Why apply to become a student ambassador?

Hi! I’m Victoria, a postgraduate student from Canada studying Medieval History. For the past year, I have been working as an International Student Ambassador alongside my studies. It is a job I can’t recommend enough and I’m looking forward to telling you why!

Flexible working hours

Let’s start with the obvious reason to get a job: getting paid. Being an International Student Ambassador is a great way to pick up some extra money. I used it to fund my travel habit! The flexible hours mean that you can take a break from accepting jobs for a week to go to Paris if you want. Travel aside, you get to choose when you want to work, which means if your timetable is full or you need some extra you-time, you don’t have to worry about requesting time off!

York is a fantastic place to explore, and being an ambassador will push you to do that!

Learn more about your new home

As an International Student Ambassador, you also learn a lot more about the University of York. Giving campus tours is a great way to get to know the campus better. As a new student in a new country, it can feel overwhelming to settle somewhere new. Giving tours pushed me to find out more about the space I was living in so that I could better explain it to others. Doing tours helped me find my favourite on campus cafe (Alcuin kitchen – they have board games), and is the reason I found out that Pink Floyd once performed at Central Hall!

Build your resume

It is also a great way to expand your resume! Giving campus tours can be an excellent way to improve your public speaking skills. If you want to gain experience with blog writing, admin work or podcasts, keep an eye out for job postings advertising these positions. The variety of jobs offered means there is something for everyone and you can pick up a bunch of new skills! You’ll also get a certificate and job reference when you leave the role.

Join a community

As an International Student Ambassador, you get to meet other International Student Ambassadors at social events and on jobs throughout the year. This can be a great way to make some new friends whether they are from your home country or not. If they are, you can celebrate national holidays together and chat about home. Or, you get to learn more about a new country. If you’re nervous about making friends, this can be a great chance to meet some other people who have also experienced moving to another country. 

Pay it forward

Remember the support and assistance you had while you were applying? Being an International Student Ambassador means being able to reflect on the resources you had while applying as well as suggesting some support you might have missed. If you are looking for a chance to pay it forward for the next group of incoming students, being an International Student Ambassador is a fantastic way to do that.

Being a student ambassador means joining a community! It’s a great way to meet new people!

Top tips for being a great ambassador

1. Be prepared to be authentic and explain why you love the University of York! Your goal should be to share your honest thoughts so you can have organic interactions. You won’t ever get a script, so make sure you are prepared to talk about what York means to you.
2. Don’t be afraid to go after different job postings like podcasts or YouTube vlogs. They may not come up as often as Campus Tours, so make sure to sign up right away! These are a great way to try something outside your comfort zone and have a lot of fun!
3. Finally, remember that you don’t need to know the answer to everything! There will be lots of times where a prospective student might ask a question you don’t know the answer to and that is perfectly fine! There is nothing wrong with saying “I don’t know,” so long as you can follow it up with a suggestion of where they might be able to find out. Knowing where to look for the answer is just as important as knowing the answer.

In summary

Being an International Student Ambassador was a fantastic experience for me. It gave me the opportunity to get to know my environment much better than I would have otherwise. I was also able to meet new people and make new friends! As an added bonus, it made me some money and sure looks good on my resume!

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