Recruitment and Outreach Student Ambassadors
Our enthusiastic and committed team of Student Ambassadors play an important role in inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers and doctors, both at home and overseas.
Working as a Student Ambassador, you will be trained and paid to support outreach and recruitment events and activities for Imperial College London. You will play a vital role, inspiring potential applicants to consider higher education, whatever their background.
We understand the importance of your academic studies and our flexible employment model enables you to choose which activities to commit to.
Why should I get involved?
Inspire the next generation
- Represent your department and the wider College at events
- Share your passion for your subject with young people, prospective students and wider audiences
- Encourage and support students from less-advantaged backgrounds to succeed academically
Develop your employability skills
- Develop your communication and time management skills
- Gain teamwork and mentoring experience for future job applications
- Create networks with students and academics from across the College
Earn while you learn
- Apply for opportunities that interest you and work around your academic studies
- Earn money by sharing your knowledge and experiences
- The Student Ambassador rate of pay starts at £13.91 p/h
What does a Student Ambassador do?
Student Ambassadors work across a variety of different events and activities. Watch our video to hear first hand from current Student Ambassadors and the scheme's administrator.
You can also expand the headings below to find out more.
Typical work opportunities
Work with school students
As a Student Ambassador you will work with school students to share your passion for your subject. This can include:
- supporting hands-on activities for students aged 6–18 to capture their interest in studying science, medicine and engineering in the Wohl Reach Out Lab at South Kensington
- inspiring the next generation of innovators in the Dangoor Reach Out Makerspace in White City by supporting our Maker Challenge programmes
- supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds on our regular STEM Outreach programmes and summer schools
Represent the College at events
Student Ambassadors play a major role in our events both on and off campus. This can include:
- giving talks in local schools/colleges about your university experience
- working at our annual Undergraduate Open Days
- taking part in on-campus events for local schools/college students/prospective postgraduate students
- leading tours of campus
- taking part in online recruitment events, answering questions through chat or video
- representing Imperial at a range of higher education recruitment events such as UCAS fairs
Mentor and tutor
As a Student Ambassador you will share your experiences of applying to university and studying STEM subjects. Some of our Outreach programmes enable you engage in regular work supporting the same students by:
- mentoring students online
- tutoring STEM subjects online or in-person
- providing homework support
Assist with marketing
Some of our Student Ambassadors are able to share their experiences to wider audiences by getting involved in marketing activities. This includes:
- blogging
- social media activities e.g. takeovers
Who can apply to become a Student Ambassador?
In order to apply, you must be a current Imperial student and have the right to work in the UK.
Although we consider applications from all study levels, most of the work opportunities we offer are best suited to students with more than one year remaining on their course. This will be reflected in selection and decisions.
You must be prepared to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if successful (the costs will be covered by the Scheme).
- are from the following departments: Computing, Maths, Aeronautics, ESE, EEE, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering
- have experience of living in any of the following places: the Middle East, the Americas, Australasia, Africa
- have been a participant on any of our Outreach programmes before coming to Imperial
- have insight and understanding of the educational experience of school students of Black British backgrounds and the barriers they face in accessing HE
How to apply
Overview of our recruitment process
We typically recruit Student Ambassadors in October and January each academic year. The recruitment process is competitive and consists of three stages.
- Stage one: Information session
- Stage two: Application form
- Stage three: Group interviews
If you have missed part of the recruitment process, you will need to wait until our next recruitment cycle to be considered.
Stage one: Information sessions
Consider: Am I interested in this type of work?
Student Ambassadors play a huge role in our events; responsible for ensuring that visitors to the College receive a high-quality and enjoyable experience, sharing their enthusiasm for Imperial and their subject, being positive role models for students from underrepresented backgrounds and providing support through engaging academic sessions.
Being a Student Ambassador is a fulfilling and fun way to earn money whilst studying, but you'll enjoy it most if you have a genuine interest in the purpose behind the activities you'll be supporting.
The information sessions provide an opportunity to hear more about the Student Ambassador Scheme. You'll meet the Summer School Coordinator and/or Student Ambassador Administrator, who are responsible for managing the scheme, as well as representatives from Outreach and Recruitment who'll talk first-hand about the programmes and events you'd be working on.
With dedicated time for answering your questions, this is your chance to assess whether we're offering something that suits you.
Recruitment for Autumn 2023 is currently underway and we can only accept applications from students who attended one of our information sessions. If you would like us to contact you ahead of future recruitment cycles, please register your interest.
Stage two: Application form
Consider: Can I demonstrate the key skills and attributes needed to thrive as a Student Ambassador?
After you've attended an information session we'll send you a link to an online application form. This is an opportunity for you to tell us more about yourself, why you are interested in becoming a Student Ambassador and whether you have the key skills required to thrive in the role.
We will provide guidance in the information session on the key skills we are looking for. You do not need to have prior work experience to apply, but we do encourage you to draw on a range of experiences to provide specific examples of when you have demonstrated these skills.
Take time to complete your application form as your answers will be used, in conjunction with your performance at interview, to determine the outcome of your application.
At the end of the application form you will be asked to pick the date and time of your interview slot.
Stage three: Group interview
Consider: Can I share my enthusiasm for my subject and demonstrate an understanding of the role?
We will host group interviews via Microsoft Teams.
The interview will include a task and individual questions - both of which will be assessed. These interviews allow us to get a more in-depth assessment of your understanding of the role and see how you interact with others in new situations.
During these interviews, it is important to interact with the tasks but also to be respectful of others.
We know interviews can be stressful, particularly if you haven't interviewed for a job before, but we have designed the recruitment process to give you every opportunity to show us what's required to succeed. You can also let us know in advance about any personal circumstances that may influence your performance at interview when you book your slot.
Recruitment timeline
The next Student Ambassador recruitment round will be in October 2023.
| Recruitment step | Dates |
|---|---|
| Information Sessions |
Wednesday 11 October 2023; 14.00 - 15.00 (in-person) Wednesday 11 October 2023; 15.00 - 16.00 (in-person) Thursday 12 October 2023; 16.30 - 17.30 (on Teams) Friday 13 October 2023; 11.00 - 12.00 (on Teams) |
| Applications open | Friday 13 October 2023 |
| Applications close | Friday 20 October 2023; 12 noon (or once interview slots are filled if sooner) |
| Group interviews | Week commencing Monday 23 October 2023 |
| Shortlising and confirmation | Friday 27 October |
| Onboarding and pre-induction modules | Monday 30 October - Wednesday 22 November |
| Induction training | Week commencing Monday 27 November 2023 (in-person) |