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Student colleagues

Students and staff next to a 'here on help' sign

At Marjon we try to offer as much work as possible to students. Working whilst studying has a number of benefits. Working for Marjon builds your skillset and gives you valuable professional experience.

Paid job opportunities for students exist throughout the University. These are more than just part-time jobs, our aim is to complement your studies and support your future career. 

What do Student Colleagues do?

You could be greeting visitors as a Welcome Team Ambassador, improving the student experience as a Change Maker, supporting members of public as Recreation Assistant in the Sports Centre, promoting Marjon as a Student Ambassador, or assisting with Library and IT queries, to name just a few.  More details on typical job opportunities are below.

Why become a Student Colleague?

The benefits of being a Student Colleague include:

  • Develop employability skills
  • Earn money within the Marjon community
  • Connect with Student Colleague peers
  • Flexible work to fit around your studies
  • Induction, training and ongoing support
  • Acquire new skills
  • Meet new people
  • Support from the Futures Team, ensuring the experience enhances your CV

Or as our student colleagues put it: “Everyone you work with is friendly, it suits a busy schedule, and is good for personal development” and “They understand that your course comes first, during a job they focus on you looking after yourself”.

Core Skills

Each position has its own requirements, but for all Student Colleague positions we want to know you have a passion for Marjon and a desire to promote the University. We’ll expect you to show commitment to the Marjon Values, be organised in balancing your job with your studies and be committed to your own professional development.

There are also a host of transferable skills we want to help you develop as a Student Colleague. These will vary depending on your role but could include analytical thinking, creativity and initiative, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, reasoning and problem solving, systems analysis, digital skills and evaluation among others.

How do I find a Student Colleague Job?

Opportunities are advertised throughout the year, although recruitment is more common early in Semester 1 and after Christmas.

Keep an eye out for vacancies which are posted on the Marjon’s jobs website and shared on Community News, social media and via Futures.

You will normally need to submit an online application. We recommend that you contact the Futures team for support and advice in developing your application. Futures are ready and waiting to offer you help with this.

If your application is shortlisted you will be invited to a selection process.  This is likely to include an interview with a panel and may incorporate other tasks e.g. for a customer service role you may be asked to draft a response to a customer complaint.

What are the jobs?

These are a sample of Student Colleague jobs regularly available at Marjon:

  • Change Makers:  With a vision of how to improve the student experience at Marjon, Change Makers are given up to 50 hours to research, plan and deliver a project, supported by a staff mentor. The hours are worked depending on the nature of the project and can be planned and managed by the individual Change Maker.  There are typically around a dozen Change Makers, usually recruited on an annual basis during Semester 1.
  • IT & Library Assistants: Providing support to the 24-hour IT room, open access areas and Library Enquiries desk.  The team ensures support is available during core hours and out of hours whilst you will need experience of general IT use, training is provided on specific university systems.  There are usually around 6 Student Colleagues in post at any one time, hours vary but could be around 10 per week.
  • Recreation Assistants & Lifeguards: These posts work as part of a team to assist, monitor and supervise customers in the Marjon Sports Centre, with specific responsibilities in lifeguarding, setting up sporting activities and ensuring customer satisfaction.  Hours can vary but are set on a rota basis.  Some positions may be available during term time only, but there is a specific need for Student Colleagues who are available all year round.
  • Student Ambassadors: A hugely varied role from running campus tours and assisting open days, to working with young people in local schools and colleges.  Hours are very flexible and you can opt in to commitments that fit around your studies.  There may be over 100 Student Ambassadors at any one time with recruitment typically taking place twice a year in the Autumn and Spring.  More information on Student Ambassadors can be found here. 
  • Welcome Team Ambassadors: Ready to provide exceptional customer service to everyone who comes in, Welcome Team Ambassadors use their knowledge of the University to provide accurate general advice, information and guidance in this wide and varied role. It could be directing people to departments, working the University switchboard, maintaining records of keys, room hire or perhaps supporting Marketing in dispatching information.  There are around 10 Student Colleagues at any one time, typically working 2-3 half day shifts per week.
  • Other jobs have included Laboratory Assistants, Social Media Champions, Assistant Researchers, Administrators and the Coronavirus Support Team. Keep an eye on the Marjon jobs website and social media to spot new opportunities as they come up.