Have you ever considered working for Student Services?
Would you like to support university students however you are not sure what roles may be available? In the article below, I will explain what is involved in student services and the various ways you could provide support.
Student Services focuses on helping students throughout their academic years. They cover areas from mental health and well-being, disability support, financial advice, course administration and examinations, just to mention a few areas. Supporting students throughout their university studies is a rewarding professional area and you will find several exciting and varied roles. If you are already working in student services, you could transition to a different area and gain further professional skills. If you have worked in admissions, you may be able to move to course administration or the accommodation office. If you have a background in business development, you could take on more senior responsibilities within the alumni relations department. If you have never worked in the higher education sector before, you might really enjoy stepping into this field and supporting students from different backgrounds.
Generally speaking, you would need to demonstrate good organisational skills and be genuinely interested in helping young people. It is also important that you can communicate effectively with a range of individuals such as students, university colleagues, academics and senior managers.
Admissions
Working in admissions can be a rewarding role. If you work as part of the admissions team, you can coordinate the application processes, organise open days, meet prospective candidates, and represent the university at student recruitment events. You can find a list of vacancies here.
Accommodation:
The accommodation office arranges accommodation for undergraduate and/or postgraduate students. They support student arrivals and departures and handle students’ queries. Please see here for vacancies.
Examination and course administration
Are you an efficient administrator who enjoys paying close attention to detail? Universities need administrators who can manage timetabling, assessments and examinations. You will be able to interact with students and faculty from a wide range of backgrounds. If you wish to progress your career, you could transition to another administrative role such as admissions. To see current vacancies, please visit this site.
Immigration and visa support
Most international students need to apply for a visa, and they need guidance from the university’s visa advisers. The visa application process can be complex and visa officers need to provide up-to-date information to candidates. Universities generally have a number of visa advisers to help. They may also be called visa compliance officers, visa support officers, student immigration compliance and advice officers etc. To see current openings, please visit this site.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
According to the National Institute of Health and Care Research, three-quarters of mental health issues start by the age of 24 and continue to cause distress throughout people’s lives. Universities are increasingly aware of students’ mental health challenges which include anxiety and depression. Working in this field, you will be able to contribute to the physical and mental well-being of students and help them overcome everyday challenges. To see a list of current student health vacancies, please see this site.
Physical health
Many universities have sports centres and offer a range of physical activities to students. Sports clubs could range from dancing, basketball, and rugby to rowing and athletics. These can be very helpful for students as they can make new friends and feel part of a community. Sports centres need administrative, facilities and management staff to ensure the smooth running of the facilities. To deliver the sports activities, coaches and instructors are needed who are interested in health and fitness. If you would like to work in this field, take a look at the openings at this site.
Disabilities support
Universities aim to provide equal access to education and to empower disabled students to fulfil their potential. Members of the disabilities team work with students to put in place reasonable adjustments and facilitate access to study. Some of the advice would cover areas such as dyslexia, dyspraxia/DCD, attention deficit disorder and dyscalculia, autistic spectrum conditions as well as physical and mental health conditions. You may come across job titles such as disability support coordinator/ adviser/ officer, disabilities services manager etc. To see a list of vacancies in this field, please visit this site.
Language centre
Most universities offer a range of language courses to both students and employees. Some of these are designed specifically for international students and help them develop their academic writing skills. Students who are planning to study overseas may also find language courses helpful (e.g. those who have been awarded a scholarship overseas). Language centres employ language tutors, administrators, receptionists and interpreters. If you have an interest in languages and you would like to work in this field, do take a look at this site.
Careers services and employability
Being involved in career services will give you the opportunity to help students find jobs both before and after graduation. You could advise students on how to improve their job applications, offer mock interviews and connect them with potential recruiters. For career opportunities, please visit this site.
Student Finance
If you are interested in finance, working in this field might be a great career option. You could provide guidance on tuition fees, scholarships, bursaries, grants and money management. For the majority of roles, you would need some background in financial management and providing advice to individuals. To see current openings, please visit here.
Alumni relations
Working within the alumni office would give you the opportunity to communicate with former students of the university. This is a varied and rewarding professional field. You could be involved in managing alumni databases, organising national or overseas alumni events and leading fundraising campaigns. You may be asked to travel overseas and to represent the university and to keep in touch with previous students. Many people working in alumni relations have a background in business development, marketing or events management. You can find current alumni vacancies, here.
Examination and course administration
I would love to work in the above mentioned area .I have nearly ten years of working experience in academic sector as a visiting lecture in Sri Lankan Universities in Sri Lanka, handling with young graduates.