Student Reps

A course rep – short for course representative - is a student who volunteers to represent their cohort’s voice and convey this to staff at the university. Course reps act as a link between students and staff to relay feedback in both directions and move towards positive solutions to ongoing problems affecting their cohort.

A school rep – short for school representative – is a student who volunteers to represent a cluster of courses known as a subject area. These often align with the remit of a Subject Leader whom a school rep will work closely with to identify trends or patterns in the issues of their cluster of courses to affect positive change on a wider scale by implementing broader changes and initiating campaigns to tackle bigger issues. Our school reps also work alongside their respective associate deans and student officers at the Students’ Union to collaborate on campaigns and foster a greater sense of community within their School and across campus.

A course rep represents one year of one course. In stances where there are multiple pathways for the same course, a course rep may take on extra remit but this is left to the discretion of the relevant programme leader.

On the other hand, a school rep represents a cluster of courses known as a subject area.

If you would like to find out who the course rep is for your course, you can ask your programme leader directly.

If you would like to find out who your school rep is, you can find their name and contact email in the section which corresponds to your school and subject area here. You can also ask your school rep who your course rep is.

Once you have been selected as the consensual choice to represent your year of your course, your Programme Leader should register you via the official registration form provided to all staff.

Once they have registered you as a course rep, you will receive a welcome email from the Student Voice team with all further details including upcoming socials and training details that all reps are required to undertake.

All reps – school reps and course reps – have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with our fantastic student officers. Each school has a dedicated student officer who works throughout the year to deliver on their manifesto to affect democratic change for their peers. Reps often collaborate by supporting these campaigns or bringing their own initiatives to our student officers for support. There are also plenty of social events to meet and network with our officers and the wider rep community.

Both school rep and course rep positions are voluntary which means they are unpaid. These roles are designed to work around students’ schedules so should never take precedent over core studying, or paid work that is vital in supporting a students’ life.

We see the role of representation as a public service and a way to empower yourself and your cohort’s voice. Whilst the roles are unpaid, they are designed to instill a variety of valuable skills that a rep can take forwards in life to bolster personal and professional growth.

Any student at The University of Salford is eligible to become a course or school rep. We do withhold this privilege to any student undergoing investigation as part of student facing procedures.

So long as you are passionate and willing to champion the student voice and you are democratically chosen by your cohort to represent them, then you can become a course rep. Becoming a school rep is also an opportunity open to all students, however the process is done via application in the springtime of each year.

Successful candidates from the application process will then be invited to an interview in which our Student Voice Team and Student Officers will determine which candidate from each subject area is best suited to serve their cluster of courses.

TBeing a Rep will not affect your student visa status. Being a Course and School Rep is classed as volunteering, not voluntary work. As a volunteer you have no contractual obligations for time commitment (your role does not have fixed days or working hours, you volunteering as a Course or School Rep involves you taking part in activities on times and days that are mutually agreed according to your own schedule and requirements). As a volunteer, you are of course not allowed to be paid (including expected gifts e.g. gift cards), although you can be paid out of pocket expenses e.g. travel costs. There are no time restrictions on volunteering and you can do as many hours as you like.

This is different to voluntary work, which being a Rep does not include. ‘Voluntary work’ is defined as an unpaid role that does have defined and contracted time commitments e.g. your role has specified days and/or working hours. For example, if you are contractually obliged to do 7 hours of work per week, every Wednesday. This is not the case as a Rep.

For course reps, registration by your programme leader will be followed by a welcome email from the student voice team in which we will invite you to complete the required training to conduct your role successfully. Once you have completed the short training session, you will be a qualified course rep!

Then throughout your time as either a course rep or a school rep, you will have the full support of our two Student Voice Coordinators – Jenny and Will – are will be onsite and online available to respond to any queries via email or Teams. You can also find them at social events run and supported by your student officers.

Just speak to your programme leader about registering as your cohort’s course rep. We advise every cohort to have a say on who their representative is, so your programme leader will check to see whether you have the consensus of the group before registering you.

The course rep role runs for an academic year so you will be in place from when you are registered to the end of the current academic year. If you wish to continue serving as your course rep beyond the academic year in which you were registered, you will need to be re-registered in subsequent years pending the approval of your cohort and programme leader.

Becoming a course rep is an act of public service to your cohort so you will be taking the first steps in doing something selfless and progressive. The skills and experience you will gain as an active course rep include problem-solving, using your initiative and imagination, honing your diplomatic and public speaking skills too. The opportunities to socialise and network within your school and the wider university will be beneficial in maximising your time at Salford and will hopefully develop your people skills.

Our student voice team host a variety of social events throughout the academic year so beyond the fantastic networking and social opportunities, you will also have a chance to get involved in fun activities and enjoy free food and drink at many of our events.