Darren P Jones 

Executive Officers - you may remember being harassed by them, armed with lollipops and signs asking for your vote yet you're probably not too fussed who they are or what they do; that is until you need one of them.

Executive Officers - or "Sabbs" - are the elected student leaders on campus; they are your voice to the university and the city, they lead the students' union deciding on what it does for you and, perhaps most importantly, they get nearly £20K of your money each (excluding additional training budgets and expenses!).

UPSU has five of these important people, including a President, Deputy President and three Vice-Presidents, and guess what - you can become one of them too.

But what's the point? Why would you want to take a year doing a job like this?

Quite frankly, you're not going to get the opportunity to run a £3m charity taking on top level strategic management and financial decisions and manage large project management anywhere else. It's an amazing opportunity for your own development adding something very special to your CV that employers like a lot, in all sectors.

You'll also be doing something that's worth while, helping your fellow students have the best time they can whilst at university including activities, advice services, social facilities and campaigns.

All in all, being an Executive Officer in your first year after graduating (or as a gap year) is something not to be missed. Taking on the challenge, learning a huge amount about the professional world, helping students and getting the benefits attached to the job is a role no one in their right mind would miss out on.

Give something back, propel your own career and have one of the best years of your professional lives - become a Sabb.

Mike Austin

I stood for election at UPSU in 2007 and was elected Vice President, responsible for the campuses that are now closed (nothing to do with me, I promise) at Exmouth and Exeter. (Yes, there was life outside Plymouth… if you look in the Rolle Building there’s a board with our names on to prove it).

Being a sabbatical officer was an amazing experience. It was really fun, challenging, tiring but ultimately one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. One minute I would be helping out a student, the next leading a campaign about campus closures, then sitting on a university board meeting or ensuring the SU bar was running correctly. 

The best way to get an idea of what the job will be like is to talk to the current officers as they are actually doing the job right now and if they’re anything like I was, will love talking and talking and talking about what they do. They may be planning to stand for a second term but if they’re good sabbaticals, they won’t mind a bit of competition and YOUR new ideas are fundamental to keeping the students’ union moving and evolving, so don’t let it worry you. Elections should be fun and enjoyable.

Students' unions talk about how being involved can improve your CV which is often true however you need passion and energy to run a successful campaign and get through your time in office and most students can tell if you're genuinely interested in the relevant issues or whether you're just pretending. You don’t need to know everything, in fact I knew very little about the students’ union when I was elected, but the training that the incredible staff team give you will help you flourish quickly and you’ll fast become a good leader.

I started university in 2004 with no interest in the students’ union, no confidence in myself and no ability to stand up in a room and talk to an audience. I left UPSU in July 2008, and straight into a job at Leeds Met Students’ Union as their Membership Engagement Coordinator (dealing with representation, governance and policy stuff!), I have confidence in my ability and due to my time with UPSU I can now address an audience without any problems. 

If I hadn’t made the choice to stand for election in 2007, I’m sure I’d be a very difference person today and would certainly be missing out on a career that I love. If you have the passion, the commitment, the drive to represent students and lead an organisation, I’d recommend being a sabbatical officer to you.

Mike Austin
VP Exmouth & Exeter (2007/08)