Job Description
Role: Lecturer – Youth Work
Location: Bedford College – Cauldwell Street Campus
Salary/Benefits: Salary is between £33,048 and £38,169 per annum (Pro-Rata) DOE and Qualifications, 45 days annual leave (Pro-Rata) plus Bank holidays, Teacher’s Pension, Retail and Leisure Discounts, excellent professional and personal development opportunities, accessing college courses. Note – Salary and annual leave entitlement is for that of a Qualified Lecturer - salary for a Trainee Lecturer is between £26,651 and £31,982 per annum DOE and Qualifications, 35 days annual leave plus Bank holidays.
Hours/Weeks: 30 hours per week – 52 weeks per year
Contract Type: Permanent – Full Time
This is a UK based contract, and you are required to have theRight to Work in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer sponsorship and any offer of employment will be subject to evidence of your Right to Work in the UK.
About the role:
We are currently seeking a Lecturer in Youthwork to join our Health, Social Care and Childcare department at The Bedford College Group.
As a Lecturer, you play an important role in the success of our students through:
- Youth Work Curriculum Leadership – Lead the design, development and sustainability of a high‑quality Youth Worker qualification offer aligned to sector standards, professional bodies and local labour market needs.
- Teaching, Learning & Assessment Excellence – Deliver and assess Youth Work programmes and teach flexibly across Health, Social Care and Childcare, ensuring inclusive, engaging learning and strong learner outcomes.
- Quality Assurance & Learner Progress – Oversee assessment, internal quality assurance and progress tracking, contributing to continuous improvement, curriculum planning and achievement of departmental KPIs.
- Employer, Community & Sector Engagement – Build and maintain strong partnerships with employers, community organisations and bodies such as the NYA to enhance placements, enrichment and vocational relevance.
- College Values, Compliance & Collaboration – Promote safeguarding, EDI and health & safety, contribute to college‑wide initiatives and marketing activities, engage in CPD, and work collaboratively with leaders and teams to deliver an outstanding student experience.
About you:
- Qualifications & Professional Standing – Hold a JNC‑recognised Youth Work qualification (or historic equivalent), GCSE English and maths (or willingness to achieve Level 2), with commitment to gaining CertEd and Assessor qualifications.
- Sector Experience & Expertise – Minimum three years’ recent practice within youth, community or voluntary sectors, with up‑to‑date sector knowledge, strong performance history and understanding of current developments.
- Teaching, Assessment & Learner Progress – Demonstrate effective teaching across diverse ages and abilities, prepare high‑quality schemes of work, assess and track progress, and manage behaviour to support achievement.
- Communication, Relationships & Partnerships – Strong interpersonal and communication skills, able to build professional relationships with students, colleagues and employers while maintaining clear boundaries and vocational relevance.
- Values, Professionalism & Flexibility – Student‑centred and inclusive, committed to college values, safeguarding and health & safety, resilient under pressure, open to continuous development, and able to work flexibly across sites.
For a more detailed breakdown of the job role and the requirements, please see the Job Description attached to this vacancy.
If you do not hold a recognised, qualified teaching qualification, please see attached PGCE CertEd information.
Interviews to be held: 01 May 2026
Successful candidates must also be able to demonstrate alignment to our organisationalVISION values:
- Valuing Teamwork - We are one team who by working together can achieve great things, respecting the opinion and valuing the contribution each of us makes.
- Improving Continuously - We challenge ourselves to always do better by trying new things, sharing knowledge, reflecting on practice and learning from others.
- Student Centred - At our heart is always doing what is best for our students. We consider students in all of our decision making to create positive outcomes and memorable experiences for every student.
- Inclusive - We celebrate differences and diversity, recognising that we can learn from each other.
- Open and Caring - We care about the wellbeing of our staff, our students, our community and wider society, creating an environment built on trust where we listen, engage with and support each other.
- Nurturing Education Excellence - We promote educational excellence by delivering programmes that challenge our students to achieve their ambitions.
About Bedford College
Bedford College has a number of sites across the town and surrounding areas, these include our main Cauldwell Street campus in the heart of the town, our hair and beauty salon on the High Street, the advanced automotive centre on Brunel Road and the gas and technology plumbing centre in Kempston.
About The Bedford College Group
The Bedford College Group was formed in 2017 following the merger of Bedford College and Tresham College and is now the largest provider of education in the South East Midlands, with over 15,000 students passing through our doors each year.
Today, the Group is made up of a family of colleges across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire: Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Tresham College in the towns of Bedford, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough; Shuttleworth College, a specialist land-based college; The Bedford Sixth Form, (the only dedicated sixth form in Bedford); The Corby Sixth Form, (opened in September 2023); and the National College for Motorsport alongside Silverstone race circuit. To widen accessibility to education and training, the Group also has community-based Learning Centres in Bedford, Corby and Kettering which offer IT training.
Safeguarding our Students
The Bedford College Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to thorough vetting process which includes, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide. The Bedford College Group's policy on Employment of Ex-Offenders is attached to this vacancy.
Candidates who are barred from working with children are reminded it is a criminal offence to apply for this post.
