Are you ready to (ex)change your life? Get involved with ESN UofG and enter the world of Erasmus Student Network, the biggest student organisation in Europe, where mobility is a way of life and you are part of a movement towards unity and cultural exchange with hundreds of thousands of other students. Below, you can find the descriptions of all board and committee positions available - don’t be afraid to apply, it’s open to all UofG students and there are no barriers to entry. Every board and committee member is eligible to apply for funded international delegations throughout the year, with board members having the priority though. 

If you have any questions regarding the roles or ESN in general, please do not hesitate to contact iesn.uofg@gmail.com

 

1    Main Board

 

The main board is the team responsible for running the society. General responsibilities include attendance at weekly board meetings, fairs (e.g: open days, university events) as well as completing a prior training. Specific responsibilities for each position in the board are described below.

 

1.1  President

 

The President is the public face of the society, and has the position of ultimate responsibility. He/she is responsible for overseeing all the society’s activities, and making an overall strategy for the year with appropriate goals and targets. He/she is also responsible for any other tasks that do not come under the jurisdiction of other board or committee members, implementing ESN national projects and has direct representation of the society to ESN UK. This role has an extensive remit, and the ideal candidate should be committed, happy speaking publicly and able to manage diverse tasks at once. Responsibilities include:

  • Maintaining excellent communication with existing partnerships; the International Office, Policy Scotland, the Dean for Mobility, the SRC, Study Abroad Team, International Student Support, etc. Official Email communications with the University and official partners.
  • Ensuring the section complies with the constitution and statutes of ESN UK, as well as its own constitution.
  • Planning and leading weekly meetings with the Secretary.
  • Regular Communication with National & International Levels of the network (along with the Local Representative).
  • Keeping all members informed of any such communications.
  • Filling in the Section Questionnaire for ESN International.
  • Overseeing and approving events, activities and campaigns.
  • Supporting every member of the team to achieve maximum potential.
  • Present and overseeing the section’s stall at the university events, such as fairs, delivering presentations.
  • Helping VP to design a recruitment and transition strategy for the following year.
  • Management of ESN Galaxy roles.

 

1.2  Vice President

 

The Vice President is responsible for all of the society’s internal organisation and functions. He/she is the right hand of the President. The Vice President is the main point of communication for any of the board and committee members. Responsibilities include:

  • The section’s internal affairs, and should be the first port of call for any internal matters such as board and committee training or issues among the team.
  • Standing in for President when needed.
  • Checking on the team’s weekly progress with to-do lists created by the President.
  • Monitoring graphics and communications output and advising where necessary.
  • Working closely with the Events Manager to ensure that events are run smoothly and successfully.
  • Responsible for the UofG input to UK national trips; working closely with Comms to promote events and other Glasgow sections to reach maximum target.
  • Designing the promotional campaign for trips using the materials provided by ESN UK.
  • Being in charge of designing recruitment and handover strategies (assisted by the President).

 

1.3  Treasurer

 

The Treasurer is the financial officer for the organisation and is responsible for seeking out and securing strategic partnerships with the ESN Membership Card and sponsorship. Responsibilities include:

  • Creating and presenting an Annual Budget.
  • Accurate record keeping with attention to detail to ensure all funds are accurately accounted for throughout the year and at large events.
  • Responsibility for the section’s bank account and any legal requirements regarding banking, as well as the transition of the account details to the next board.
  • Payments of Membership fees to ESN UK/ESN International.
  • Actively liaising with potential partners to achieve extra funding and/or free food/drinks for events in return for mentions on social media.
  • Collecting receipts and reimbursement of committee members for any said expenses.
  • Allocate and reimburse funds for delegation events.
  • Taking money for membership and for all events throughout the year, and presenting overall profits/expenses to the rest of the committee.
  • Making decisions about the allocation of funding for any requests put forward by board members.
  • Ensuring members are adequately aware of discounts and partnerships, and that they are uploaded to the ESNcard website and ESN UofG website. This should be done alongside the Communications Manager (and Web Projects Administrator).
  • Sending any ESNcard signups to the Secretary whenever necessary.
  • Helping the Activities Committee source prizes for events.
  • Promote the ESNcard at the events.
  • Orders of ESNcards from the treasurer of ESN UK, orders of promotional material from ESN Galaxy.

 

1.4  Secretary and Local Representative

 

The Secretary is responsible for the section’s official communications, records and logistics.

