Join our faculty
Our faculty are at the heart of our surgical education. If you’re at least a core trainee or working at an equivalent level in an SAS or trust grade post you can join us. By becoming a faculty member you are playing a vital role in advancing surgical education. It allows you to develop invaluable skills as a trainer, supporting your ongoing career development. At the same time, you will experience the satisfaction of sharing your expertise and knowing that you are helping others to develop their careers.
We are incredibly grateful for the time, commitment and expertise of our faculty members. Our focus is to support your ongoing career development by granting you access to our Faculty Development Resource Centre, a digital platform designed to help you advance your non-clinical skills in training and leadership.
By becoming faculty you will:
- gain invaluable training and leadership skills;
- earn CPD points (you will usually be eligible the first time you prepare for and teach on a course);
- receive teaching certificates;
- expand your professional network and learn from other surgical professionals;
- experience the joy of helping others develop in their careers.
Who can become RCS England faculty?
We welcome faculty from a variety of backgrounds and experience levels. If you are at least a core trainee or working at an equivalent level in a trust grade post, we've got a course you can teach! We are keen to build a community of faculty who can act as role models to course participants and represent the diversity of people who work in surgery.
For some courses, you may also need a teaching skills qualification or credible experience in a particular field. Check the eligibility criteria below and apply today or read our FAQs.
Eligibility criteria
These tables show you the courses you can teach if you have reached the minimum required level. Other eligibility requirements may apply (see full criteria here eligibility criteria).
We accept:
- UK trainees;
- SAS doctors on 2021 or 2008 national UK contracts;
- locally employed doctors (LED) in the UK;
- doctors working outside the UK who intend to teach at their local international centre.
Some courses also accept members of the surgical care team, physicians, anesthetists and intensive care specialists.
For all courses you will teach as an instructor candidate the first time you teach – you will be supernumerary, supervised and signed off by the Course Director.
In the list below, where it stipulates ‘or commensurate experience’, we accept SAS/LED with an equivalent number of years postgraduate clinical experience eg ST3 = at least four years’ postgraduate clinical experience; ST7 = at least eight years’ postgraduate clinical experience.
Core Trainee / SCP
SSSHP
- Surgeon – any specialty.
- Surgical care practitioner.
- Other requirements may apply, see eligibility criteria.
START
- Surgeon – any specialty
- anaesthetist, intensive care specialist, physician.
- Surgical care team and nurse. Other requirements apply, see eligibility criteria.
ST3+
BSS
- Surgeon – any specialty.
ST5+
CCrISP
- Surgeon – any specialty.
- Anaesthetist, intensive care specialist.
- Other requirements apply, see eligibility criteria.
Core Lap
- Surgeon – any specialty that conducts minimally invasive surgery.
ST6+
CSES
- Surgeon – general, vascular.
PERT
- Surgeon – trauma, cardiothoracic.
- Emergency medicine physician.
- Other requirements apply, see eligibility criteria.
SSET
- Surgeon – general, vascular, thoracic.
- Other requirements apply, see eligibility criteria.
ST7+
DCOTS
- Surgeon – orthopaedics, plastics, vascular
- Anaesthetist
- Other requirements apply, see eligibility criteria.
DSTS
- Surgeon – general, vascular.
- Other requirements apply, see eligibility criteria.
Inter Lap
- Surgeon – any specialty that conducts minimally invasive surgery.
- Other requirements apply, see eligibility criteria.
Consultant/ senior SAS/LED*
CCRISP Instructor
- Surgeon – any specialty
- Anaesthetists, intensive care specialist.
- Other requirements apply, see eligibility criteria.
ESS
- Surgeon – any specialty.
- Medical clinician – specialty allied to surgery.
- Other requirements apply, see eligibility criteria.
PBAS
- Surgeon – plastics, aesthetics, cosmetics.
- Other requirements apply, see eligibility criteria.
TTT
- Surgeon – any specialty.
- Educator
- Other requirements apply, see eligibility criteria.
- If you are interested in becoming a course director, please see our full eligibility document for criteria.
* Senior SAS/LED must meet one of the following criteria:
- Post-CESR
- Post-CCT
- Hold a Specialist grade post (national Specialist 2021 contract).
- Hold a Specialty Doctor post and have passed the upper threshold of the national Specialty Doctor 2021 contract (pay point 4 of the new structure).
Hold an SAS post and have passed Threshold 2 of the SAS 2008 contract.
Process for becoming faculty
This process applies to all courses except ATLS®. If you want to become an ATLS® instructor, please see our information for ATLS® Instructors.
1. Check your eligibility
- Download eligibility chart
2. Apply to be RCS England faculty
If you haven’t been involved with us before, we will ask you to register on our website.
Please complete the form and code of conduct and return to edufaculty@rcseng.ac.uk. You are not permitted to teach until you have signed the acknowledgement (included in the application).
Our Executive Office may also send you documents on GDPR, standing rules and expenses. Please sign and return those to the Executive Office.
4. Arrange to teach
- If you are going to teach at a regional centre, let your course coordinator know you have been approved to teach as an instructor candidate.
- If you are going to teach at a partner centre, we will invite you to teach on an upcoming course as an instructor candidate.
5. Prepare to teach
Familiarise yourself with the course ethos, content and materials:
- Your course coordinator will send you any hard copy materials that are available for your course, eg faculty handbook.
- We will send you a link to any online resources available. These may include videos and handbooks.
- You may want to observe a course in order to understand it better – just ask your course coordinator.
6. Teach as an instructor candidate
- Read our guidance for instructor candidates.
- Speak to the course director before the course, so you know what you will be asked to do.
- The course director or co-director will watch you teach and make some notes about your performance.
7. After teaching as an instructor candidate
The course director will discuss your performance with you:
- If you did well, they will let us know, and we will give you full faculty status. You need to teach on the course at least every two years to maintain your faculty status.
- If they think you aren’t ready to be faculty yet, they will tell you why and give you advice on areas to work on. You may be given an opportunity to try again at a later date.