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Institute of Continuing Education (ICE)

 

Join our Cambridge Student Assistants team

We are currently seeking applications for up to 10 Cambridge Student Assistants (CSAs) for this summer.

Every year we employ a team of current University of Cambridge students to support the permanent team to run the University of Cambridge International Summer Programme. These rewarding customer-facing assignments working with academics and adult learners will give you valuable transferable skills to enhance your CV.

Assignment details:

8-10 temporary CSA worker assignments: 36.5 hours per week (on a rota basis)

Dates and duration of assignments: 1 July to 3 August 2024 (5 weeks - includes training and is subject to the University’s rules on working while you study)

Rate of pay: £12.14 per hour plus holiday pay

Location: Cambridge

How to apply: If you are a University of Cambridge undergraduate or graduate student please send you CV and 400-word statement to us at: intenq @ ice.cam.ac.uk

Closing date: Sunday 31 March 2024

About the University of Cambridge International Summer Programme

Building on the success of the 100th Anniversary in 2023, the University of Cambridge International Summer Programme will run in Cambridge from 7 July to 3 August 2024 and we hope to welcome over 800 participants. Many will be undergraduate or graduate students, but a large proportion of our student community will be aged 25-80+. 

The Cambridge Student Assistants (CSAs) play an important role in supporting the permanent team to deliver the International Summer Programme. 

Key responsibilities include: 
- Act as the first point of contact for students and answer enquiries
- Register students on arrival Sundays
- Liaise with College staff about student accommodation and meals
- Support academic staff with photocopying, IT and audiovisual equipment in teaching rooms
- Log student attendance
- Make announcements at dinners and other events
- Oversee evening talks
- Participate in an on-call rota with other CSAs for 1 or (very occasionally) 2 evenings per week
- Maintain good customer relations and provide a professional service. 

Accommodation: 
Fully subsidised, bed-only accommodation will be provided in a central location for those who wish to take this up.  

Required skills:
- Excellent customer service, organisational, administrative, time-keeping and problem-solving skills
- A high standard of communication and interpersonal skills
- The ability to work under pressure and display patience, tact and a calm manner.

Candidates will also need to be comfortable with IT and audiovisual equipment.   

Preferably, applicants will have experience of working with adults, and will have experience of voluntary or paid customer-facing roles.   

Additional requirements:  
Candidates should currently be studying at the University and must be willing to be resident within a 15-minute reach of the Colleges where the International Summer Programme participants are housed (Newnham, Queens’, Selwyn and St Catharine’s) throughout the full period of employment.  

Candidates must be available to work for the whole assignment and accommodate different working patterns across the week including evenings and weekends. Candidates should highlight any dates or events that might affect their availability (eg graduation).  

How to Apply:  
If you would like to apply for a role, please submit your professional CV (with names and details of two referees) and a supporting statement of no more than 400 words outlining your interest in this opportunity to: intenq @ ice.cam.ac.uk - Please use the subject header: CSA Application. 

The closing date for applications is Sunday 31 March 2024 23:59 (BST). Interviews will take place in the week commencing 22 April 2024 or 29 April 2024 (dates to be confirmed). Please note that if you have not heard from us regarding your application by Monday 15 April 2024, you have not been successful in securing an interview on this occasion. 

Successful applicants will be employed via the Temporary Employment Service (TES). 

The University values diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity. 

Read Emma's CSA Story about her experience working for the International Summer Programme: 

I began my summer work with the Institute of Continuing Education in 2021, shortly after graduating with my BA in Education at the University of Cambridge. The International Summer Festival of Learning was entirely virtual, and over a period of several weeks I had the pleasure of meeting with the team online, pairing up with fellow Cambridge Student Assistants to deliver Q&A sessions for the Pre-University students, and – mostly – carefully editing and captioning recordings of lectures. My colleagues spoke so fondly of the in-person Summer Programmes that I simply had to apply again the following year – and what a joy the summer of 2022 was!

Meeting hundreds of people from around the world was truly incredible. From manning the fort in the evening plenaries, to setting up lecture theatres, to dining with the lovely students staying at Selwyn College and to running around College making sure everyone was catered to, the CSA role was challenging and fun. I was so lucky - the core team at ICE and my fellow CSAs were wonderful people to work with: kind, hilarious and committed to delivering quality services. I have many happy memories of this summer and feel privileged to have been a part of it.

Ultimately, the Summer Programmes (and ICE more generally) are all about bringing people together in the spirit of shared learning. They enrich everyone involved. I am so thankful for my time there.