Responsibilities include:

  • Scheduling Meetings & Minute-Taking.
  • Monitoring attendance where necessary.
  • Acting as UofG Local Representative; Skype sessions with ESN UK board, Engaging with international topics and ensuring deadlines are met e.g. section fees, NP fees, Training the committee and future committee on the foundations of ESN, keeping up to date with developments at the ESN national and international level, keeping the entire board informed of all important information regarding ESN UK/ International through fortnightly updates (or more often if needed), and remaining aware of potential delegation opportunities and telling board members about them.
  • Being informed in these areas: the causes of ESN, funding, events, communications and internal affairs. This should be done by consulting with individual board members responsible for these, and will be used during your skype call to show the NB our progress.
  • Working closely with the President and VP to improve the communication within the section.
  • Providing communication channels for the board, Slack is strongly recommended.
  • Updating the Mailing List.
  • Sending out welcome emails to new members.
  • Writing reviews of events and projects to be added to our website in a press release style.
  • Archiving and organising event and PR materials.
  • Completion of Affiliation Documents with Unions and SRC.
  • Fortnightly/monthly (short) newsletter about the upcoming event and any updates to be sent to card holders.
  • Creating doodle polls and rotas for events such as Freshers’ Fair stall, Study Abroad Fair, International Welcome Week.
  • Being available to assist any other board members with administrative tasks such as Doodle polls, Google forms, spreadsheets, emails etc.

 

1.5  Events Manager

 

The Events Manager is responsible for developing an events strategy for Semester 1 and 2, working with Causes Officer 1 and the members of the Activities Committee. The Events Manager will have ultimate responsibility for the Activities Committee, and will be the main point of contact between the President and the Activities Committee Members. The Events Manager MUST commit to attending all events. He/she will be responsible for overseeing the running of each event, which will be carried out by the Activities Committee Members. Responsibilities include: 

  • Developing an Events Strategy, based on previous years’ events as well as new ideas, to be approved by the VP.
  • Along with the Causes Officer 1, creating innovative event and activities ideas, ensuring that there is a good mix of events throughout the year covering all the causes of ESN.
  • Draft of events plan for semester 1 should be ready in summer and finalised by the end of September, for semester 2 the plan should be ready at the end of November.
  • Keeping ESN GCU and ESN Strathclyde informed about our event and activities plans and keeping up-to-date with theirs for potential collaborations.
  • Working closely with VP and Communications Manager and Committee to create the best events promo material.
  • Leading the Activities Committee, and holding regular meetings with the committee members.
  • Delegating responsibilities to the Activities Committee equally.
  • Finding appropriate venues so that the cost is within the budget (approved by the Treasurer).
  • Negotiating deals with venues with the help of the Treasurer.
  • The ideal person would be outgoing, creative, organised and have some knowledge of Glasgow.
  • Prepare event description to be consulted with VP and comms to promote the event long enough in advance (min. 10 days).
  • Create short informative event brief for board members, outlining responsibilities of the night (min. 2 days).

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1.6.1  Causes Officer 1 with focus on events/activities

 

The Causes Officer 1 will be responsible for implementing all of the ESN International causes into the UofG section throughout the year working closely with the Events Manager and the Activities Committee. Responsibilities include:

  • Familiarity with the causes of ESN and advising any other board or committee members where necessary.
  • Implementing all the causes in the form of physical events/activities and registering the events/activities online at activities.esn.org.
  • Attending the regular meetings with the Events Manager and the Activities Committee members.
  • Along with the Events Manager, leading and delegating the following responsibilities to the Activities Committee members:
    • Making events for Social Inclusion week, Health and Well-being week, and Employability week.
    • Creating event briefs and plans to be approved by the President.
    • Organising the participation of board and committee members in these events/activities.
  • Presenting his/her plans to the President to be approved, working closely with the President.
  • Communicating with the Secretary to inform him/her of upcoming events/activities to pass on to ESN UK and ESN card holders.

 

1.6.2  Causes Officer 2 with focus on online campaigns and Buddy System

 

The Causes Officer 2 will be responsible for implementing all of the causes of ESN into the UofG section throughout the year by running the Buddy System, enhancing the section's MappED profile, and inventing and realising online campaigns in cooperation with the Communications Manager. Responsibilities include:

  • Familiarity with ESN International causes and advising any other board or committee members where necessary.
  • Implementing all of the ESN causes within social media and the website of the section, and registering the activities online at activities.esn.org.
  • Attending the regular meetings with the Events Manager and the Activities Committee members.
  • Leading and delegating the following responsibilities to the Activities Committee members:
    • Organising the already existent Buddy System of ESN UofG: promotion to new exchange and local students, applications, pairing up local and exchange students, organising special events for buddies and managing the buddy system-specific email account.
    • Enhancing already existent MappED! profile of ESN UofG by mapping buildings at the campus.
    • Making campaigns for Social Inclusion week, Health and Well-being week, Employability week, and study abroad month (October). Planning their timeline together with the Communications Manager.
  • Presenting his/her plans to the President to be approved, working closely with the President.
  • Communicating with Secretary to inform him/her of upcoming campaigns to pass on to ESN UK.

