Faculty Officer Roles (stint)

In the Faculty of Law, the following Faculty Officer roles have a stint value allocated to them:

• Vice Dean
• Associate Dean for Graduate Studies (Research)
• Associate Dean for Graduate Studies (Taught)
• Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies
• Associate Dean for Equality and Diversity
• Associate Dean for Research
• Institute/Centre Directors (European and Comparative Law, Criminology, Socio-Legal Studies and Intellectual Property)
• Admissions Co-ordinator
• Director of Examinations
• Access and Outreach Co-ordinator
• Mooting Co-ordinator
• Directors of Taught Masters Courses (BCL/MJur, Law & Finance, Taxation) and the MSc and Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Practice
• Academic Director of Undergraduate Exchange Programmes
• Director and Deputy Director of the Oxford Law Summer School
• Director of the Course in Legal Research Methods
• Deputy Directors, Directors of Graduate Studies, and some other roles in the Centre for Criminology and the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies

The number of stint points ascribed to each post is set by the Personnel Committee, and is included in the description of the role when a vacancy is advertised.

The stint points can be used flexibly.  Our starting point is to multiply the number of points by the 'unit' cost of £162.77 (at 2023-24 prices) to create an overall budget for either a college tutorial buyout, university stint remission, replacement teaching, salary allowance, and/or research allowance (set out in more detail below).  Most people take some combination of these options, and there are limits set by the University on the total amount that can be taken as salary allowance.

The amount of college teaching that can be bought out will depend on what your college quotes you for the cost of a buyout. The college charges must be according to the STC rates (A, B or C), but which one the college applies will depend on what type of replacement they propose. You will need to obtain an actual quote from the college, because colleges take differing attitudes to the application of pension costs and holiday pay etc.

Where a role is for three years or more (as is usually the case) then any salary allowance becomes pensionable and employer’s pension contribution needs to be factored in, currently the employer pension contribution rate is 21.4%

The Social Sciences Division have a clear expectation that no member of staff will take on more than one Faculty Officer position, so anyone wishing to take on more than one will need to make a case for this at the time of applying.

How to benefit from the stint points

The stint points can be used for any mixture of the following, up to the total number of points (and budget) in each year.

(i)  faculty teaching stint reduction, where one faculty officer stint point = one stint unit reduction; and/or

(ii) a college buyout – the cost of the buyout, and therefore the number of Faculty Officer units used, depends on the arrangements and rates you negotiate with your College and must be according to the STC rates (A,B or C) which apply to different types of teaching replacement; and/or

(iii) salary payment in the form of a monthly responsibility allowance.  This is limited by the Social Sciences Division up to the equivalent of the Schedule V allowance, currently £8,615 gross pay per annum, plus pension costs (£1,898.50). The maximum salary allowance equates to 65.56 faculty officer units; and/or

(iv)  a research allowance, to be used in accordance with the guidelines for Faculty Research Funds, to be spent strictly within the period the Faculty Officer post plus one year.

(v) for Associate Deans only, the stint allocation may be used to fund a period of Special Paid Leave after the period of office (for example, a term of leave to be taken alongside the two terms of sabbatical leave/dispensation accrued across a four year period of office, giving a whole year of leave). This arrangement is subject to the approval of the Dean not later than the end of Hilary Term in the preceding year, and is subject to the approval of the college.  Requests for Special Paid Leave are also subject to the approval of the Social Sciences Division.

All college buyouts are subject to the approval of the college.

Units may only be used to support buyouts/stint reduction during the period of office, and the option of applying for Special Paid Leave is only available after a full period of office has been completed.