Monday 21 January 2013

Being a Student Officer is the Best Job in the World!

Without sounding like a huge cliché, being a Student Officer is the best job in the world! Without starting your own multi-million pound business, you will never be able to have so much influence over the way a large organisation is run for years (or probably decades!)

As President, I am responsible for line managing the RUSU Chief Executive, so it is my job to make sure that the organisation functions on a day-to-day basis.I am a director of the two companies that RUSU wholly owns, including our own nursery.I am Chair of the Trustee Board of the multi-million pound charity that is RUSU and I am a member of the Council of the University; rendering me a trustee of that organisation with a budget of almost a quarter of billion pounds.
It is an absolute pleasure to represent Reading students and I primarily do that through committee work in the University. Whiteknights House is home to the chief offices in the University as well as the two main committee rooms. This becomes a President’s second home and it is at these committees that most of the decisions that affect students’ lives are made.
I also work nationally with the National Union of Students (NUS) as well as NUS Services Ltd (the huge group-buying consortium that stocks our shops and bars). I also am interviewed by the local and national press regularly on a variety of issues that affect students. This is a real buzz and I think it is one of the best bits of the job.
The most important thing about being a Student Officer is that you are passionate about making a difference to students’ lives at Reading. Running in an election is a fantastic experience and, if you win or lose (and I’ve done both), you learn so much and you meet people that you thought you would never meet. I have had the pleasure of meeting a huge variety of people in this job (including HM The Queen) and that’s what makes it so special.
I really encourage anyone who even has the smallest thought that they would like to run to be a Student Officer, to come and speak to one of the current Officer team. You are always more than welcome to come and chat about it with any of us.

If you would like to hear more about what the Students Officers do, then come along to Student Officer Scrutiny (SOS) on Tuesday 22nd of January in the RUSU Boardroom
It truly is a fantastic job and I would recommend it to anyone!
James Fletcher
RUSU President

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