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Student Leader Opportunities

Durham SU is owned by students, and has been since 1899. As every Durham student is a member of their SU, every year they come together and vote for who they want to represent them.

Are you a future leader?

We have many opportunities for you to express your voice and lead your Union, from getting involved in our democracy to taking up one of our student leadership roles. These may include leading your group or society as an Exec Member, representing the academic interests of your cohort as a Course Rep or even heading up an entire area of the SU as one of our Student Officers.

All the roles detailed below are recruited via an election.

Being elected into a leadership role comes with a number of responsibilities.

Student Officer

Since it was founded in 1899, students from across the University have come together through the students’ union to make things better for students. As a Student Officer, you would get paid a salary to work full-time for a year being a leader of change. You could either take a gap in your studies or become an Officer after you graduate.

The five Student Officers work as a team, representing students views to the University, leading the Students’ Union, and championing the rights of students. They might act on issues like mental health, improving students’ education, or making the Durham experience more accessible.

The Student Officer roles are:

  • President
  • Opportunities Officer
  • Welfare and Liberation Officer
  • Postgraduate Academic Officer
  • Undergraduate Academic Officer

These roles are elected in epiphany term and all students can vote in the elections.

Find out more about Officer elections here.

Student Trustee

You could be one of the four Student Trustees who help ensure that Durham SU is well governed. As a Trustee you'll deliberate and decide, with the rest of the Board of Trustees, about the best way to deliver Durham SU’s purpose.

You’ll gain professional development skills at one of the highest levels available to students, and be able to do this alongside your studies.

You’ll join the Board of Trustees, which is the governing body of Durham Students’ Union. The overall role of the Board is to ensure that the Union is well run, meeting its aims and working within the law.

These roles are elected in Easter term and all students can vote in the election.

Find out more about Student Trustee elections here.

NUS Delegate

As an NUS delegate, you could attend NUS National Conference and represent Durham students at a huge two-day event.

At National Conference you will:

  • Engage in debate and discussion on key issues facing students, including the NUS #DecoloniseEducation campaign
  • Be part of shaping upcoming priorities for students, Students’ Unions and NUS
  • Elect positions at the National Union of Students
  • Have an opportunity to grow your own campaigning skills to take action on issues that matter to you
  • Represent Durham SU and Durham University students on a national level

These roles are elected in first term. Durham SU pays for travel and expenses for the conference, which is usually a two-day trip away.

Find out more about NUS Delegate elections here.

Course Representatives

Course Reps, alongside the staff in their department, work to represent students’ interests on their course. They work to improve the education and resources students have access to during their time at Durham. There are a minimum of two Course Rep positions available for each year of study, in every course, both at the Undergraduate and Postgraduate level.

As a Course Rep you will:

  • Gather opinions from students about their course and academic resources
  • Act as the spokesperson to the department and feedback outcomes to students
  • Work on exciting projects that make positive improvements for students
  • Sit on the departmental Staff-Student Consultative Committee (SSCC)

If you’re interested in making a difference to your education, running to be a Course Rep could be for you!

Find out more about Course Rep elections here.

Faculty Representatives

You could be one of sixteen Faculty Representatives who undertake vital student representation in several academic spaces across the University.

As a Faculty Representative you will:

  • Play an active role in the development and enhancement of your faculty’s educational provision
  • Proactively seek out students’ thoughts and opinions, particularly those of Course Reps in your faculty
  • Attend committees, such as Faculty Education Committees, as a representative of students in your faculty
  • Stand in for the UG and PG Academic Officers in attending University Committees, such as Senate and Library Users Committee, when required

Benefits to you will include:

  • Experience in working with a diverse group of colleagues towards common goals
  • Opportunity to present and facilitate course representative training
  • Gain an in-depth knowledge of how your faculty and university work
  • Opportunity to stand for membership of SU committees, including Academic Affairs Committee and Assembly to represent students’ academic interests

Postgraduate roles are open for applications at the start of the Michaelmas Term and Undergraduate roles are open during the Summer break each year.

Find out more about Faculty Reps here.

Student Group leaders

Student Group Executive Members

Every student group, from Hummus Society to Aerobics Society is run by students just like you. The leaders of student groups form an executive committee with different roles such as President, Treasurer, Secretary, Publicity Officer etc. These positions are elected by members of the group, usually near the end of the academic year.

Leading a student group is a great way to try out a leadership position, whilst also continuing your interest in a particular skill or hobby. You can also gain CV skills like handling finances or running social media channels, depending on the role you take.

Association leaders

Our Associations provide a space where self-defining students can come together, discuss the issues affecting them, and campaign to improve the student experience. Currently, Durham SU has the following Associations:

  • International Students' Association
  • LGBT+ Association
  • Mature Students' Association
  • Students with Disabilities Association
  • Women’s Association
  • Trans Association
  • Working Class Students' Association.

Each Association is run by students, who self-define as part of that particular Association. They take on positions like President, Treasurer, Social Secretary or Campaigns Officer and develop CV skills whilst taking an active role in the Association’s community. These positions are generally elected at the end of the academic year.

Student Groups Committee

If you want to be involved in decisions affecting student groups, then a role on Student Groups Committee is for you! As a member of the committee, you get to review new groups that students wish to set up, approve funding requests to help groups do exciting things, and generally discuss any current issues that affect members of the SU’s over 250 student groups.

The committee is made up of reps from amongst the members of each category of student group, as well as a Media Rep and an Association Liaison Rep. You would gain skills in communication, administrating and allocating grants, and negotiation.

These roles are usually elected in Easter term.

Assembly roles

Durham SU Assembly is space where elected student representatives from across the University come together to discuss matters that effect students. They help decide what the SU should do about these issues.

There are several different roles available on Assembly, and all Assembly members are also able to run for positions on Assembly’s sub-committees: Officer Scrutiny Committee and Assembly Procedures Committee.

Assembly Chair

As the Chair of Assembly, you will manage the debate at each Assembly meeting. This means that you would be responsible for welcoming new members and creating an environment where everyone feels that they can debate issues in a free, fair and respectful way.

Being Chair of Assembly gives you skills in communication, diplomacy, and conflict resolution. It’s all about remaining impartial, in order to enable students to express and discuss their views on a topic fairly. You would not have a casting vote at the meeting. 

Any student may run to be the Chair of Assembly, but only Assembly members may vote on who they wish to be Chair. This will take place in the first Assembly meeting of the year.

Assembly Places

As an Assembly member, you will play an active part in the work of Durham SU, supporting your Officers to act in students’ interests, whilst responding to the big issues that arise in your university.

You’ll get lots of skills from being a member of Assembly, including debating, diplomacy, and conflict resolution.

There are four different types of places that you could run for on Assembly:

  • 7 x Open Places (any student member)
  • 8 x Student Group Places (any student member who is part of a student group)
  • 17 x College Places (one student member from each college)
  • 2 x Undergraduate Place and 2 x Postgraduate Place from each of Durham University’s faculties

Any student member can run for one of these places in the first few weeks of the academic year.

Find out more about Assembly places here.

You can find out more or see what elections are currently happening on our elections hub.