Visitors, Volunteers, Staff Recruitment and Internships

1. Guidelines for DCAL Colleagues hosting visitors & volunteers

DCAL is very happy to accommodate visitors. However, hosts should ensure that DCAL facilities are not misused. There are some general guidelines to help ensure your visitors are aware of our systems and enjoy their visit to DCAL.

If you would like to invite and host a visitor who will be using DCAL facilities please complete the following form and email it to DCAL Executive Officer via dcal@ucl.ac.uk:

File

dcal_visitor_approval_and_space_request_form.doc

Please be considerate of D/deaf staff working at DCAL, and always ensure that an inclusive communication environment is maintained.

Please update the visitors calendar (tab on the Web Calendar) and see Guidance for Hosting Visitors.

2. Information for Visitors to 49 Gordon Square

Opening Hours

Visitors may only access the building between 9.00-17.00 Mon-Fri.

*Please see working hours for visitors working in reception under the visitors policy form.

Equipment

Laptops cannot be lent to guest to use during their stay. Guests are welcome to bring their own laptops and plug in for internet access.

The photocopier, main printer and shredder are on the ground floor, room G01. All users should add paper (photocopier) and empty the shredder into the recycling box required.

Ground Floor Hot Desking Area

Please note:

DCAL staff and students have priority to this area
This is a quiet working area, do not use mobile phones or hold meetings
Computers must be switched off after use

Recycling and Water coolers

The following are located on each floor:

Recycling bins for recycling cardboard, glass, plastic and aluminium
Water coolers

Domestic services

The building is cleaned and bins emptied daily.
If you have bags or boxes of rubbish, attach a note for the cleaners indicating it should be removed.
If paper, soap etc runs out in the toilets, leave a note for the cleaners.

Kitchen, break-out room…

The kitchen is serviced by the cleaners but all users are responsible for their own washing-up.
A kettle, microwave, mugs, etc are available for staff use.
The lounge on the 4th floor is used as a breakout room for all DCAL staff

3. Visitors policy form

Please note this is a quiet working area:

Do not use your phone or use this area for meetings.

Make sure the computer you are using is switched off at the end of use.

Please respect the waiting area space and be considerate of other visitors who are occupying this space.

Please be considerate of other D/deaf staff working here and always ensure to maintain a BSL-friendly environment.

Working hours are 9am-4:45pm. Visitors cannot be left unsupervised in any area of this building so visitors will be expected to leave the reception area outside working hours.

Please ensure the hot-desking area and shared facilities are left in good order.

4. Accommodation for Visitors

Private Rental Accommodation

If you choose to explore private rental options, there are a variety of companies that can be useful for your search:

OpenRent - a direct to landlord letting service
RightMove - a private property portal, with properties to rent direct from landlords and agencies.
SpareRoom - geared towards moving into an existing shared flat, but there are sometimes whole properties listed as well.
Zoopla - a private property portal, with properties to rent direct from landlords and agencies.

Others sources of accommodation in London (some which are recommended and used by previous DCAL visitors):

http://www.central-london-apartments.com (Provide short stay, serviced apartments in Central London. A great alternative to hotels saving you an average of 30% and providing you with more space, comfort and flexibility).
http://www.goodenough.ac.uk/ (Goodenough College provides dormitory-style accommodation close to DCAL. Advisable to contact them well in advance).
http://www.doctorhouse.co.uk/ (They have a list of people in London (and other cities in the UK) who sublet rooms in their houses for various lengths of stays and pair you up with one that has an available room and that best meets your needs).
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/residences/ (UCL halls of residence are often available to the public in the summer when students are away. Recommended if you are looking for somewhere basic and inexpensive).
https://housing.london.ac.uk/ (Accommodation for visiting academics).

5. DCAL Access Charge Policy

Revised and approved 2/2/18

This document outlines the charges to be made to those wishing to visit DCAL and be based at 49 Gordon Square for any period over 4 weeks (inclusive of college closure periods).

Access charges will apply to all visitors to DCAL who are not UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences (PaLS) staff or students.

