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RA position UCD
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20-01-2013 11:47pm#1
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LifesaverNiall wrote: »Sounds good! thanks for the advice!
just want to get it over and done with tbh.. jetting off to France on Friday with the surf club.. Caaaant waaaait!
get a call back?0 -
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LifesaverNiall wrote: »haha good luck! Just hoping the next week doesnt drag by..
I ended up declining the 2nd round interview. I couldn't fathom how a PhD student could spare 3 weeks from the lab/library for training.
Good luck guys 0 -
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Hi Pacni,
Thank you so much for this informative reply!
You've very much eased my worries re: safety on the job. I know I'm good at handling distressed people, etc. but I was definitely wondering exactly how much of the security work we perform alone. I have not lived on campus before and the Boards threads about Reslife can tend to get a bit conflictual/extreme in the anecdotal evidence...some of which I suspect is not entirely accurate. 
Regarding the process of becoming an RA, I'm mad at myself for sending in my application before seeing your reply!! :rolleyes:
At the advice of a roommate I ended up spending a large chunk of my letter focusing on leadership skills and previous "community management/supervisory" experience (scouts chief, supervising student society trips)...oh well. I don't know if I came across as friendly, but I mentioned customer service experience and experience assisting students and clients (student ambassador, tutor, on-campus volunteering) as well as previous admin experience, which will hopefully be enough to progress to interviews!! I'm really excited about the idea of being an RA so hopefully it will come across in the letter.
Anyways - sorry for rambling about my application. As a side note, I didn't know RAs offered pastoral services! It's great to hear though, because I know it's a common practice in the US and very underrated as a service that students are more likely to make use of that a "scary" appointment to a therapist, mental health professional etc. I know for me it would definitely seem more "doable"!0 -
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DreamByDay wrote: »Hi Pacni,
Thank you so much for this informative reply! You've very much eased my worries re: safety on the job. I know I'm good at handling distressed people, etc. but I was definitely wondering exactly how much of the security work we perform alone. I have not lived on campus before and the Boards threads about Reslife can tend to get a bit conflictual/extreme in the anecdotal evidence...some of which I suspect is not entirely accurate.
Regarding the process of becoming an RA, I'm mad at myself for sending in my application before seeing your reply!! :rolleyes:
At the advice of a roommate I ended up spending a large chunk of my letter focusing on leadership skills and previous "community management/supervisory" experience (scouts chief, supervising student society trips)...oh well. I don't know if I came across as friendly, but I mentioned customer service experience and experience assisting students and clients (student ambassador, tutor, on-campus volunteering) as well as previous admin experience, which will hopefully be enough to progress to interviews!! I'm really excited about the idea of being an RA so hopefully it will come across in the letter.
Anyways - sorry for rambling about my application. As a side note, I didn't know RAs offered pastoral services! It's great to hear though, because I know it's a common practice in the US and very underrated as a service that students are more likely to make use of that a "scary" appointment to a therapist, mental health professional etc. I know for me it would definitely seem more "doable"!
It's not accurate at all. There are occasional incidents that are out of the ordinary but they are rare and backup is always available.
You sound like you have a solid application! I would start preparing for the interviews (there are two) as they can be quite intense. Overall you sound like you have a good chance with that much experience.DreamByDay wrote: »Forgot to include my actual questions in my last message!! Sorry:
1. I was wondering how much of the job is done as part of a team? The form seems to imply a large amount of team/partnered work (which I would love, I mean it might quite lonely during office hours haha) but from previous Boards threads I get the impression people describe RA as a very individual job e.g. you do your office hour, patrol, do your paperwork etc. alone.
2. You partly answered this in your last reply, but to clarify the "spirit" of being an RA is more assisting/helping out etc. students, seen as "clients", rather than "supervising" or being "in charge" of students then? (I fear I may have come across badly in this case, what with focusing on leadership experience :pac: )
1. All of your job is done as a team. Each residence has 6 RAs that work on rotation, you will become very close to these 6 as you spend a lot of time with them. Then you will have a partner who you work every shift with - it's always one male and one female partnered together. You sort and deliver the post together, work the office hours together and are there for each other whenever either needs help. It's important that you get on well with your partner as you will be spending a lot of time with them. Then there are the 6 Senior RAs who also are partnered and work on rotation. Then of course there is Security who you will get to know well. There is always support in any aspect of the job should you need it.
2. I would definitely lean more towards assisting/helping out. There is a reason that all RAs are current students also living on campus and not just hired staff. We exist as a bridge between the students and the upper management. We all know exactly what it's like to be a student, most of us know what it's like to live on campus and we always act in the students' best interests. Yes there is a disciplinary aspect to the role but it goes no further with us than writing a report. We have nothing to do with fines or disciplinary action. This is decided by Residences/Estate Services - all we do is write the reports. I know that personally I try my hardest to achieve the best outcome for the students. It's not a black and white job, some discretion is allowed. Of course, there reaches a point where I can't do any more, it is my job after all and the rules exist for a reason. 'Power tripping' is a common enough occurrence but generally the RAs who do don't last very long. You are not there just to tell students what to do, you are there to ensure the policies are followed as far as possible to create the most comfortable and safe environment you can for all residents on campus. This is where the pastoral role also becomes important.0 -
It's not accurate at all. There are occasional incidents that are out of the ordinary but they are rare and backup is always available.
You sound like you have a solid application! I would start preparing for the interviews (there are two) as they can be quite intense. Overall you sound like you have a good chance with that much experience.
