Intervarsity Convener

Official Remit:

“5.7.1. Shall have responsibility for organising and facilitating debating competitions held by the society including both internal competitions and those attended by other debating societies;

5.7.2. Shall ensure, alongside the Training and Competitions Officer, that the society retains a strong image on the competition circuit;

5.7.3. Shall support other members of the IV team to ensure the Society’s Intervarsity program provides good value for members;

5.7.4. Shall work with the Equity Officer to make and enforce an equity policy at competitions to prevent equity issues from arising; and,

5.7.5. Shall take the lead in running any additional workshops, e.g. pre-competition mid-week workshops, coordinating with other IV team members to do so.”

What this job really looks like:

The IV Convener’s main job is to organise our debating competitions, both those we host internally and those that external institutions attend (primarily the Exeter Open). For internal competitions, this includes picking motions, organising teams and judges, setting up the Tab (the website competitions are run through) and more. For external competitions, this will also include finding external judges (who will choose motions) and working with other debating societies to support their attendance. This involves work throughout the year but particularly a couple of very intense periods a few weeks during the year. Desirable traits include a passion for competitive debating, strong logistical skills and an ability to communicate clearly within the society and with other societies.