Frequently Asked Questions

None. All you need for either part-time or full-time is to be a student at Staffs that cares about the needs of other students.

The Union is a democratic organisation, which is why we hold elections for the student officer positions. We believe that we should be run by students, for students - and that it is for the student body as a whole to decide which students should be put in charge of the organisation. Our officers have to represent the entire student population, in particular in negotiating with the University, and it is vital that they are able to speak on behalf of students. Holding elections means that each and every student gets to have their say in who is representing them, so that's why we do it that way.

Student officers take up their post in August. For full-time officers there is a two-week handover period and comprehensive training before students return in September. Part-time officers will receive informal training once they return in September.

Full-time officers are contracted to work a minimum of 35 hours per week but in reality you’ll end up staying longer in the Students’ Union as the time you spend working, meeting, eating and socialising blur! Part-time officers do not have a set requirement, but are encouraged to get involved in Union campaigns and events in their free time.

Full time officers are paid an annual salary of around £15,000 and the holiday entitlement is really very good. They also get 25 days annual leave (p.a.) plus public holidays and customary closure days. Part-time officers get their expenses paid where necessary.

Yes, several of your current officer team are members of clubs and societies – time is just tighter.

If you are considering running for a position, look at the positions available page. This should give you all the information you need to make your decision. But if it doesn’t, feel free to email election@staffs.ac.uk

You can only stand for one officer position in any one election. This is because you are only able to fill one position at a time, whether that is full-time or part-time. You can stand to be either a sabbatical or part time officer and also stand in the election to attend NUS Conference.

The University should allow any student who wants to the possibility of taking a year out to be a sabbatical officer at the Students' Union. However, it is a good idea to consult with your course or programme director before you nominate yourself, to make sure that they would be happy to make the necessary arrangements should you be successfully elected. If you speak to them and they don't seem open to the idea, please get in touch with the Union as soon as possible and we will contact them to explain more about why it's important that all students are able to put themselves forward to be an officer.

Don't let fear of the election campaign put you off standing to become an officer. The Union offers lots of support and advice for all candidates and it is likely that everyone else who stands for a position will be equally nervous about the election process. The basics of running a good campaign are simple: you need to convince as many students as possible to vote for you. That doesn't mean you need an already established huge social circle of friends or that you need to be involved in any other Union activities - it just means you have to be ready to approach students and talk to them about why they should vote for you when the voting is open.

You will also be able to involve lots of your friends and be as creative as you want to be - running an election campaign can be hard work but it is also often a lot of fun. A full training session is offered to all candidates as soon as nominations close, so you will be able to ask any questions and receive everything you need to know then.

No - the Union provides a set budget for all candidates in elections, and you are not allowed to spend anything over and above that budget as part of your election campaign. That is to ensure an even playing field between all candidates, so that students who don't have much spare cash aren't at a disadvantage when it comes to elections.

It depends on the visa you have now - but you will definitely need some kind of a visa that gives you permission to work. If you are an international student and you are interested in becoming a sabbatical officer it is a good idea to come and talk to us in advance so we can advise you best on how to proceed should you be successfully elected. You do not need permission to work to take up a part-time position or to attend NUS conference.

Once the result has been confirmed, the Union will be in touch with you to confirm the next steps.

How long is a piece of string? Obviously the more effort you put in, the more likely you are to engage with voters and receive their votes. However we always encourage you to manage your studies appropriately to ensure you do not fall behind.

Absolutely! Some would argue even safer than the traditional poll-booth voting seen in general elections. Only students that have registered with the website (which requires an ID check using their student number and other identifiable information) are allowed to login and vote. There is also no chance of the same person voting twice as the system prevents them from doing so.

The Single Transferable Vote (STV) is a system of preferential voting. This means you rate the candidates from 1 up to the number of candidates there are. Where only one position is available (President's election for example) it is identical to the alternative voting (AV) system that the government is considering at the moment. When there are multiple positions to fill (non-portfolio/exec officers), it switches to the traditional STV.

To give you an easier example, imagine you get a friend to go to the shop to get a packet of crisps. Your first preference is salt and vinegar (1), but if that’s not available you will have ready salted (2) and finally if that’s not available you will have cheese and onion (3). Your preferences are then eliminated one by one until you either don’t mind what you have because your three preferences are not available (No Further Preference) or you don’t want the remaining flavour of prawn cocktail (Re-Open Nominations) as you’re set on having salt and vinegar or ready salted.

When you use this system for voting, if there are four candidates to start with then the person who comes in fourth will have their second preference votes transferred to the remaining three candidates. This means if you voted for candidate D as your first preference (1), but then they come in last and are eliminated, if you voted for candidate A as your second preference, candidate A then gains that vote. This is applied across all the voters. Once the new votes are added to all candidates, the candidate with the least amount of votes is eliminated. This then happens again with third preference votes (3) being transferred and then the candidate with the least amount of votes eliminated until there is just one candidate left.

Assisted voting allows those people who have not registered with the website but have shared their data with the Students' Union to vote. If you are not sure whether you have shared your data, go to our Can I Vote page to find out.

If you find you have not registered with the website, but your data is held by the Union, you can go to a ballot station during the voting period to vote. At the station a member of Union staff will verify your identity and your status as a student and then authorise you to vote at the ballot station. You will then place your vote using a touch-screen kiosk.

The Union is a democratic organisation, which is why we hold elections for the student officer positions. We believe that we should be run by students, for students - and that it is for the student body as a whole to decide which students should be put in charge of the organisation. Our officers have to represent the entire student population, in particular in negotiating with the University, and it is vital that they are able to speak on behalf of students. Holding elections means that each and every student gets to have their say in who is representing them, so that's why we do it that way.