1. All of your job is done as a team. Each residence has 6 RAs that work on rotation, you will become very close to these 6 as you spend a lot of time with them. Then you will have a partner who you work every shift with - it's always one male and one female partnered together. You sort and deliver the post together, work the office hours together and are there for each other whenever either needs help. It's important that you get on well with your partner as you will be spending a lot of time with them. Then there are the 6 Senior RAs who also are partnered and work on rotation. Then of course there is Security who you will get to know well. There is always support in any aspect of the job should you need it.
2. I would definitely lean more towards assisting/helping out. There is a reason that all RAs are current students also living on campus and not just hired staff. We exist as a bridge between the students and the upper management. We all know exactly what it's like to be a student, most of us know what it's like to live on campus and we always act in the students' best interests. Yes there is a disciplinary aspect to the role but it goes no further with us than writing a report. We have nothing to do with fines or disciplinary action. This is decided by Residences/Estate Services - all we do is write the reports. I know that personally I try my hardest to achieve the best outcome for the students. It's not a black and white job, some discretion is allowed. Of course, there reaches a point where I can't do any more, it is my job after all and the rules exist for a reason. 'Power tripping' is a common enough occurrence but generally the RAs who do don't last very long. You are not there just to tell students what to do, you are there to ensure the policies are followed as far as possible to create the most comfortable and safe environment you can for all residents on campus. This is where the pastoral role also becomes important.
Thank you so much for the advice
I didn't know there were two interviews, I'm assuming group+individual? I am planning to prepare stuff like (1) discussing how my experience was relevant, (2) "describe a time when..."-type questions, and (3) "what would you do if..."-type questions. And then just generally coming across as a nice person, hopefully! :rolleyes:
When you say the interviews are intense, do you mean in terms of being asked questions that are difficult to answer without being very knowledgeable about residences/RA-ing already, or more in terms of finding quick answers? Would you mind sharing how you prepared when you interviewed yourself? (I'm not sure what's the limit of polite things to ask so please shoot me down if you feel these questions are not ok to ask by the way!!)
1. Thanks so much for letting me know - I'm really happy to hear our work is structured in teams/partnerships - seems like it could be really fun/rewarding !! Do RAs live together or are they scattered across floors/ apartment for easy access in case residents need help?
2. Really good to hear also re: being there to ensure the best possible experience for students, I don't mind writing up reports etc. but my "goal" in applying to be an RA is definitely not playing the bad guy or going on a power trip. Hopefully I get a chance to explain that in the interviews because my cover letter kinda ruined that, what with being all about how I'm used to managing/supervising people :rolleyes:
You've helped me so much by giving me a better idea of what the role entails, and I am actually even more motivtated now than before (doing shifts alone + an "authority" rather than "servicing" role were the two aspects that I was not too enthusiastic about, and you thankfully clarified how this wasn't actually the case!). So, thank you!!0 -
DreamByDay wrote: »Thank you so much for the advice
I didn't know there were two interviews, I'm assuming group+individual? I am planning to prepare stuff like (1) discussing how my experience was relevant, (2) "describe a time when..."-type questions, and (3) "what would you do if..."-type questions. And then just generally coming across as a nice person, hopefully! :rolleyes:
When you say the interviews are intense, do you mean in terms of being asked questions that are difficult to answer without being very knowledgeable about residences/RA-ing already, or more in terms of finding quick answers? Would you mind sharing how you prepared when you interviewed yourself? (I'm not sure what's the limit of polite things to ask so please shoot me down if you feel these questions are not ok to ask by the way!!)
1. Thanks so much for letting me know - I'm really happy to hear our work is structured in teams/partnerships - seems like it could be really fun/rewarding !! Do RAs live together or are they scattered across floors/ apartment for easy access in case residents need help?
2. Really good to hear also re: being there to ensure the best possible experience for students, I don't mind writing up reports etc. but my "goal" in applying to be an RA is definitely not playing the bad guy or going on a power trip. Hopefully I get a chance to explain that in the interviews because my cover letter kinda ruined that, what with being all about how I'm used to managing/supervising people :rolleyes:
You've helped me so much by giving me a better idea of what the role entails, and I am actually even more motivtated now than before (doing shifts alone + an "authority" rather than "servicing" role were the two aspects that I was not too enthusiastic about, and you thankfully clarified how this wasn't actually the case!). So, thank you!!
That would be an appropriate way to prepare for the interviews. They are both individual interviews. I honestly can't remember a great deal of what I was asked in either of them. I have a vague recollection of the first interview being quite general, mostly about you and your experience, then the second being more specific to the role. I'll answer your first question in my response to your second - I had no idea what to expect. By intense I mean that they were significantly more than what I was expecting and thus I had done very little preparation. I had never lived on campus either so my knowledge of it was quite little, though I'm sure it would help if you did know some.
RAs are all scattered across the residences, which you might think isn't ideal, but when you work so much and spend so much time with these people, you'd prefer not to have to live with them too. You are always put in an apartment with at least 1 other RA/SRA, so you aren't the only one. With regards to easy access, that's not really the attitude we take. Of course, should circumstances need it, a RA living in the building can help out but most of the time we aren't expected to do anything if we aren't on duty. If anything, it's actually discouraged (except for pastoral elements), residents should always be directed to the RA on duty even if there's an off duty one living next door.
I'm very glad I changed your opinion of the role. There is a great lack of transparency in what we actually do and I feel like it leads to some points of contention amongst the residence. Please don't hesitate to ask me anymore questions, otherwise best of luck with the application process!0 -
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