Before you start

Download our pre-employment guide which includes everything from accepting your job offer to pensions and getting paid.

A Guide to before you start employment (253.35 KB PDF)

University structure

University governance

Our Strategy 2030

Our values and behaviours

About the College

School contact details

Accepting your job offer

Before you start your new job within the school it is important that you have completed all necessary right to work checks and on boarding tasks in the HR people and money system. This will ensure that you have appropriate access to key systems ahead of your start date. Ahead of your first day, you will be issued with your offer letter and you will be asked to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK. After this has been verified, you will be issued your contract via our HR system to accept.

Onboarding notifications

People and Money (P&M) is the University's online HR and Finance system. You may start to receive email notifications from the system before you start and should be provided with temporary login access. It is important that you complete all Onboarding tasks assigned to you as soon as possible and some of these will be available prior to your start date.

From day 1 of your contract, you must log into P&M using your university username and password. Details of when you'll get these and how to login can be found on the First Day Essentials page.

What to bring

You should check with your new line manager if you should bring anything specific on your first day. Your HR contact may ask you to bring your right to work documentation if they haven't already undertaken the checks.

Getting here

There are lots of ways to travel to the University - rail, bus, car and more. For more details on how to get here, take a look at this information about travelling to the University.

What to wear

The University does not have a specific dress code policy but depending on your role there may be certain restrictions. Please check in with your line manager before you start.

Eating and drinking

The University has lots of facilities for eating and drinking on site. As the College is based at central campus, there are also a lot of food and drink outlets to choose from. There is plenty designated space across campus for you to relax and have your lunch break.

IT access

Your IT access will be active from the first day of your contract. You will be sent login details that you can use to log in for the first time from your local School/department and you will then be prompted to set a new password and answers to security questions. If part of your role requires you to work off campus you will need to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). You can find out further details on how you will gain access on the First Day Essentials page.

Contract and bank details

Prior to your start date, you will be sent an email asking you to log into our system (People and Money) to complete tasks. To ensure you are paid on time, please enter your bank details and sign your contract no later than the 15th of the month. The task ‘Your contract is ready to sign’ may appear greyed out or locked when you first gain access to People and Money. You will be notified via email and an in-system notification when this is available to be signed and uploaded.

Setting up a bank account

In order to facilitate the payment of wages you will be required to set up a UK bank account. The following bank branches where accounts can be opened can be found located in Edinburgh City Centre:

• Bank of Scotland
• Barclays Bank
• Clydesdale Bank
• Halifax Bank
• HSBC
• National Building Society
• Nat West Bank
• Royal Bank of Scotland

For prospective staff members who are not currently in the UK, some bank accounts can be set up in advance of arriving in the UK but branches and accounts are limited.

Setting up a National Insurance number

All staff employed in the UK, whether UK, European or international citizens need a national insurance number (NI Number). The NI number ensures that the NI contributions and tax you pay are properly recorded against your name.

If you are a sponsored member of staff coming to the UK, you may already have a NI number printed on the back of your BRP. You do no need to reapply for this if you already have an NI Number or it is on the back of your BRP. Further information on how to apply for a NI Number can be found at the following government website:  Apply for a National Insurance number.

Once you have obtained your NI number, please contact your local HR team to have your record updated.

Personal details e.g. emergency contact

You will also be able to update your personal details within People and Money. Further details can be found in the People and Money user guides.

Working in a University environment

Universities are busy places and have a unique structure! We are cyclical in nature with Semester 1, Semester 2 and vacation periods. We have peaks and troughs of activity throughout the year and when these are can vary depending on your role. Make sure to ask your new line manager what pace to expect when you start.