Student Welfare Intern

Thank you for your interest in becoming a Student Welfare Intern at Cardiff University Students’ Union. The Students’ Union is committed to promoting the interests and welfare of students at Cardiff University. Recruiting passionate and committed staff is essential for us as we build on recent successes and continue to move forward. We are looking for new Student Welfare Interns to launch our 2019 – 2020 Welcome Team Project and to assist with the continued development of our Student Advice Centre and associated Student Welfare Projects.

The Students’ Union is a not-for-profit membership organisation, independent of Cardiff University, which currently has a student population over 30,000 full- and part-time students. As an integral part of the Students’ Union, the Student Advice & Welfare team engage with over 5,000 of our students annually, providing advice and support through a range of academic, housing, financial and emotional issues. Our team also has a fundamental role in the welcoming of new students to the university community, the administration of welfare-based campaigns and the support of Student Led Services. Further information of the Students’ Union can be found at cardiffstudents.com/advice.

This webpage and the associated recruitment pack should provide you with everything that you need to support your application. If you have any questions, or would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Joshua Gibbs, Head of Student Advice, on GibbsJD@cardiff.ac.uk or 02920 781410.

To Apply

We would encourage you to read the associated recruitment pack, prior to making your application. 

  • Send your CV, plus a supporting statement detailing why you are applying for the position and how you meet the requirements, to Joshua Gibbs, on GibbsJD@cardiff.ac.uk;
  • Your supporting statement should be no more than two sides of A4;
  • Your supporting statement should show how you meet the requirements described in the person specification in this pack, and;
  • The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Friday 7 June 2019.

About the Union

Cardiff University Students’ Union (CUSU) has a vision of working with every Cardiff student to enhance their university experience. As a student-led, independent part of the university, CUSU represents students and provides a diverse and inclusive range of activities and services that enrich student life. These include advice, training, skills development, volunteering opportunities, employment and other services that promote inclusion, friendship and personal development. CUSU supports over 200 student societies and 60 sports clubs, that boast more than 10,000 members. CUSU is also the recognised voice of students at Cardiff University, joining students in campaigning about the issues important to them.

CUSU is based on Park Place and at the Heath Park campus, employing over 100 permanent staff and 300 student staff. The trading subsidiary of CUSU, Cardiff Union Services Limited, manages a purpose built facility in the centre of Cardiff and operates cafes, shops, bars and events that help fund CUSU’s charitable activities. The organisation achieved ‘Excellent’ accreditation under the National Union of Students Quality Students’ Unions quality mark, as well as achieving Investors in Diversity Stage 2, and the ‘Gold’ award through the Best Bar None Accreditation Scheme. CUSU aspires to have a positive impact on the wider community in Cardiff, and is consistently graded the number one Students’ Union in Wales and in the top three in the UK for student satisfaction. We are a Sunday Times Top 100 Non-Profit Best Companies to Work For.

We have recently adopted a new three year Strategy to take us through to 2021.

The four themes of our Strategic Purpose are:

  • The Heart of Student Life – to maintain our place at the heart of student life and prepare for the Centre for Student Life;
  • Home of the Student Voice – we will develop our role as the home of the student voice, cultivate our relationships across the university and enhance communication with our stakeholders;
  • Sector Leading Facilities and Services – we will create and support the development of sector-leading activities and services that help make students succeed, and;
  • Engaging our less engaged communities – we will engage with Heath Park and less-engaged student communities so that the Union means something to every Cardiff student.

Student Welfare Intern

Accountable to: Head of Student Advice, and Student Advice & Welfare Coordinator. 

Payment: £8.21 Hourly (£8.21 per hour + 12% Holiday Pay = £9.20)

Hours: Zero Hours Contract (350 Total Expected Hours: June – October 2019)

Suggested flexible/negotiable arrangement:

  • June               35 Hours (after exam season)     
  • July                 70 Hours
  • August           70 Hours
  • September    140 Hours
  • October         35 Hours

Location: Student Advice, Cardiff University Students’ Union, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3QN

Purpose of the Role

To provide support to the Head of Student Advice and a Student Advice & Welfare Coordinator in both the delivery of the 2019 Welcome Team Project and the administration of enquiries in the Student Advice Centre.

Project Element

Every year the Students’ Union welcomes about 7,000 new students to the University community through a variety of projects, campaigns and activities. The Student Welfare Intern role is created to assist with the project work of the Students’ Union in improving student welfare, creating supportive communities, and developing student leadership. This role will in particular oversee the administration of recruitment, training and operations within the Welcome Team Project.

Advice Enquiry Element

The role is also required to support the enquiry point system within the Student Advice Centre. This includes the handling of student enquiries, the administration of our case management system and ensuring clients are supported in seeking advice.

