Contrary to popular belief, being an Academic Representative really doesn’t require that much effort or time yet you can still find something worthy out of the experience whether you’re looking for a self-development project or evidence of volunteering for your CV.

Your role and responsibilities

Academic Reps ensure the recognition of student voices and most importantly that their concerns are addressed with regards to their programme and overall student experience.  They raise issues about teaching and learning quality including the things that work well and the things they would like to see improved. They engage directly with departmental staff and heads directly to relay student feedback and apply pressure so that issues are resolved as swiftly as possible. These can be as trivial as technical issues with Moodle or far-reaching like the removal or addition of a degree or module from the department’s teaching. If you’re feeling brave or want a challenge, you will also be eligible to become a Consultative Forum Rep and represent your whole department, attending Consultative Forum once a term to represent your peers across the whole of LSE.

The commitment period

Six hours for the entire year. You attend a termly “SSLC” (Staff-Student Liaison Committee) meeting with your academic leaders and other department reps. That’s it.

Miscellaneous benefits

You’ll automatically receive a monthly Academic Rep based newsletter which includes up and coming opportunities for similar positions within the Students’ Union (some may even be paid!). So if you’re looking to further your work experience or earn some money to help alleviate your student finances, being a rep can open doors. Moreover, you will be invited to exclusive rep socials which include a lot of free food plus they are a good way to meet more people outside of your course!

One of the best things about being a rep is that you gain a number of key skills while on the job: attending and sometimes chairing meetings, gathering and collating feedback, representing a large cohort, negotiating and seeking student-focused solutions, and communicating with groups of people in different contexts. Indeed, your course rep experience provides you with highly sought-after skills that can come in handy when answering the cliché job interview “describe a situation when…”

Becoming an academic representative

Academic Reps are elected separately for each programme at the start of the Michaelmas Term. Each department runs their elections in their own way, so you will need to contact the leader of your programme, or your programme administrative staff, to find out about the signup process. Once elected, you will need to subscribe to the Course Rep database, enrol on the Academic Rep Moodle page, pass the ‘Initial Training’ module, attend ‘Advanced Training’ you signed up for when registering as a rep unless you’ve already done it previously in which case you don’t have to re-do it!