Student elections - Pros and cons of standing

I was ina club last night and bumped into the president of the student union, he said that were discussing elections in a meeting the otherday and wanted somebody in the union who has been a student and lived at home, so they thought of me (yes I am quite well known at Salford :love:

)

I am however in my final year and I am not sure if I have to the time to start all this politics and election manifestos. If I was to win it would be a full time job 9-5, the pay would be crap, but it would be a huge thing to have on my CV.

However I don't think I have any chances of winning and my work could suffer and I really need a 2:1.

Has anybody had any experience of being actvily invovled in the union?

Reply 1

Muse

13

AT82

I was ina club last night and bumped into the president of the student union, he said that were discussing elections in a meeting the otherday and wanted somebody in the union who has been a student and lived at home, so they thought of me (yes I am quite well known at Salford :love:

)

I am however in my final year and I am not sure if I have to the time to start all this politics and election manifestos. If I was to win it would be a full time job 9-5, the pay would be crap, but it would be a huge thing to have on my CV.

However I don't think I have any chances of winning and my work could suffer and I really need a 2:1.

Has anybody had any experience of being actvily invovled in the union?

my mate at another uni has just been made vice president of the union and i think his CV will be to die for :rolleyes:

maybe use the time you'd spend doing something other than working for creating an election campaign. if you're sure it would affect your chances of getting a 2.1 though, i don't think it's worth it. a 2.2 and a sabbitical year as a union officer isn't as beneficial as a 2.1 without.

Reply 2

Mark_KK

10

We have just had elections.

Wondering if they really matter, no-one can really do anything that will make much difference.

Reply 3

Muse

13

Mark_KK

Wondering if they really matter, no-one can really do anything that will make much difference.

Well our union president got us withdrawn from the NUS. we had a referendum a while afterwards though and ended up back in it :frown:

Reply 4

Mark_KK

10

What are the pros and cons of being in the NUS?

Reply 5

Noel

6

I would like to stand for election when I go to university, but never knew it was sooo time consuming (9-5?) What do you do if you are elected?

Reply 6

AT82

OP

You are employed by the union, its a bit like being an MP. Its a 9-5 job. Of course one the things I want to do when I am really old and ancient and have a bit of money is to setup a nightclub, so the experience gained in such a position will help me.

Reply 7

muncrun

1

AT82

You are employed by the union, its a bit like being an MP. Its a 9-5 job. Of course one the things I want to do when I am really old and ancient and have a bit of money is to setup a nightclub, so the experience gained in such a position will help me.

That's only if you take on one of the sabbatical roles. There are also plenty of non-sab roles within an SU, which don't require a year out.

Reply 8

AT82

OP

muncrun

That's only if you take on one of the sabbatical roles. There are also plenty of non-sab roles within an SU, which don't require a year out.

It is a sabbatical role, I said to him the reason I hadn't bothered standing for elections is the fact I am leaving in June, he said that didn't matter as its a full time job. They seem to really want a student who has lived at home involved in running the union so they can maximise the quality of live for these students who can feel isolated.

Reply 9

lou p lou

2

i think you should go for it... only spend as much time as you can afford without neglecting your work on your election campaign, if you don't get in then at least you tried

lou xxx

Reply 10

Chrism

1

One way to ensure it doesn't impinge upon your studies is to get other people to help do the campaigning for you. The most successful candidates here are usually those who've managed to organise their friends and coursemates most effectively.

Reply 11

viviki

14

Its well worth it to have on your cv and its an interesting job too.

Reply 12

ChemistBoy

16

Don't bother, SU's are more hassle than they are worth and are generally full of petty politicos trying to improve their chances of getting selected at the next party meeting.

Student elections - Pros and cons of standing

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