Benefits 

Annual leave

• Entitlement to all public bank holidays (pro-rated for part time staff).
• Additional five days over the Christmas period and one day at Easter.

The leave entitlement is based on a minimum of 25 days rising to a maximum of 30 days as set out below.

Final salary pension scheme

• Grades A-C = membership of Superannuation Arrangements of the University of London (SAUL) is available.
  Employee’s contribution is 6% and employer’s contribution is 13%.
• Grades D-F = membership of Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) is available.
  Employee’s contribution is 6.35% and the employer’s contribution is 16%.

Benenden Healthcare

• Not private healthcare but is a back-up to NHS.
• Automatically given membership when join QAA.
• Can sign up a family member or close friend for £1.50 per person
  per week.
• No restrictions or extra charges because of any current or previous medical conditions.

Could reduce waiting time by:

• paying for a local consultation and up to £450 of tests
• providing treatment and surgery
• providing access to advice from a GP 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• You can choose to be treated at specially selected hospitals throughout the UK or at specialist Benenden hospital in Kent.

Occupational Health team

Staff are able to make appointments and consult with our Occupational Health team who offer a discreet and confidential service.

Childcare vouchers scheme

Childcare vouchers are a family friendly initiative to flexibly meet the costs of childcare, under which part of an employees wages or salary can be given up or 'sacrificed' in exchange for childcare vouchers.

Within specified limits, these vouchers are non-taxable and exempt from National Insurance contributions and therefore represent a saving for employees who receive them as part of a total employment package.

Childcare vouchers received are exchanged in whole or part, for the childcare services used.

Vouchers can be used to pay for a wide range of childcare provision including:

• registered childminders, nurseries and play schemes
• out-of-hours clubs
• childcare schemes run by school governing bodies
• approved foster carers.

All carers who receive vouchers as payment must either be registered with Ofsted or the equivalent authority for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland or have approved status.

The amount of income tax and National Insurance contributions you will save under the arrangement depends upon your current salary. Childcare vouchers are non taxable and exempt from National Insurance up to £55 per week, £243 per month, per parent. For employees joining the scheme after April 2011 these amounts may be further restricted.

Under the salary sacrifice arrangement, you can be paid in childcare vouchers for as many qualifying children as you wish. However, the total benefit is capped at the limits detailed above per month irrespective of the number of children.

ICAS – employee support helpline

A 24 hour confidential counselling service dealing with life management and personal support is available. This can help you to deal with both everyday situations and more serious problems and is available not just to QAA employees but also to their close friends and family.

Eye test vouchers

QAA provides all staff with an eye test voucher up to the value of £20 to be exchanged for any routine eye test at most opticians. A contribution will be made to meet the cost of glasses when a member of staff requires these for computer use.

Complementary tea and coffee

Milk and Fairtrade tea, coffee and sugar as well as herbal and fruit teas are all available free of charge. Filtered water is also available.

Work-life balance

QAA is committed to attracting and retaining the very best staff members, and utilising all the talent and experience available. QAA also appreciates that the UK workforce is becoming increasingly diverse and includes a high percentage of parents and individuals with other caring responsibilities, as well as those whose interests and aspirations impact on their time. QAA therefore appreciates that the standard Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm working week is, in many cases, incompatible with increasing demand for a better work-life balance. Also, for many QAA staff, the demands of their job do not fit easily with a standard working week.

QAA recognises the importance of helping employees balance their work and home life by offering the possibility of flexible working arrangements that enable them to balance their working life with other priorities, including parental and other caring responsibilities, lifelong learning opportunities, charity work, leisure activities and other interests. In turn, it recognises that staffing capacity must at all times remain in line with the needs of the business.

The Work-life balance policy includes the following options, but QAA recognises that there may be others, and that the working pattern that may suit any particular individual could be a unique one involving a combination of options.

• Job-sharing.
• Part-time working.
• Staggered working hours.
• Annualised hours.
• Compressed hours.
• Term-time working.
• Voluntary-reduced working time.
• Occasional working at home.
• Career breaks.

The policy applies to all QAA employees who have successfully completed their probationary period.

Relocation

QAA recognises that to assist in attracting the best job candidates nationally, some newly appointed staff would benefit from assistance towards relocation costs.

Travel to work loans

QAA supports alternatives to travelling to work by car. We offer interest free loans:

• to purchase train or bus season tickets where these are available
• to purchase a park and ride season ticket where available
• to purchase a bike to be used to cycle to work.