 

1.7  Communications Manager

 

The Communications Manager is responsible for the organisation’s image, external and internal promotion, and its consistency with the identity and brand of ESN International. It is essential to read the Visual Identity Manual (VIM) before starting any Comms work because there are many rules to follow. Responsibilities include:

  • Digital Content Creation - videos and campaigns.
  • Implementing the ESN Brand and Visual Identity.
  • Remaining very active and consistent on social media profiles; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. Scheduling posts when required.
  • Responsible for prompt external communications through Facebook, i.e. messages received at the ESN UofG facebook page.
  • Working closely with the VP to ensure the VIM rules are abided by.
  • Working closely with the Events Manager to create Facebook events.
  • Assisting the Causes Officers in planning campaigns and events promotion.
  • Create Facebook and promotional material for events within a reasonable timescale.
  • Keeping up-to-date with new partners of ESN and communicating these through Social Media Channels.
  • Uploading event photos to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, within a few days of each event.
  • Leading the Communications Committee (the Web Projects Administrator, who is in charge of the website, and the Graphics Designer, who should help out with creating the graphics for the social media, posters etc.)

 

2    Committees

 

Committees are the teams responsible for assisting the general board. They will be required to attend their committee-specific meetings and they are strongly recommended to attend the board meetings if they wish to stay informed of the section’s activities.

 

2.1  Activities Committee members

 

The Activities Committee members are responsible for coordinating events, contacting venues, collaborating with the Communications Committee members and external organisations to organise, advertise, and manage the events (with great help from all the other board members). They will work to implement the events strategy devised by the Events Manager. Responsibilities include assisting the Events Manager and Causes Officers with organizing and planning innovative events and activities ideas. Tasks and workload are variable and voluntary, approved by the Events Manager, and may include:

  • Attending Activities Committee meetings, organised and led by the Events Manager.
  • Create the best events/activities promo plans.
  • Creating online campaigns.
  • Helping out with the already-existent Buddy System of the section.
  • Enhancing MappED! profile of ESN UofG by mapping accessibility of the buildings at the campus.
  • Writing an event brief and plan to be approved by the Events Manager before each event.
  • Delegating roles to board and comms committee members during events when necessary. Activities Committee Members should always fill any roles themselves before delegating to board or comms committee members.
  • Finding appropriate venues and costing events.
  • Running each event.
  • Maintaining a good relationship with venues/partners i.e. sending thank you emails.
  • Writing internal event reviews and uploading this in document form to drive.
  • Responsibility for social media during events (Instagram Stories etc.).
  • The ideal member would be outgoing, creative, organised and comfortable performing duties delegated by the Events Manager.
  • We are looking for at least one member to be comfortable with public speaking, for example, leading a pub quiz. Please specify this in your application.

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2.3  Communications Committee members

 

2.3.1  Web Projects Administrator (WPA)

 

Being managed by the Communications Manager, the WPA will have the responsibility of handling the ESN UofG website and updating it with all the current activities. This is a great opportunity to get more experience in Web Administration - training will be provided. Responsibilities include:

  • Add content from events and projects.
  • Regular Web Publishing.
  • Continually improving the website by consulting those of the other sections.
  • Adding each event to the website.
  • Making sure partners are featured on the website.
  • Writing blurbs and reviews of events and projects to be added to our website in a press release style (working with Secretary on this).

 

2.3.2  Graphics Designer

 

Also led by the Communications Manager, the Graphics Designer is responsible for the visual identity of ESN UofG. This is a unique, creative role which will allow you to express the attitudes and goals of ESN in visual form and play an integral role in promoting events and activities. It is essential to read the Visual Identity Manual (VIM) before starting any comms work because there are many rules to follow. Responsibilities include:

  • Careful implementation of the ESN International Visual Identity (VIM).
  • Creating Facebook event cover photos and “tease” graphics for each event. These must be approved by the VP and Communications Manager before going live.
  • Thinking of innovative concepts for and creating advertising campaigns.
  • Abiding by the VIM to ensure that our graphics are in line with ESN International rules.
  • Creating general graphics for social media posts, e.g. when there is an opportunity for mobility to advertise or when we get a new partner.
  • Poster Design where necessary.
  • Thinking of and creating advertising campaigns for the events.
  • Integration and adaptation of ESN UofG logo.