Applications are sought for a Research Officer to work on a project on 'The
Geography of Human Smuggling and Trafficking', located within a new research
programme on migration and citizenship funded by the Leverhulme Trust. The
post is based at the Migration Research Unit in the Department of Geography
at University College London. The post focuses initially on research with
Afghan and Pakistani asylum seekers and immigrants in the UK, and potential
migrants and returnees in Pakistan. The project is being led by Dr Khalid
Koser and Professor John Salt.

Please find details attached/below.

Leverhulme Programme on Migration and Citizenship at Bristol University and
University College London

RESEARCH OFFICER - THE GEOGRAPHY OF HUMAN SMUGGLING AND TRAFFICKING

Thank you for your interest in the above post. The project is located within
a new research programme on migration and citizenship, funded by the
Leverhulme Trust. The post is based at the Migration Research Unit (MRU) at
University College London, from 1 June 2003 or as soon as possible
thereafter. For further information about the research programme and the MRU
please visit our web site at http:/www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/mru/

Enclosed in this pack are:
- A job description
- A person specification
- An outline of the research project

The deadline for applications is 14 March 2003. Applications should be in
the form of a cv, covering letter explaining how you meet the job
description and person specification, and names and addresses of two
referees.

It is intended that interviews will take place at University College London
in the week of 31 March - 4 April. Please provide an e-mail or telephone
number at which you can be contacted after 14 March.

Applications should be sent to:

Dr Khalid Koser
Migration Research Unit
Department of Geography
UCL
26 Bedford Way
London WC1H 0AP

Enquiries should be directed to Lyn Hollyman:  [log in to unmask]

UCL is an equal opportunities employer

Job Description

Project Title:  The Geography of Human Smuggling and Trafficking
Job:  Research Officer/Senior Research Officer
Grade:  Up to Spine Point 11, but in exceptional circumstances could be up
to 14
Salary:  Up to £25,451 plus London Allowance (Spine Point 11)
Period:  1 June 2003 or as soon as possible thereafter, for 15 months
Reporting to:  Dr Khalid Koser and Professor John Salt
Reporting to Job Holder: None
Overall Purpose:  This post is to work on a project intended to understand
patterns and processes of human smuggling and trafficking, focusing on a
case study of
movement between Pakistan and the UK. The post will be based at the
Migration Research Unit in the Department of Geography at UCL. The project
is part of a research programme that is joint with Bristol University.
Hours:  Full-time. Daily working hours by agreement
Principal Duties:
- To undertake a background literature search on human smuggling and
trafficking
- To take primary responsibility for fieldwork with Afghan and Pakistani
asylum seekers and immigrants in the UK, combining a social survey, in-depth
interviews and household interviews.
- To assist with interviews with Government and international organisations
in the UK and possibly in Europe (Brussels, Geneva)
- To assist with fieldwork in Pakistan
- To take responsibility for organising a mid-project and end-of-project
workshop, as well as other administrative tasks within the research
programme as appropriate
- To contribute to the analysis of the data collected
- To contribute to drafting interim and final reports
- To help prepare results for further publication
- To help prepare applications for further research funding

Person Specification

Essential:

*Education and Qualifications*
- A Masters degree or PhD in an appropriate social sciencediscipline
- Training in research methods

*Experience*
- Experience of social research, including qualitative methods

*Skills*
- Familiarity with current debates on international migration and human
smuggling and trafficking
- Ability to use computers for word processing, data processing and analysis
- Good interpersonal skills

*Disposition*
- Ability to work as part of a team
- Willingness to travel within Europe, and possibly to Pakistan, for up to
one month with reasonable notice

*Motivation and career aims*
- Commitment to completion of the research topic

Desirable:

*Experience*
- Experience of work outside the UK

*Skills*
- Ability to speak Urdu or an Afghan language

The Geography of Human Smuggling and Trafficking: Project Description

Human smuggling and trafficking are rising on political agendas but remain
understudied. This project builds upon earlier research by Koser and Salt
and elaborates an existing empirically-driven model (1) . The project has
three main research questions:

(1) How are smugglers and traffickers changing the geography of
international
migration?
(2) How are migrant smuggling and trafficking developing as a business?
(3) What are the implications of smuggling and trafficking for migrants
themselves?

The project is targeted on migrants and will focus on origins and
destinations, specifically Pakistan and the UK. It will collect, combine and
analyse an extensive amount of new qualitative and quantitative data on
smuggling and trafficking within a new theoretical framework. What is
particularly innovative about this study is its attempt to combine
perspectives from both sending and receiving countries.

It is intended that the project will have number of outcomes. First, it will
provide an overview of the smuggling and trafficking processes as they
affect migrants, communites and institutions. Second it will pilot a
methodology for investigating smuggling and trafficking and assess
alternative methods. Third it will examine existing concepts of smuggling
and trafficking in the light of factual evidence. Finally, it will develop a
more refined model of these processes in the light of research evidence, and
draw conclusions about the model's validity and utility.

1 John Salt and Jeremy Stein (1997) Migration as a business: the case of
trafficking, International Migration 35(4): 467-94

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