the panel will make a decision based on your scores for the answers you gave at interview and the results of any tasks. We will contact you as soon as possible after all interviews have been held to advise if you have been successful. If you

  are successful we will also look to provisionally organise your start date to coincide with our induction programme and taking into account any notice period and allowing reasonable time for all pre-employment checks to be completed.

  We do not offer remote interviews, and all interviews take place face to face.

• Job offers

  All job offers are made subject to the satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks which include:

  • Online and social media checks
  • At least 2 references covering the last 5 years (including dates, gaps, safeguarding and formal processes, and reasons for leaving)
  • Enhanced DBS check
  • Child’s Barred List (and Vulnerable Adults’ Barred List as appropriate)
  • Professional Registration and Teaching Regulation Authority checks (as appropriate)
  • Right to work in the UK
  • Identity
  • Qualifications
  • Overseas police, qualification and professional body checks (as appropriate)

  We will send you an electronic invitation to access our onboarding portal where you can access you offer letter, a draft copy of your contract and complete forms, access policies as well as some online training to get you ready to start with us.

  All members of staff must undertake an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check prior to commencing employment with us. The online application process for this is detailed in your conditional offer letter. You will be sent the only copy of this certificate – you must keep this safe and bring it into college prior to your first day.

  If you have a recent DBS certificate from another organisation or have an enhanced DBS check registered on the update service please provide this to us, as we may be able to use this check, rather than start a new one.

  CWA have a Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy which can be found [HERE]

Relocating to the area

The College of West Anglia’s campuses are located across the counties of Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. The area is one of outstanding natural beauty from the seascapes of the Norfolk coast and the Broads to the Fens.

• Living in Norfolk and Cambridge

  Norfolk and Cambridgeshire offer a high-quality standard of living, with history, culture, activities and natural beauty to enjoy. There are many historic buildings including the university colleges at Cambridge, Ely cathedral and the medieval centres of Norwich and King’s Lynn. The region also has many arts centres, venues for live performances, beaches and coastal areas, including Hunstanton and Wells, as well as excellent shopping, particularly in Cambridge and Norwich.

  For more information, take a look at Visit Norfolk, Tour Norfolk and Visit Cambridge.

• Housing – buying or renting

  There are many housing areas across the region, with a range of housing available from modern new-builds through to traditional farmhouse cottages. Housing is fairly reasonably priced across West Norfolk and Fenland, with house prices rising in the areas closer to Cambridge city centre. More information is available on websites such as rightmove.co.uk or zoopla.co.uk.

  There are also many estate agents and letting agents, which you can find listed on yell.com.

  Keyhomes East (KHE) provides key public sector workers with access to affordable housing in the East of England. This applies to qualified teachers in colleges, which means relevant staff at CWA can qualify. This is particularly applicable to those living, or wishing to live, nearer to Cambridge. Opportunities are available through this scheme to rent or buy homes – for further information go to bphaoptions.org.uk.

• Moving your family

  The area has many childcare facilities and a range of primary and secondary schools. For full details of schools, please visit the council pages (Cambridgeshire County Council, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council and Norfolk County Council. 

  Our King’s Lynn campus also houses Applewood Nursery which caters for children from 2 months to 5 years on a full year basis.

  Further information on relocating to the area is available on the Working in West Norfolk website.