Become a Forum Helper on The Student Room!
The Forum Helper Team
The Student Room is the UK's largest online student community, where millions of students come together to ask questions, share experiences, and support one another.
A key part of the community is shaped by our Forum Helper Team. If you have found value here and would like to support others in the same way, we warmly encourage you to consider becoming a Forum Helper. In doing so, you will be part of an amazing team, learn new skills, develop as a person, and meet new people at exclusive meet-ups, all while making a real difference to the lives of students.
What do Forum Helpers do?
You may have seen our Forum Helpers across the site, identified by the blue Forum Helper title alongside their username. Some support specific sections where they have particular expertise, while others contribute more broadly across the community.
As part of the application process, you will be asked about your interests. This helps us get you involved in activities that align with your strengths and support your development as you begin and progress in the Forum Helper role.
Why should I join the Forum Helper Team?
There are many reasons to consider joining the Forum Helper team. Here are a few:
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Work with others to create and run engaging projects on The Student Room, including Grow Your Grades and exam season projects.
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Help build a welcoming and active community by offering advice, answering questions, keeping forums organised and encouraging participation.
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Take part in training, including university application guidance and peer support.
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Engage with a clear mentoring programme with opportunities to progress and take on more responsibility.
Am I eligible to join?
In order to join the Forum Helper team you must:
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Be aged 16 or over.
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Demonstrate a good understanding of the Community Guidelines (your Community Record will provide a good indication of this).
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Be able to make regular contributions (at least a couple of hours a week on average) to the site, such as responding to threads, participating in discussions, creating content, and supporting projects.
How do I make an application?
To apply, post in our Forum Helper Applications forum.
Please answer the following questions as part of your application:
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What areas of TSR have you been involved with so far, or do you have particular experience or interest in?
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What would you like to do or get involved with as a TSR volunteer?
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Can you commit a reasonable amount of time (at least a couple of hours a week on average) to TSR?
Reply 1
Which sections should I apply for?
There are seven sections on The Student Room: Careers and Jobs, Chat, Debate and Current Affairs, Entertainment, Life and Style, Study Help and Universities.
You are very welcome to apply for as many sections as you like. We just encourage you to focus on areas where you already have a consistent and well-established posting history, as this helps show your familiarity with the section(s).
What happens when I submit an application and how long will my application take to process?
Once you have submitted your application, a Volunteer Section Leader from one of the areas you have mentioned you have particular interest or experience in will reach out to you.
Please keep in mind that applications are reviewed by volunteers, so response times can vary depending on their availability. As a reminder, the people reviewing applications are volunteers, so there may be times when life is a bit busier and responses take a few days. If you have not heard anything after 7 working days and are unsure whether your application has been seen, you are welcome to tag a few Volunteer Section Leaders in your application thread. They will usually let you know how long to wait before following up again.
Once your application has been picked up, it is completely normal for there to be up to around 14 days between stages, depending on how much time volunteers have available. If it has been longer than that, it is reasonable to tag a few VSLs for an update.
What could the outcome of my application be?
Applications can progress at different speeds, so there is no need for concern if yours takes some time:
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Your application may be approved, and your Forum Helper permissions will be set up shortly after.
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You may instead receive feedback to work on first, such as contributing more to a specific section or across the site before returning at a later point. This is completely normal, and your application will usually remain open during this time.
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Your application may be declined due to your community record. In this case, you will be informed if and when you are eligible to reapply. The thread will then be closed, but you are welcome to create a new one when you are ready to apply again.
How clean does my Community Record need to be?
Your Community Record is assessed on a case-by-case basis, so there is no fixed number of cards that would automatically affect an application. Instead, several factors are considered, including:
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The type of cards received.
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How recently they were issued, regardless of whether they are still active.
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The nature of the rules that are broken.
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The total number of cards received.
In most cases, Forum Helper applicants have no cards at all, so hopefully this is not something you need to be concerned about.
How do I become part of the Volunteer Team or become a Volunteer Section Leader?
After being a Forum Helper for at least three months, you may be eligible to join the Volunteer Team. This role provides a few additional tools to help keep the community safe, along with more opportunities to get involved across the site. Please tag your mentor in your Forum Helper thread if you’d like to learn more about progressing to the Volunteer Team. Users who show consistent engagement as Forum Helpers may also be approached and encouraged to apply.
Volunteer Section Leaders are experienced members of the team who are appointed to oversee one or more sections of the site. They manage Forum Helper applications and take on a range of wider administrative responsibilities. To be considered for this role, you would first need to become a Forum Helper, then join the Volunteer Team after at least three months, and demonstrate a consistent and reliable presence within the section(s) you would like to lead. Final decisions on VSL appointments are made by the Community Staff.
As part of becoming part of the Volunteer Team+, we do ask for a DBS check. If you have any concerns, please do reach out to the Community Staff who will answer any questions you may have.
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