Thank you for your interest in staff apprenticeships at Queen Mary University of London.
This Staff Apprenticeship Applicant Guide has been designed to provide essential information about your application and we strongly encourage you to read it before applying.
Click on the links below to jump to the section you would like to know more about.
About the Job/Apprenticeship:
The Job Profile
Application Guidance:
Useful Info
Prior Education and Qualifications
Employment History and Prior Experience
Personal Statement and questions
Shortlisting Process
Interview Process:
Preparing for Interview
Day of Interview: Assessments
Day of Interview: Competency-based questions
After the Interview: Outcomes & Feedback:
The Panel’s Decision
If you are successful
Additional Support / Advice
The Job Profile contains all the essential information about the role that you are applying for. It is important that you read this document carefully, as it also contains information about Queen Mary and our Values.
The Job Profile will be found in the Job Details section of the advert.
In the Job Profile you will see:
The Job Description outlines the job that you will be applying for, the responsibilities of the role, and what you can expect from the job itself.
You will also see details about the specific apprenticeship standard (training) that you will be completing as part of the apprenticeship contract.
The Person Specification outlines the skills and abilities which you will need to evidence in order to get the role. You can think of it as a description of the ‘ideal candidate’. You will see that there are criteria listed shown as either ‘Essential’ or ‘Desirable.’
If a criterion is marked as essential but you do not think that you meet it, you will not be eligible for the role.
If a criterion is marked as desirable, then you can apply even if you do not meet the criterion fully but are keen to learn.
Top Tip: You will need to refer to the job description and person specification throughout your application. Please have it available when you complete your application.
The application is used by the selection panel to choose who to interview. It will be scored against the Person Specification for the role.
Most of an application form will be factual: your work history, your education and qualifications, and personal details such as your address and phone number.
We do not usually accept CV’s for apprentice roles. You will need to complete the application form fully.
In most application forms, there will be a section asking for personal information such as your gender, sexual orientation, religion etc.
Make sure that everything is accurate and spelled correctly! If you have time, writing it and going back to it the next day will help you to look at what you’ve written with fresh eyes, so it’s easier to catch mistakes.
Email Addresses:
Be sure to type your email address correctly, as this is how we will contact you about the progress of your application.
Top Tip: Check your email inbox regularly once your application has been submitted, including your junk/spam mail folder.
Apprenticeship Residency Eligibility:
The Government funding rules for apprenticeships specify who is eligible for enrolment onto apprenticeships.
More information about this can be found on the ‘What are the Eligibility Criteria’ section of the Staff Apprenticeships webpage
Top Tip: Please read the eligibility criteria carefully. You must be able to meet these criteria, or you will not be eligible and your application will not be progressed.
Maths and English:
Some apprenticeships will require you to already have Maths and English GCSEs at grade 4 (C) or above (or the level 2 Functional Skills equivalent). Some apprenticeships do not set this requirement.
Please check the Person Specification section of the job profile to see what the requirements are for the specific apprenticeship.
If it says ‘Essential’ then you must already have them; do not apply if you do not already have them, as you will not be eligible.
If it says ‘Desirable’ then you will be able to gain them during the apprenticeship if you need to, and you can apply regardless of whether you already have them.
Other prior qualifications:
Apprenticeships are designed to develop new knowledge and skills at a higher level than you already have, or in a new vocational area.
If you already hold the same level of qualification in the same vocation as the apprenticeship offers, then you will not be eligible.
For example:
If you already hold a Level 3 qualification in engineering, then you would not be eligible for a level 3 apprenticeship in engineering. However, you could apply for a Level 3 in a different vocational area (e.g. business administration) or an engineering apprenticeship at a higher level.
If you are not sure about your eligibility, please contact us.
Top Tip: Make sure that you list all your prior qualifications including the level of achievement, and include English and Maths qualifications if you have them.
This section helps us determine if you meet the education-related eligibility criteria for the apprenticeship that you have applied for, and whether you will need to complete any further English or Math's training during the apprenticeship, if applicable.
PLEASE NOTE: You will be asked to provide proof of your prior qualifications if you have listed them, so try to have them to hand in case you are offered an interview.
Please tell us about any previous paid and unpaid work experience that you do have.
If you do not have any prior employment experience, then note down any volunteering, work experience, placements, or extra-curricular experience that you think we should know about.
Use this section to describe how your skills and experience meet the essential and desirable criteria as set out in the Person Specification in the Job Profile.
The Personal Statement is the part of an application where you write about your suitability for the role(s) you’re applying for. This is also your opportunity to tell us why you want to be a staff apprentice at Queen Mary University of London, how keen you are, and what the apprenticeship may do for your own career.
This should be written in full sentences rather than bullet points, and you may have a word limit. Take time to answer all questions, giving examples to back up your answers. You do not have to repeat things you have already written (e.g. your qualifications).
This section may include specific questions or may ask you to write a statement to describe how you meet the requirements of the role as listed in the Person Specification within the job profile document.
Using the Person Specification as a checklist, it should be easy for a selection panellist to read your statement or answers and check how you meet the criteria. Writing your statement in the same order as the Person Specification makes it easier for both of you! Please make sure that you answer this section fully, because recruiting managers will read your application and use it for interview shortlisting.