Facilities

Access to facilities for visitors is based on the duration of their stay at UCL:

Between 4 weeks and 3 months

Desk space at DCAL
UCL ID card Library access (reference only)
Computer account UCL email address

Between 3 months and 1 year

Desk space at DCAL
UCL ID card
Library access with borrowing rights
Computer account
UCL email address

Please note:
Access to specialised research equipment (eg., fMRI, fTCD, ERP) must be arranged separately. Additional charges will be made. DCAL are not obliged to provide a computer and will not provide research costs.

Time-scale

All requests to use our facilities must be made well in advance. One month before the proposed visit is the minimum notice period required, and if a visa is required then, at least 4 months in advance. If this notice period is not met, the visitor’s start date may have to be delayed.

Rate

The current rate is £2,000 per year, applied pro-rata for occupancy and weighted as follows:

Visiting Academic – 1.0
Junior/Postdoc Researcher/ Research Fellow - 0.5
PhD student - 0.25

Exemptions: The DCAL Director, will consider these on a case-by-case basis. Requests for exemption should be made by email with supporting justification 2 months before the person's arrival.

Guidance notes:

DCAL hosts should ensure the potential visitor is aware of the DCAL Access Charge early in their conversation about a possible visit.
Once agreed, the host should contact the DCAL Centre Secretary within the above timescale, specifying the name of the visitor, start date, duration of stay and source of the access charge.
Where there is no external source of funding, the charge will be applied to the host's discretionary account.
In cases where visitors are attached to more than one host, the hosts should agree how to cover this fee before the visitor arrives at DCAL.
The charge must be settled either directly by the visitor, or by their DCAL host, during the first week of the visit to DCAL.
Note: Bank transfers only, cash or cheque payments are not acceptable.
For those staying more than 12mths charges will be due at the start of each financial year.
Undergraduate, Masters students (from within our outside PaLS) conducting a research project with a DCAL PI are not entitled to desk space, but are able to use hot-desking space free of charge, if agreed by their supervisor and if available.

General Terms and Conditions:

All visitors will be expected to be willing to learn some British Sign Language during their stay. Those staying for longer than 6 months will be expected to join a BSL level 1 course (if available during their visit).
All access charges due must be agreed and paid to DCAL before the end of the financial year. Refunds will not normally be given.
In the event that a home department cannot or will not pay for a visitor, the unpaid amounts will be charged to the associated host.
The DCAL access charge does not cover the attendance of UCL courses, these must be paid for separately, if necessary.
DCAL will not cover communication support costs for visitors.

Host’s responsibilities:

Directly liaise with visitor and communicate DCAL’s Access Policy terms.
Ensure approvals and arrangements are made within the timescale specified in this document.
Provide induction, keep in regular contact and provide support to visitor for the duration of their stay.

FURTHER RELATED INFORMATION

Visas

Please refer to the UK government Visas & Immigration page for up-to-date information on applying for visas.

Accommodation

The UCL Staff Accommodation site contains information about the various accommodation options in London.

General advice for international staff

This International Staff website has a wealth of useful information for academics coming to live and work in the UK.

6. DCAL recruitment policy

DCAL Recruitment Strategies for improving diversity of staff (PDF file)

PALS Recuritment Scoring Sheet TEMPLATE (XLS file)

Tips for inclusive recruitment (PPTX file)

7. Internship Schedule

Date	Task	Notes
Early January 2025	Calum and Zahra film promotion video	Plan for filming the Internship 2025 promotion video.
Late January 2025	Edit video and add captions/voice-over by Mark	Complete editing and add captions and voice-over.
17th February 2025	Start internship promotion	Share video and details across platforms.
30th April 2025	Application deadline	Allow enough time for submissions.
5 – 15th May 2025	Panel reviews applications and checks with other PIs	Mairead and Kate review applications.
w/c 19th May 2025	Laura notifies applicants of outcome	Notify successful candidates.
w/c 26th May 2025	Laura arranges for internship payment	Arranged via Unitemps or PALS HR.
June – September 2025	Internships begin	Internships to start, depending on project timelines.