STUDENT ACCOMMODATION CLOSE TO STAFFORDSHIRE AND KEELE UNIVERSITY. PRICES START FROM £115 (BILLS INCLUDED). FURNISHED, EN-SUITE ROOMS - DELUXE ROOMS AVAILABLE. FREE HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND. VARIED COMMUNAL SPACES - INCLUDING ONSITE GYMS. ONSITE PARKING / PERMITS AVAILABLE.
Meet Chioma, one of Stoke Student Living’s Student Staff members who is also a Student Accommodation Ambassador. We are delighted that she took a bit of time out of her busy schedule to tell us a bit more about herself, and what the SSL student staff roles includes;
Our Student Accommodation Ambassadors (SAA) live within our student accommodation, whilst the Student Staff members do not necessarily live in the accommodation. Student Staff are paid hourly by the University Student Union and an SAA is a voluntary position – for which they receive a reduced rent. Chioma tells us a bit more about her day below:
Tell us a bit about yourself Chioma;
I am original from Birmingham and I’m currently doing a master’s in International Business Management at Staffordshire University. I chose to study at this university as I completed my degree there and it was still an easy place to get back home and visit family and friends. I chose the subjects for my degree and masters as I am currently building a school in Nigeria and needed my degree in Early Childhood Studies to understand what is needed in education, and a Business Masters on how to successfully run a business.
How long have you been living with us?
I found the accommodation when I first arrived five years ago when I went to enrol on my degree. The accommodation was exactly what I was looking for as it offered studio spaces. Although I moved to live with friends for a while I came back as I missed the studio and community atmosphere here in the accommodation. As well as the togetherness I also enjoy the common room space and security who patrol at night which makes you feel much more safe when living in a new area.
You are a Student Staff member and a Student Accommodation Ambassador, can you tell us more about that?
I have many duties as a Student Staff member which include:
My duties as an SAA include:
For my roles there is a rota so that we can still work and study at university and not feel overwhelmed. There are three members on both teams including myself. I got the first job by applying through the university and going through the recruitment process of an interview. I got the second role by sending in an email as to how I felt I was the person for the job and luckily, I got both roles – I have worked in these roles since starting my Masters.
What might your typical sort of day include?
On typical day my roles change depending on the day of the month as monthly checks may need to be done on certain days. For example if it’s a Friday the kitchen, fire and building checks need to be done; or if it’s the weekend I might do other tasks such as gym checks or water flushing checks in empty rooms.
As a SAA on a week day I would normally collect the emergency out of hours phone at four o’clock in the afternoon and give it back to reception around ten in the morning. On weekends I would normally collect it at two o’clock and either take it in with me as I worked or give in back for ten in the morning. Between us all we work throughout the year taking it in turns to have the emergency phone.
What advice would you give to someone who would like to do this sort of role?
Advice to give anyone who wanted to do these roles would be to ensure you have good communication with not only the other team members but your managers as well, as it is a lovely job to have if you don’t take on more than you can handle. For instance with my Student Staff role I spoke to my manager and the other Student Staff members and we have made amendments to some of the work I do due to my University work load and needing time off for various reasons. My work was changed and it made working a lot easier for me without disrupting the day to day tasks or running’s of the company.
Thank you so much for taking time to chat with us Chioma, we wish you all the very best with your studies and for your future!
Does our Stoke Student Living accommodation sound like just the place you’ve been looking for? We still have some rooms available for 22/23 – Contact Us to find out more!
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