Top Tip: Consider drafting your answers in a Word document, spell check, then copy and paste it into the application form online. You might also want someone to proofread it before you submit it.
Once the application deadline has passed, the hiring manager and shortlisting panel will read all the applications and make a shortlist for interview.
Only people who meet the apprenticeship eligibility criteria will be shortlisted.
Most panels will use a scoring system, such as this example:
0 points: Does not meet the criteria: Criteria not mentioned. No examples are given.
1 point: Partially meets the criteria: Criteria mentioned but no examples. Relevant examples are included but the connection with criteria is not made explicit.
2 points: Criteria met in full: Criteria explicitly addressed and supported with evidence from past/current practice.
Therefore, a good format is to mention the criterion, then give an example of how you meet it. For example, if the criterion is:
‘Ability to work in a team’ Then you might write something like;
I understand how to work in a team. I have experience of this when I worked in....my role in the team was.... I used the following skills when working in the team...
Top Tip: Remember if you are not able to give examples from previous employment, then talk about your experiences from education, hobbies, or life experiences which might be relevant. If you do have employment-related examples, then you should give these first.
If you are shortlisted for an interview, you will be contacted via your email address.
If you are not shortlisted, you will also be notified via email.
You will probably have been told what to expect. Types of assessment include:
Top Tip: You will be asked to provide evidence of your ID and right to work, (Including any visas if applicable) during the interview. Please have your documents ready.
It’s likely that most of the questions you’ll be asked will be ‘competency-based’, linked to the criteria on the Person Specification.
They will ask about previous experience (‘Tell us about a time when…’, ‘Give us an example of…’) or describe a hypothetical (‘In this situation, what would you do?’).
You can use the STAR technique to construct effective answers which will give the interview panel all the information they need.
S
Situation
What situation or event were you involved in? What is the context of the story you are about to tell?
T
Task
What was your job within that situation? Were there any barriers – deadlines, technical problems, costs?
A
Action
What did you do, and how? How did your activities demonstrate the competency the interview is asking about?
R
Result
What was the outcome of what you did? How do you know? Can it be quantified in any way? Any lessons learned?
STAR Example
Question: Have you had experience of working with a team to resolve a problem?
Questions about problem-solving, and working with others, are very common. Using ‘we’ in situations like this is easy to do, but remember – the interview panel needs to know how you contributed in this situation. Only use ‘we’ if you’re really talking about everyone in the team.
Here’s an example of an answer to this question, using STAR. Notice that the ‘Action’ part is longest – this is where you’re explaining how you displayed the competencies being asked about.
I was working with my team to deliver an event when our caterer pulled out at short notice.
I was responsible for sourcing a replacement.
I asked around other members of my team, and asked them to use their own networks, to identify potential replacements. I then contacted some by phone to explain the situation, and two colleagues volunteered to contact the others. Three were able to work at short notice. We came together to compare notes around cost, quality and customer feedback, and on that basis, I contacted the caterer we chose.
The event was a success. The catering cost slightly more than we had budgeted for, but a lot of our feedback reflected that the quality of food and drinks was much higher than expected.
Being Interviewed: Hints & Tips
The Panel's Decision
The recruiting manager or selection panel chair will contact their successful candidate(s) first.
If that’s you, congratulations! If you accept the offer, you will be told what the next steps are. If you need some time to consider the offer, ask for it, but be prepared to agree (or be given) a reasonable deadline for your decision.
In more senior posts, or if there have been a lot of candidates, you may be invited for a second-round interview.
If, unfortunately, you aren’t offered the position: try not to take it personally. This doesn’t mean you did badly or that you’re ‘not good enough, just that another candidate was a better match to the role.
You should ask for feedback or accept it if it’s offered; you might be able to get some useful pointers on how to improve next time.
You can also reflect on your own performance at interview:
Pre-Employment Process
If you have been given a conditional offer, the next steps will be for you to provide your references. You will usually be asked for two references. At least one of these should be your most recent employer, if you have one. If you have not been employed before, then please provide your details of your most recent tutor or professional who has worked with you, for example a social worker. You should not use personal references.
If you think you will find it difficult to provide references, please get in touch.
Top Tip: Make sure you let your referees know that you have put them down as they will be contacted. The sooner they complete the reference, the sooner you will be issued with your contract and can arrange a start date.
Enrolment onto the Apprenticeship
As part of your onboarding, you will also need to enrol for the formal apprenticeship training, so that you will be ready to start training when your contract of employment starts.
Usually, this will involve you providing evidence of your prior certificates and completing a short maths and English assessment.
If you have questions about Staff Apprenticeships at Queen Mary, you can email us on apprenticeships@qmul.ac.uk
If you have questions specific to a job role that is being advertised – you should contact the named person on the job pack.
If you need support to complete your application, then it is worth contacting your home borough council’s employment support service or Job Centre who may be able to assist you.
If you would like advice about how to disclose a criminal record, NACRO may be able to assist.
If you have general questions about Staff Apprenticeships at Queen Mary, you should also see our frequently asked questions.