Graduate Scheme Or Full-Time Officer Year - Or Both?

We know a lot of you may have started looking at grad schemes and careers after university. We know you’re thinking carefully about the opportunities available to you now; with a whole new set of skills, experience, and (most importantly) qualifications.

Hopefully, you’re looking for opportunities that can help you up-skill and gain experience. Possibly a role that stretches and challenges you, whilst rewarding you for your endeavours.

You might not have considered it, but the perfect opportunity might be right in front of you – a Full Time Officer of the Students’ Union.

Yep, those people. They work full-time, they’re paid, and they pick up a load of invaluable experience along the way.

Straight to the top

Unlike a grad scheme where you start at the bottom, our Full Time Officers start at the top. You’ll instantly become a Trustee of a multi-million-pound organisation. Being a trustee, you’ll be responsible for the strategic direction and financial security of LUSU. That means setting budgets and making big decisions.

Our Full Time Officers also sit at the top table in the University: at Council, Senate, and a whole host of key decision-making spaces across the institution.

Access to these spaces, and your position as a valued and influential voice within them, is rare and sought after. It’s an opportunity to gain valuable leadership experience at a senior level, influence decisions, and give back to the institution and student community.

It’s actually fun

The role of a Full Time Officer is incredibly varied: no two days are the same, you won’t be attached to a desk, and you still get to access all the amazing opportunities available to students. We even give you free access to The Sugarhouse.

If you want to spend another year playing the sport you love, enjoying student life, or giving back to your student community – this is the role for you.

Your development

As a Full Time Officer, we will support your development into a reflective, assertive, and compassionate leader.

Between starting in July and Welcome Week in October, you’ll get comprehensive training on topics including leadership, negotiation, communication, public speaking, and being a charity Trustee. You’ll be inducted into everything at the Students’ Union and get to know the senior leaders in the University.

We invest a lot of time and money into the training of our Full Time Officers: mentoring, coaching, on-going training and development, an externally delivered 360 review, and attendance at conferences and sector events.

Unlike a grad scheme, you aren’t in competition with your peers. As a group of Full Time Officers, we’ll support you to develop as a strong, supportive, and cohesive team.

Reward

Sabbatical Officers are paid ￡22k, in-line with a national pay scale on a fixed term of 12 months. According to Milkround, grad schemes in the Northwest range around ￡23 - ￡27k. We pay slightly less, but offer so much more for your personal development, and it’s fun. Genuinely fun – not table tennis table in the office fun – but a truthfully interesting, challenging, and varied opportunity.

In addition, you’ll get 25 days annual leave plus closure days at Christmas and Easter, free entry to Sugar (+ two friends), an annual bus pass, a Totum card, and all the added benefits of being a member of the Students’ Union.

Why not both?

Any student can nominate themselves to be a Full Time Officer of the Students’ Union during our elections in Lent Term.

If you’re in your final year of study, this could mean you might be doing the role for 12 months after graduation. Many of our Full Time Officers have then gone on to use their experience to boost their applications for grad schemes.

“I have often said that I don’t think I would’ve got onto my grad scheme if it weren’t for the experience I had as a Full-Time Officer. Or, at least, it would’ve been much more difficult - whilst navigating the gruelling application and assessment centre process, I was able to draw on so many learnings from my time as an officer. I’ve also been able to start thriving much quicker than expected in my new role because of the confidence I gained through the unique challenge of being an officer. Once you’ve been put right at the top of a charity, as Chair of a Trustee Board, a University Councillor and had debates with the Vice Chancellor, everything else you face in your career seems completely achievable!”

India Ellis, LUSU President 22/23

If you’ve still got a year or more left, you can take a sabbatical year out of your studies to be a Full Time Officer. Like a high-impact placement year – 12 intense months to gain skills, experience, and references to super-charge your future career.

Interested?

Nominations are open now!

You can nominate yourself here?until Friday 16th February 2024.

I’m not quite ready

We aren’t just electing the Full Time Officers this term. We’re also looking for our Liberation & Campaigns Officers too!

You can find out more about these roles here?or on the nominations platform.

If you want to know more, please email [email protected].