Practice Education Tutor

Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI); Dublin; On-site; EUR 25,000 - 35,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading health education institution in Dublin is looking for a Practice Education Tutor to coordinate and evaluate clinical placements for physiotherapy students. The ideal candidate will mentor students and staff, support educational delivery, and contribute to both teaching and assessment. This part-time role requires a CORU Registered Physiotherapist with experience in clinical specialties, a passion for teaching, and the ability to foster positive relationships. Opportunities exist for professional development within a supportive environment.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Onsite gym access for €10/month

20 days of annual leave plus extra university privilege days

Qualifications

• Must be a CORU Registered Physiotherapist or eligible for registration in Ireland.
• Have satisfactory post qualification experience.
• Previous experience as a Clinical Tutor for physiotherapy students is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Participate in the development and coordination of RCSI placements.
• Support physiotherapy students and practice educators for successful education delivery.
• Facilitate students attaining clinical and professional competencies.

Skills

Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships

Excellent organizational skills

High level of IT literacy

Verbal and written communication skills

Time management skills

Education

CORU Registered Physiotherapist

Post qualification experience

Job description

Practice Education Tutor

Reporting To: Practice Educator Manager

Location: Connolly Hospital and RCSI placement provider sites as well as Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI) campus, as determined by student placement requirements. Based in RCSI and RCSI placement provider sites.

School (or department): School of Physiotherapy

Contract type/duration: Permanent, Part-time (0.8FTE)

Closing date for applications: 11:45pm, 11th January 2026

RCSI is a community of academic, research, clinical and professional staff working collaboratively to lead the world to better health. Here, you will thrive in an innovative and inclusive atmosphere and your personal development and wellbeing will be supported. We invite you to join us to help deliver on our exciting mission "To educate, nurture and discover for the benefit of human health". We seek candidates whose experience to date has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to the "Race Equality Action Plan 2025-2029" at RCSI. Our students come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds. This makes our university stronger and ensures we hire the best talent.

Innovating for a Healthier Future 2023-2027 is RCSI's new five-year strategic plan. Through it, RCSI will enhance human health by meeting the health workforce needs of society, creating the insights and inventions that drive health improvements, and working in partnership with patients and the public in support of better health and well‑being for all. The strategy unites the RCSI community in supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals - with a particular focus on Goal 3, which targets good health and well‑being.

For each of the last six years, RCSI has been positioned in the Top 300 of universities worldwide in the Times Higher World University Rankings. We are proud that RCSI ranks first in the world for "Good Health and Well‑being" in the Times Higher Education #SDG #SDG Impact Rankings 2025. This reflects our commitment to supporting people of all ages to live healthy lives and our work to promote the concepts of well‑being and positive health. In 2024, RCSI was delighted to be named one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work in Ireland.

At RCSI, our core values of Respect, Collaboration, Scholarship, and Innovation are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive environment where every colleague is valued and empowered to thrive. Our dedication to these values ensures that we foster a culture of mutual respect, open collaboration, continuous learning, and innovative thinking. Join us at RCSI, where your contributions will be recognised, and you will be part of a dynamic team making a real impact on global health.

About the Post

• To participate in the development, coordination and evaluation of RCSI placements
• To support both the physiotherapy students and practice educators to ensure the successful delivery of the practice education component of the RCSI Physiotherapy degree
• To act as a role model and mentor for healthcare professional students
• To participate in the teaching and examining of the physiotherapy programme

RCSI students undertake 1,000 hours of clinical practice over four placement blocks during their training; a 6‑week and 8‑week placement block in Year 2, and two 8‑week placement blocks in Year 3 of the programme.

The successful candidate will be expected to facilitate students attaining clinical and professional competencies. The candidate will also be involved in organising and delivering placement opportunities in a range of practice settings and will explore and test novel approaches to clinical placement.

