LeadMCR 2024/25 applications now open

Applications for the Manchester Students’ Union 2024/25 Exec team are open.

The Exec team comprises of eight elected leaders who work at the Students’ Union, representing “all students” and influencing the “experience throughout the University and wider city,” as stated on the LeadMCR website.

As part of the “hottest grad scheme you’ve never heard of,” Exec Officers have the opportunity to: meet with University and city leaders, work with student campaigns, network with other Student Unions’, and represent students on TV, radio, and at events.

The eight roles available are:

• Union Affairs
• Activities & Culture
• Postgraduate Research
• Wellbeing and Liberation
• City and Community
• Faculty officers: Humanities, Biology, Medicine, and Health, and Science and Engineering

The roles are full-time and paid, with a salary this year of over £24k per annum. Students can apply at any stage in their studies.

To apply, candidates will need to complete an online form, including an ideas statement. Applications close February 12, 2024, and will be followed by training and campaigning.

The student vote opens on March 4, with results being announced in an event on March 7, 2024.

Last year, 10,000 students voted, which equates to 20% of the student body.

When asked for their thoughts on and experiences with LeadMCR, current Humanities Officer Katie Jackson said she “was never confident enough to put [her]self out there.”

She continued: “Honestly, I was never a particularly active member of the student body because I often felt that trying to fix institutional problems was pointless. LeadMCR was a way to push me out of my comfort zone and to make a difference to students’ lives.”

Katie also wanted to remind students of the importance of student democracy, “I hope that students like me, who are scared to make noise in such a huge institution, push themselves because your voice matters!” 

Current Union Affairs Officer Hannah Mortimer recalled her experiences of being a student during the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on her: “I started my undergrad back in 2019. That’s right – the academic year Ms Covid wreaked havoc upon our lives. It wasn’t the best time to be a student. I hit walls and policies that were consistently making it more difficult for me to achieve in an already difficult time.”

This is what gave her the motivation to apply, “That’s part of the reason why I really wanted to understand what goes on behind the scenes and to push for changes; changes that I would like to have seen come about when I was in my undergrad.”

For further information and details on applying, see here.