Frequently Asked Questions

Once you have received confirmation from the Student Ambassador Scheme Manager that you have been offered the Student Ambassador position, the Swansea University HR Team will contact you to start your onboarding paperwork. As they are onboarding up to 200 new Student Ambassadors, it may take a few weeks for this to be processed. Please respond to their emails promptly to start your contract as quickly as possible.

You will be contacted by a member of HR in order to complete a Right to Work Check. You will need your Passport, as well as a BRP Card for Tier 4 Students.

After you have been onboarded by HR, please complete the Student Ambassador Scheme’s Database Information Collection Form. This will allow us to tailor work opportunities to you.

Please contact Customer Services, who are based in both Singleton and Bay Library. They are available Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm on 01792 295500 and can provide you with your email, ID number, and a temporary password.

While having your Staff Credentials is not essential, they can be used to log into the online staff portal, ABW, where you can view your payslips. Some work opportunities may also require you to log into certain systems using a staff log in, instead of a student log in e.g. logging on to Microsoft Teams during Calling Campaigns

Once your contract has been signed and returned to HR, you are ready to start working as a Student Ambassador. Your information from the Database Information Collection Form will allow you to start receiving work opportunities by email.

A Payments work a month in hand and money should be received on the last working day of each month. For example, if you work an Open Day in October, you will receive payment for this work on the last working day of November. Make sure you sign in and out at each event in order to ensure you’re accounted for.

Student Ambassador Pay works one month in arrears. This means that the hours you received on the last working day of this month will be for hours worked last month. If you feel that your pay does not look right for the hours you worked last month, please contact the Student Ambassador Scheme - studentambassadors@swansea.ac.uk

Swansea University are committed to helping you develop your employability skills.

We don’t want you to be out-of-pocket if you’re completing voluntary or unpaid work, if you’re going to an interview the other side of the country, or if you need to buy specialist gear for a job. For any cost like this, you can apply for up to £100 to help your career.

Find out more information on the Employment Zone homepage

For full details of what we cover, click here: Employability Bursary Guidance.

Please contact HR on iss-hr@swansea.ac.uk and they will be able to advise.

Please contact HMRC for a tax refund and to change your tax code.

Tax Code Enquiries – Income Tax (HMRC)

National Insurance Number and NI Contributions – (HMRC)

In most cases, it is the Student Ambassador’s responsibility to arrive at the locations of their work on time.

If you are an international student on a Student/Tier 4 Visa, you are only permitted to work/volunteer: 

1. A maximum of 20 hours paid or unpaid work per week in all employments during term time for degree students; or 
2. a maximum 20 hours per week work all year round for Post Graduate students, as research students are not considered to have terms; or 
3. a maximum of 10 hours paid or unpaid work per week in all employments during term time for students undertaking courses below degree level (below NQF level 6). 

This is across any and all jobs that you might have within the University and outside. For example, if you have a job in the Student Ambassador Scheme and a job in Tesco, you will have to split 20 hours between these two roles to comply with the restriction of your Visa. When you were onboarded by HR, they would have let the SAS Team know how many hours you were permitted to work in your role as determined by your Visa and any other commitments you may have.  

As a Student/Tier 4 Visa Holder, it is your responsibility to manage the hours you work and ensure that you do not breach the legal limit in terms of the number of hours allowed by your Visa.  

Student/Tier 4 Visa Holders are permitted to work above 20 hours a week during vacation periods (Summer break only as per University HR guidance). However, vacation periods need to be formally confirmed with HR/SAS prior to the work being allocated/undertaken. Postgraduate Tier 4 Visa holders will still be capped at 20 hours a week during the summer break as they are still classified as in term time completing their dissertation/research projects (unless they take a formal period of annual leave, formally confirmed with HR/SAS prior to the work being allocated/undertaken).  

International@campuslife have created guidance leaflet for International Students who have or are seeking employment. Please visit their webpage on working during your studies for International Students to access the guidance leaflet. 

In order to split your Tier 4 hours between several contracts, you need to make both of your Line Managers and HR aware. It is your choice on how many hours are allocated to each contract, but you must keep in regular contact with the Student Ambassador Scheme and HR if this is likely to change each week.

Please contact studentambassadors@swansea.ac.uk within 48 hours’ notice if you have to cancel a work opportunity (any cancellations for a Monday must be provided before 4pm on a Friday). Failure to give notice within the above timeframe will result in disciplinary action.

Do not swap shifts with another Student Ambassador without staff permission. Once you have cancelled a work opportunity, the Student Ambassador Scheme will repost it to those who meet the criteria.

Departments are also expected to provide 48 hours’ notice for the work that they have arranged. If your shift is cancelled less than 48 hours’ in advance, then pay will still be administered.

This is up to the discretion of the Department who submitted the work opportunity. Shifts may be allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis or may be allocated based on a Student Ambassador’s skillset or previous experience.

There is a wide variety of work available to you as a Student Ambassador. This can range from one-off opportunities, long-term work, or internships. A few examples include:

• Open Days
• Visits and Campus Tours
• Freshers and Graduation
• Careers Fair
• Administrative Support
• Letter Packing
• Social Media Content Creation
• Unibuddy

View more on our Work Opportunities page

Senior Student Ambassadors are paid at a higher grade than Student Ambassadors to reflect the increased level of responsibility. Senior Ambassadors will manage their own team during Open Days and often have access to more exclusive work opportunities, such as travelling the UK to visit UCAS Fairs.

To apply to be a Senior Student Ambassador, you must have at least 1 year of experience as a Student Ambassador. Applications usually open after Easter but this can vary.

Social Secretary – Organises Student Ambassador Socials
Social Media Secretary – Controls the Student Ambassador Scheme Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Secretary – Organises Committee meetings
Communications Liaison Officer – The first point of call for Student Ambassador queries. Communicates information on events and fundraisers
Fundraising Officer – Organises events to raise money for local charities

More information on the roles and their responsibilities are advertised to the Senior Student Ambassadors at the start of the Academic Year.