First-Year Physics Lab Tutor & Teaching Assistant

Northeastern University London; Greater London; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 42,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Private medical insurance

Eye test reimbursement

Cycle scheme

Employee assistance programme

Job summary

Northeastern University London invites applications for a Teaching Assistant in Physics to support first‑year undergraduate courses. The appointee will lead laboratory sessions and collaborate with faculty to deliver Newtonian mechanics, electromagnetism and related experiments, while reinforcing safety and good laboratory practice.

The role requires a Master’s degree (or near completion) in a relevant area, AFHEA desirability, and experience in teaching labs.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree, or equivalent professional experience, in a relevant area.
• PhD completed, or near completion, or equivalent professional experience, in a relevant area (desirable).
• AFHEA status, or equivalent, achieved or expected (desirable).
• Sound knowledge of first‑year undergraduate physics, including Newtonian mechanics, oscillations and waves, electromagnetism and DC/AC circuits, and the treatment of measurement uncertainty.
• Practical competence with standard teaching laboratory equipment, and the ability to diagnose common faults during a session.
• Experience of demonstrating or supporting students in a teaching laboratory, tutorial or problem class setting.
• Awareness of safe working practice in a physics laboratory, and the confidence to enforce safety rules with students.
• Evidence of supporting students with different levels of prior knowledge and confidence, and of adapting explanations to meet individual needs.
• Ability to mark written work accurately and consistently against a rubric, and to give clear, constructive written feedback within agreed deadlines.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain physical concepts and experimental methods to non‑specialists in person and online.
• Good organisational and time‑management skills, with the ability to prepare for sessions in advance and work reliably alongside technical staff and module leaders.
• Willingness to work flexibly with module leaders to support the delivery of teaching, including experiential learning activities.
• Experience of using digital tools in teaching, such as a virtual learning environment, data‑analysis software or simulation packages.
• (Desirable) Experience of marking summative assessment in higher education.

Responsibilities

• Lead laboratory sessions, under the guidance and/or supervision of subject expert faculty, in Newtonian Mechanics and Electromagnetism, including: Measurement of density & errors; Motion in 1D and 2D; Work and energy on an air track; Uniform circular motion; Conservation of momentum; Maxwell's Wheel; DC circuits; Simple Harmonic Motion; RC circuits; Oscilloscopes; Magnetic force; Standing waves.
• Demonstrate laboratory techniques and safety procedures to students.
• Lead small-group discussion or recitation sections that reinforce lecture content.
• Session preparation and safety
• Run a pre-session dry‑run of practicals where required, checking that equipment functions correctly, reagents are viable, and results are reproducible before students arrive.
• Confirm, alongside technical staff, that health and safety and COSHH checks have been completed.
• Enforce laboratory safety protocols throughout each session.
• Support technicians with session close‑down, cleaning and resetting workstations, and checking that equipment is switched off and stored correctly.

Skills

Physics teaching

Lab supervision

Safety procedures

Adaptability

Communication skills

Education

Master’s degree

PhD near completion

AFHEA status desirable

Tools

Virtual learning environment

Data-analysis software

Simulation packages

Job description

Northeastern University London invites applications for a Teaching Assistant in Physics to support first‑year undergraduate courses. The appointee will lead laboratory sessions and collaborate with faculty to deliver Newtonian mechanics, electromagnetism and related experiments, while reinforcing safety and good laboratory practice.

The role requires a Master’s degree (or near completion) in a relevant area, AFHEA desirability, and experience in teaching labs.