Dear members, 

We are excited to announce that we are recruiting for three positions on our Committee. This is a valuable opportunity to develop your skills and to be part of our team, helping to organise our events. It will look excellent on your CV.  This will take place in the form of a by-election in which you may select a role to run for, write a manifesto, before moving to a period of voting. 

The positions available are: 

Speaker Liaison Secretary – You will communicate with potential guest speakers, and coordinate the arrival of confirmed guest speakers on the day of the event, and be there to meet their needs or requests. You’ll also play a role in the writing of external speaker risk assessments (don’t worry, you will receive guidance from us) and sorting out accommodation and travel arrangements for speakers. Desirable qualities for this role include being a good people person, so you can provide a warm welcome to our guest speakers, being able to write concise and professional emails to speakers, having good communication skills, and punctuality (being on time). 

Education and Careers Secretary – You will lead the organisation of online academic and career-related material, including editing the new Society journal. Alongside this you will have the opportunity to organise academic skills or career-oriented workshops, peer to peer advice drop-ins, roundtable discussions, and anything else you come up with! Desirable qualities for this role include creativity, passion for IR as a discipline, academically competent (e.g. good essay editing skills), and dedicated to providing support and career insights to our members.

Welfare Secretary – Your primary role will be to be present at as many of our events as possible, to listen and act on members’ welfare concerns, and to sign post them to the relevant support. You will help ensure the Society is a safe and comfortable space for everyone. You will work alongside the Education and Careers Secretary and the Academic/Welfare Secretary (Ryan), to run the academic and welfare drop-ins. Desirable qualities for this role include being kind, considerate, and a good listener. 

Election information

The by-election will take place on the Guild’s election dashboard, which is where candidates nominate themselves, upload their manifestos, and where members vote. 

Timeframe

Nominations will open on Monday the 14th of October at 9:00am, and close on Friday the 18th, where the voting period will then commence, until the by-election ends and voting closes on Wednesday the 23rd of October at 11:00pm. 

Who can participate? 

Membership is required to both run and vote in the by-election. These positions are open to all degrees, and all levels of study, including postgraduates and 1st years. No prior committee experience is required. 

Advise

In your manifesto you could outline why you want the role, why you’d be an effective Committee member, and any new project or general ideas you have for the Society. 

If you’re elected

Those who are elected will receive guidance and training where needed, from current Committee members, including myself, and Ryan, our Academic/Welfare Secretary. Those elected will also be required to undergo online training provided by the Students’ Guild. 

Please don’t hesitate to ask us any questions about the roles or by-election, or if you require technical assistance with navigating the election dashboard. Please either email us - irsoc@groups.exeterguild or message our Instagram - @exeterirsoc. 

Best of luck! 

Tom (President)