Becoming a Student Ambassador

This article was written by BA(Hons) Film student, Alexandro.

Before arriving at university, being able to get a job that would earn money was something I knew I needed to find for myself, however I was stressed about being able to find it, especially as an international student and the restrictions that come with that. I did eventually find work as a Student Ambassador and I couldn’t have been happier with my success in this job. If you're reading this blog, I assume you are also likely interested in the ambassador role and I hope I can help you by telling you a bit about my journey and experiences.

The job started like any other: an application, an interview and then patiently waiting for a response. I was fortunate enough that people liked my application and interview and I became an ambassador in my first year of university. It was a little strange at first, adjusting to the work. I’d done similar jobs before, but nothing had really been quite like this. I quickly found my footing and realised the many benefits and comforts that come with the role. Some of the benefits of a job like this one are more obvious, such as being able to earn above minimum wage while you study, or the zero hour work contract, which allows you to mould your hours around your classes (not to mention that these shifts are available all year round, not just during the academic term). Another advantage is the variety that exists in the work opportunities, especially if you apply to be a part of one of the ambassador sub-categories, such as a Digital Ambassador (which I do). This makes your potential shifts range from big in-person jobs like Open Days and Graduation, to smaller ones such as private tours or making digital content for the university. I've found the best part of the job for me hasn’t been these aforementioned benefits, but rather the ones you might not expect: the community and skills learnt. 

Going in, I didn’t expect to learn as much. I thought I'd already learnt a lot of the anticipated skills, but it was to my surprise I ended up not only sharpening my current skillset, but learning new ones that helped my film work and daily life. I sharpened my people skills, creative problem solving, leadership, collaboration and much more. These skillsets are also not only beneficial for my work life but also my daily life; some of them have become crucial to the way I simply take on the world and process information.