Role Profile

1. To support Student Advice & Welfare team in delivery of the 2019 Welcome Team Project.

  1. To engage with and dispense the requirements of the Welcome Team Project (and associated project plans) to ensure the project objectives are successfully delivered;
  2. To assist with marketing and promotional activities to encourage students to volunteer as part of the Welcome Team;
  3. To follow designated procedures in the recruitment of applicants to the Welcome Team;
  4. To administer an internal communications plan with applicants who progress through the recruitment journey of the project;
  5. To administer systems and procedures for the processing and holding of personal data as required by the project;
  6. To assist with the creation and delivery of volunteer training, in accordance with designated training aims;
  7. To assist with the administration of a Team Leader system, providing support, guidance and direction as needed;
  8. To supervise and motivate volunteer activity, through layers of leadership, across Cardiff University sites;
  9. To administer certificates, awards, surveys and to engage with other activities in effectively closing down the Welcome Team project, and;
  10. To undertake other reasonable duties for the Welcome Team Project as directed by the Head of Student Advice.

 

2. To provide enquiry, reception and administrative support to the Student Advice Centre.

  1. To provide high quality administrative support for the Student Advice Centre;
  2. To be prepared to act as the first point of contact for users of the Student Advice Centre; handling simple advice enquiries, and allocating cases to advisers as needed;
  3. To engage with departmental systems, procedures and software to assist with effectively maintaining records of client information;
  4. To work closely with the staff and volunteer teams in distributing casework through the case management system;
  5. To observe Confidentiality, Customer Care and Safeguarding Policies;
  6. To create content for the departmental social media accounts and administer the ‘Help and Support’ webpages on www.cardiffstudents.com/Advice; 
  7. If requested, to be responsible for the planning and delivery of welfare-based campaigns, initiatives and projects;
  8. If requested, to administer market research, data analytics and feedback to inform welfare policy creation;
  9. To undertake other reasonable duties as directed by the Head of Student Advice.

 

3. Other duties

  1. To abide by the Union’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, Bye-Laws, and policies and procedures at all times;
  2. To contribute to the positive image of the Union with students, the University and the local community;
  3. To be a leader in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and an advocate for the Union’s broader vision and values;
  4. To be an excellent role model who promotes high standards of probity, integrity and honesty;
  5. To uphold and promote the mission of the Students’ Union, working towards its strategic vision;
  6. To undertake other tasks and responsibilities commensurate with the level and nature of the post as required by the Head of Student Advice from time to time.

 

4. Championing the Students’ Union’s Values

  1. To be an ambassador for Cardiff University Students’ Union, at all times championing its values:
  2. Providing opportunities and empower;
  3. Being excellent at what we do by being totally inclusive;
  4. Championing student leadership;
  5. Facilitating positive change, and;
  6. Listening, communicating, and engaging.

Person Specification

For the person specification please see the associated recruitment pack. 

Terms and Conditions

This post is a paid, casual worker zero-hours contract with Cardiff Union Services Ltd (CUSL). The salary is £8.21 per hour, plus holiday pay. You will be paid fortnightly in arrears via BACs transfer.

We expect the post holder to work about 350 hours between June and October 2019, but there is no legal obligation on the part of CUSL to provide work.

Post holders will be required to register with the CUSU Jobshop and ensure that they meet the respective Right to Work requirements.

You will be required to maintain a satisfactory level of performance and behaviour at all times, whilst being compliant with the Code of Behaviour and Discipline set out in the CUSL Student Workers’ Handbook.

Recruitment Timetable

There are three stages to the Student Welfare Intern recruitment process:

  • Paper application;
  • Written exercise, and;
  • Formal interview.

If you would like to apply for the position, please send your CV, plus a supporting statement detailing why you are applying for the position and how you meet the requirements of the post to Joshua Gibbs, GibbsJD@cardiff.ac.uk. Your supporting statement should be no more than two sides of A4 and should show how you meet the requirements described in the person specification in this pack.

Applications will close at 12.00 noon on Friday 7 June 2019.

If successfully shortlisted you will be contacted by Monday 10 June 2019 and asked to complete a second shortlisting exercise by Monday 17 June 2019. We then expect interviews to take place on Saturday 22 June 2019.

About the Welcome Team

Transitioning into University can be an incredibly daunting time. At a time where one in three students has a mental health problem and reported student loneliness is at an all-time high, we believe we have a duty to facilitate new students transition into a supportive student community.

We believe the best way to help settle nerves and ensure students are ready to start their new journey is to create spaces where their peers can engage and welcome them to University. For many new students, this will be their first interaction with the Students’ Union; we therefore want to make a lasting positive impression.

The Welcome Team Project works on the premise that the best people to welcome new students to the University environment are students themselves. We want to recruit, train and supervise 500 student volunteers to engage with a range of opportunities to effectively transition new students into the student community, ensuring they have the confidence to engage with welcome opportunities, and supporting their welfare.

About Student Advice

Student Advice provides free, confidential, independent and impartial guidance to students of Cardiff University. The service serves to empower students with objective information to make decisions in their own best interests and, where necessary, we accompany and represent students through University disciplinary and regulatory procedures.

As a department, Student Advice engages with 4,000 – 5,000 student clients a year, the majority of which will first approach our enquiry team. Our enquiry team will engage with student clients in person, by telephone and email. The team will process clients through designated systems and procedures in compliance with Students’ Union Policies and in accordance with Best Practice principles. They also act as a first point of support for students.

Student Advice also has a number of staff who promote the interests and welfare of students through welfare-based campaigning, the management of networks of welfare volunteers, the support of Student Led Services, and other activities designed to safeguard student welfare and promote supportive student communities.

 

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