Teaching with the OU

The majority of vacancies for tutor posts are filled by internal staff; this is in line with current University recruitment policy. Any vacancies that are listed on these pages are open to external applicants.

We will only accept an application for a course where a vacancy exists, and which is received by the published close date. You should check the site regularly as vacancies may arise and close dates may be extended.

This site tells you what it's like to teach at the Open University (OU) and about the duties of our tutors.

Associate lecturer (AL) is the most common term for OU tutors. There are other types of tutors which are described in more detail in the section called Teaching Roles.

The OU is the United Kingdom's only university dedicated to distance learning with around 180,000 students, primarily located across the UK, Ireland and continental Europe, along with a small but increasing number of global students. By choosing an OU course, students irrespective of their geographic location are able to study part time and carry on working if they wish to. Our method of study - supported open learning - has always been popular with people established in their careers, but now we also have a greatly increasing number of younger students and globally based students.

Students on OU modules organise their own study time, which can be a difficult skill to master. Associate lecturers offer learning support to students through individual contact by email, phone or group tutorials and day schools (using face to face or online, where appropriate) and through the use of forums.

You can register to be notified of any future vacancies by email. Simply complete the expressions of interest request form. If you do not already have an Open University staff account (student accounts will not work) please register as a new visitor and create a free OU account.