When I first visited Queen Margaret University (QMU) on an Open Day, it struck me that a lot of students were involved in helping out on that day. This immediately proved to me that QMU cares about their students and wants to get them involved.
As I especially enjoyed the tours, I thought to myself that maybe one day I would be able to lead a tour as well. This became a reality when I was in my second year at QMU and I was asked to help out as a tour guide at the Open Day. I gladly accepted and unsurprisingly really enjoyed helping out and interacting with the many different people who came through the doors.
On this day we were also introduced to the role of the Student Ambassadors and what opportunities were available with this job. I knew straight away that this would be a job I would really enjoy and gain a lot from.
What does a Student Ambassador do?
A student ambassador offers potential and prospective students a current student’s perspective of student life and student experience at QMU.
Some of the tasks ambassadors are asked to do include:
- Helping with Open Days and Applicant Visit Days.
- Supporting the recruitment team at Higher Education fairs and events off-campus.
- Delivering campus tours.
- Answering prospective students' enquiries via email and telephone.
- Contributing to the QMU student blog.
- Facilitating workshops with potential students.
What I did to become a Student Ambassador
After speaking to the Student Ambassador coordinator and hearing more about the role, I decided to apply. Even though this was something I had never done before and my previous experiences were not all too similar to this job, I found the application to be a lot less nerve wrecking than expected.
Everyone at QMU is very kind and friendly and so I did not feel intimidated or nervous during the interview, which was something new for me! After getting accepted as a Student Ambassador I went through training with the other Student Ambassadors and I proceeded to learn the campus tours off by heart so that I didn’t have to refer to the booklet every time I went on a tour.
While this is recommended, you are never forced to do this, which is great for those who are not that good at memorising things. Overall, it was a very smooth transition and hassle-free.
Student Ambassador activities
The main roles of a Student Ambassador are campus tours and Visit Day registrations. While these are the most frequent tasks, there are also other jobs such as helping out at the careers fair, primary and university graduation, being a Student Guide during the introduction week, being information guides at the airport and so much more.
Being a Student Ambassador means that you get to be involved in all kinds of events and tasks around University. I have worked in the events, marketing, administration and finance departments during my two years of being a Student Ambassador.
I also find that all tasks are always fully explained in advance so that you don’t end up lost or confused and not knowing what to do. The work is also very flexible so if you are busy with university work or any other work commitments, you are not obligated to take shifts.
What I gained from the experience
Being a Student Ambassador has allowed me to interact with people from all over the world and I have not had a single bad experience throughout this time. The work is very versatile and while you might be doing the same tasks, it still ends up always being different due to the people you are working with or for.
Being a Student Ambassador has also opened a lot of doors for me as I have had a lot of job opportunities as a direct result. Beyond this I would say that I have become more comfortable with talking to large groups of people and presenting, which are very important skills for both academic work and my future career. As a result, being a Student Ambassador has surpassed my expectations of the positive impacts this role would have on me.
Why you should get involved!
If you enjoy interacting with all kinds of people of different ages, nationalities, and backgrounds then this is the perfect job for you! Anyone can become a Student Ambassador, so don’t think that you have to study a related course as there are students involved from across all courses.
You’ll definitely have lots of unique experiences and opportunities that you would otherwise most likely never be presented with! Being a Student Ambassador will definitely add to your overall university experience at QMU, and you won’t regret getting involved.
Find out more about becoming a Student Ambassador, and apply for the role.
