Full-time Officers (eligibility):
Q: Can I stand for a Full-time Officer position if I am an international student? Won’t I need a new visa?
A: You will not need a new visa to your existing visa but you will need to get an extension. See our Rights & Advice Centre for more information (1st floor, Bloomsbury Theatre Building, Monday-Friday: 10am-4pm)
Q: I am a PhD student funded by a research council, how can I interrupt my studies to stand for a Full-time Officer position? Will I lose my funding?
A: You will need to check with your Research Council on whether they will allow an interruption. See our Rights & Advice Centre for more information (1st floor, Bloomsbury Theatre Building, Monday-Friday: 10am-4pm)
Q: I am a Medical Student and have exams over the summer. How will I be able to interrupt my studies to stand for a Full-time Officer position?
A: You won’t need to interrupt your exams; you can take your exams over the summer as required. The induction/training programme the Union runs over the summer months (i.e. July, August) for the incoming Full-time Officers, will be adjusted for you to accommodate your exams.
Q: I am a student who has clinics/dissertation/exams over summer and will therefore miss out on training. Am I eligible to stand? How can I make this up?
A: Yes, you are eligible to stand. We will work our induction/training arrangements around your exams and other academic commitments.
Q: I am a final year undergraduate/one year masters/final year PhD student meaning I will have finished at UCL. Can I still stand for a Full-time Officer position?
A: Yes, you only need to be a registered UCL student and UCLU member when you stand for the elections.
Q: I am a first year student and want to stand for a Full-time Officer position. Is this possible?
A: Yes, you can stand for a Full-time Officer position if you are currently a first year student as you are a registered UCL student (and UCLU member).
Full-time Officers (responsibilities and benefits):
Q: If I am earning a stipend as a Full-time Officer, will I have to pay Council Tax?
A: Yes, you will have to pay Council Tax. However, if you just live with other students, you are entitled to 25% discount from your Local Council.
Q: What will be my normal hours of work?
A: You will normally work 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday, although there may be events which mean you would need to work evenings and weekends. However for any additional hours you work, you can take these back as time off.
Q: Will being a Full-time Officer completely take over my life? Will I still be able to be active in Clubs and Societies and have some free evening and weekends?
A: Being a Full-time Officer is a demanding commitment with often long days in the office. However, it does not take over your life: you will be able to carry on with any clubs or societies’ activities, e.g. Wednesday afternoons can be blocked booked in your diary for these activities and even though you will need to attend meeting on some evenings, there are not many, you’ll have most of the evenings free for yourself. As for weekends, there are optional training events and conferences which you can attend, so it’s up to you.
Q: Would I need to attend many meetings?
A: The Full-time Officers attend meetings of the Trustee Board, its Committees and Union Council as well as meetings of UCL Committees. There are also other meetings for project planning or team work. Attending the meetings is compulsory and apologies should be sent if for any reason you are unable to attend. There are always many other reasons for many other meetings but every effort is made to keep a balance in your daily diary commitments allowing time to plan your own work, deal with your messages, etc
Q: Would there be opportunities for training and personal development?
A: Yes, plenty. Apart from the induction programme in July/August, many useful sessions are planned and delivered throughout the year including Project Planning, Public Speaking, Meeting and Chairing Skills, Harassment & Bullying and Equal Opportunities & Diversity Workshops, just to name a few. In addition, as a Full-time Officer you will be able to register to Personal Development sessions run by UCL and take up opportunities with external training and conferences.
If you have any other questions, feel free to get in touch with us.