The post holder will work closely with:

• RCSI School of Physiotherapy staff and practice education team
• Connolly Hospital Physiotherapy managers and staff
• RCSI students
• Placement site physiotherapists, managers and administrators
• Practice tutors in RCSI affiliated sites

Job Responsibilities

• Placement organisation and development
• Develop, organise and coordinate placements across multiple settings in collaboration with relevant stakeholders
• Coordinate supervision for students on placement

Education / Student Support

• Facilitate shared learning experiences for students on placement through small‑group tutorials, peer‑to‑peer learning experiences and promotion of feedback literacy
• Assist with educator placement feedback and assessment of student performance
• Contribute to teaching of practice education related programme modules
• Support students' progress during practice placement
• Support placement provider partners
• Support training for educators and provision of resources including information packs, assessment tools, curriculum information
• Facilitate effective communication and working relationships between clinicians, supervisors, university staff and students
• Contribute to development of research ideas and conduct of relevant clinical and/or educational research

Service

• Contribute to and attend practice education workshops and training days and any relevant RCSI or practice education committees
• Comply with statutory legislation and departmental rules and requirements in furtherance of your own, staff and student welfare and safety
• Promote the best interests of RCSI, enhancing the School's reputation in both physiotherapy practice research and education
• Perform other duties as may be required from time to time

Knowledge & Experience (Essential)

• CORU Registered Physiotherapist or eligible to be a registered physiotherapist in Ireland
• Have some satisfactory post qualification experience
• Registered with CORU
• Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships
• Experience in a range of clinical specialties
• Previous experience as a Clinical Tutor of physiotherapy students
• Ongoing evidence of CPD
• High level of IT literacy, verbal & written communication skills, interpersonal skills
• Excellent organisational and time management skills
• Ability to work flexibly as part of a small team but equally capable of working independently with minimal supervision

We are all too aware that imposter syndrome and the confidence gap can sometimes stop fantastic candidates putting themselves forward, so please do submit an application - we'd love to hear from you.

Application Process

Please apply online through the RCSI careers portal on the closing date with your CV and cover letter.

Informal Enquiries

Informal enquiries are invited in the first instance through Helen Heery, Practice Education Manager. All applications for this post must be made through the careers webpage. Please note we do not accept CVs directly.

Garda vetting and occupational health review may be required for this role, depending on the nature of the duties and responsibilities. Further information will be provided during the recruitment process.

Employee Benefits

Health and Wellbeing

• The Inspire programme promotes the importance of taking care of both general health and mental health. Inspire manages the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offered through SpectrumLife. Past events have included workshops on mindfulness practices, yoga, nutritional advice, financial advice on mortgages, pensions & health insurance from leading experts, fitness challenges, baking competitions, weight loss programmes, annual flu vaccination campaign and many more.
• You can also enjoy access to an onsite gym for just €10 per month.

Work – Life Balance

• Flexible working arrangements, study leave, and career breaks.
• 20 days of annual leave plus an extra 6.5 days of university privilege days, which occur annually around the Christmas and Easter breaks.

Family Benefits

• Enhanced family leave for working parents with fully paid maternity, adoptive, paternity and surrogacy leave.
• First two weeks of parental leave fully paid and option to take parental leave until your child is 18 years old.
• Access to Platform 55, a new parents platform to support staff before, during, and after becoming a parent.
• Flexible working, discounted Giraffe crèche services up to 20% and a Parents and Carers' Network.

Financial Security

• Automatic enrolment in a pension scheme with Willis Towers Watson with employer contributions increasing with length of service.
• Death in service of up to 4 times salary, long‑term illness and disability income replacement, and free advice on health, motor, and home insurance.

Discounted Services

• Discounted GP services, TaxSaver commuter tickets, the BiketoWork scheme, free eye tests at the National Optometry Centre, and discounted parking at St. Stephen's Green/RCSI car park.

Recognition

• Various awards and events such as Long Service recognition, the Vice Chancellor Staff Awards, and Research Day.

Professional Growth

• Staff Learning and Development provides training, management and leadership development, mentoring, coaching and funding support for further study.

Staff Networks

• Women's Network, Postdoctoral Staff Network, Parents & Carers' Network, Project Manager's Network, LGBTI+ Network, Age Friendly Network, etc.

Sports and Social Club

• Activities such as Yoga, Pilates, fitness classes; social evenings, book clubs, summer BBQs and one‑off events like the Taste of Dublin, Bloom, Dublin Horse Show and Dublin Zoo; discount tickets for shows and events throughout the year.

Note: This job description may be subject to change to reflect the evolving requirements of the Department and RCSI. Similar vacancies that arise in the next 6 months may be filled from the pool of applicants that apply for this position.

RCSI is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or race. RCSI is committed to embedding equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) across everything we do. This ensures we can all work and learn in an environment defined by dignity and respect.

Eligibility to work in Ireland is a requirement of this role; proof of eligibility documentation will be required at a later date.

Employees are required to undertake six months service in their current role before applying for other internal opportunities, unless agreed in advance by the SMT representative.