Working life

Getting started

As you prepare to take up your new role, we encourage you to explore all the resources available to help you settle in. Once you have your University email address, your starting point for practical guidance is New to the University and the HR Support pages which provide a wealth of information on staff benefits and policies. To help you find your way around our physical spaces, please refer to our Access Guide and visit the IT Getting Started Guide to set up your digital workspace. Join the Oxford University Newcomers' Club to begin building your social life, and please visit our Sustainability page to discover how you can contribute to the University’s ambitious environmental targets and its drive to achieve both net zero carbon and biodiversity gain by 2035.

Understanding Oxford's academic traditions

Academic year and terms 

The Oxford academic year is divided into three eight-week terms according to the Anglican church calendar: 

  • Michaelmas (winter term) is named after the Feast of Saint Michael, which begins at the end of September 

  • Hilary (spring term) is named after the Feast of Saint Hilary, which takes place the week before the first Sunday of this term 

  • Trinity (summer term) is named after Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost. 

Each week in 'full term' runs from Sunday to Saturday, from weeks 1 to 8, and many committees will meet in a particular week of term. It is worth marking your calendar until you become used to the system: for exact dates, see the dates of term listings. The weeks before and after full term are also numbered, particularly for graduates and staff who continue to work outside of term time, this results in references to weeks 9, 10 ,11 and even 'noughth week' (pronounced 'nought’) which is the week before first week.

Academic dress 

Like most universities, some members of the University wear academic gowns at graduation ceremonies, however, they may also need to be worn at formal occasions, such as Encaenia (the ceremony at which the University of Oxford awards honorary degrees to distinguished men and women and commemorates its benefactors) and special college dinners. 

Please see the University guidance on full academic dress to know when you need to wear it and find stockists from whom to buy or rent.

The language of Oxford 

One of the first things you will notice when you come to Oxford is that the University has its own peculiar vocabulary. You can familiarise yourself with some of the common terminology by consulting the Oxford Glossary.

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