Customer Services Advisor - Qatar

Location: Doha
Company Name: British Council

The Opportunity
We are recruiting for Customer Services Advisor – Maternity Cover. We are looking for an experienced, skilled and dedicated person who will Support the wider Customer Service team by delivering effective, quality-driven first line service to customers, clients and stakeholders at the British Council Qatar, ensuring the customers receive the information and services they need in a friendly, professional, efficient and responsive environment. In addition, post-holders will need to understand the English Language needs of prospective Adult and Young Learner students and provide effective and persuasive guidance regarding their British Council study pathway, in order to support the achievement of Teaching Centre registration targets

Successful Candidates
Ideal candidates should have the following experience and skills, in addition to British Council required Core Skills as listed in the Role Profile: ·

• Experience in a similar role ·
• Strong communication skills and proven ability to build rapport with customers ·
• Sales skills ·
• High School certificate ·
• English - B2 Level ·
• Arabic - B2 Level

Desirables may be used during short listing in the event of a large number of applicants for the posts and priority will be given to applicants who already hold transferable residency in Qatar.

Benefits Package

In addition to the financial package, the British Council offers: ·

• A unique opportunity to gain experience and develop skills in international cultural relations. ·
• A modern, rapidly changing organisation with worldwide influence and impact ·
• A scope for versatility, initiative and creativity in a stimulating and supportive environment ·
• The opportunity to pursue your personal and professional development via training, on-the-job-coaching and individual study

For more information about the benefits package, please see the Vacancy Information document.

Further Information
Please see the Role Profile, British Council Behaviours and Core Skills Document for more detailed information about the role and British Council requirements

Local Restrictions on Employment
Gaining residency in Qatar is a complex process and many restrictions apply. We strongly advise you to consult our guidance document BEFORE applying for vacancies at the British Council, Qatar.

The main issues to take into consideration are;
1.The Qatari authorities have placed restrictions on certain categories of people. As such, Residence Permits currently cannot be gained by;
a. Nationals from certain countries - the list of affected countries is not publicised and changes without notice.
b. Those aged 60 or above
c. Unmarried partners - only married partners may be sponsored and therefore obtain the appropriate residence permit. It is unlawful in Qatar for unmarried partners to cohabit.
d. Male children above 25 years old and not enrolled in higher education
2. For reasons that are beyond our control, it is unfortunately not possible for female employees sponsored by the British Council to sponsor accompanying family members.
3. Male employees can only sponsor their accompanying family members if their salary is equal or greater than QAR10,000.
4.Holders of passports containing an Israeli stamp will not be granted visas to Qatar
5.Successful candidates will need to provide many documents, some of which must be legalised. This is mandatory to gain residency in Qatar.
6.Medical tests are carried out in-country before a residence permit is granted – tests for major infectious diseases are carried out. The British Council has no control over this process.
7. It takes a minimum of 4 months for a person to be able to sponsor spouse and children to gain residency in Qatar. In general, family members will not be able to accompany the staff member to post from the onset of the contract.
8.Distance and online learning degrees are not currently recognised by the Qatari government. This prevents the British Council from securing a Residence Permit for concerned applicants.

Fulfilling the above requirements does not guarantee that we will be able to secure the appropriate visa or permit for you or your family members. Unfortunately, the British Council has control over such governmental decisions.

Equality Statement
Valuing diversity is essential to the British Council’s work. We aim to abide by and promote equality legislation by following both the letter and the spirit of it to try and avoid unjustified discrimination, recognising discrimination as a barrier to equality of opportunity, inclusion and human rights. All staff worldwide are required to ensure their behaviour is consistent with our policies.

Child Protection
The British Council is a full member of Keeping Children Safe (KCS) and has achieved level 1 child safe certification. We believe that all children have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse as set out in article 19, UNCRC, 1989 and that every child matters - everywhere in the world. In line with the British Council's Child Protection policy, any appointment is contingent on thorough checks including criminal record checks, in line with legal requirements.

About Us
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body.

The British Council has been operating in Qatar since 1972, and currently employs 85 full time staff from a very diverse background.