International Student Wellbeing Adviser

Located within the International Student Support Team and working closely with
the University’s Student Support Services the post holder provides practical and
emotional support to students experiencing a wide variety of difficulties, ensuring
their welfare needs are well supported across their student journey. This post
focusses specifically on international students and supporting them with their
unique welfare support needs arising as a result of their international student
status.

This role contributes significantly not only to the support of individual students but
also to advising and supporting other University departments in order to ensure a
safe and nurturing learning environment.

The role holder will work with staff across the University including personal
academic tutors, the Student’s Union, Student Accommodation, Out of Hours
Provision, the Progression team and other Student Support Services.

The role will contribute to the establishment and maintenance of good institutional
practice and interventions with regards to a positive student experience and
therefore student retention, progression and employability skills.

**Key Responsibilities**
**and Accountabilities**:
**Specific**:

- To offer advice and support on a range of relevant welfare and wellbeing

topics to international students helping them settle in Sunderland and
thrive on their course.
- To support students and staff in the management of any critical

incidents involving international students, liaising as appropriate with
relevant stakeholders and external agencies.
- To support relevant senior colleagues in the co-ordination of student

critical incident and welfare case conferences.
- To enhance support available for international students living in student

accommodation to build ‘skills for life’ (securing accommodation, cooking on
a budget, social confidence, relationships, resilience).
- To support international students in relation to preventative work in sexual

health, drugs and alcohol.
- To organise and develop a range of activities aimed at enhancing the

international student experience in relation to welfare and general
wellbeing needs.
- To work alongside relevant colleagues to develop and deliver health

promotion literature and promotional activities in relation to student
welfare needs.
- To support international students to develop their resilience skills,

encouraging a sense of empowerment and independence across their
student journey.
- To provide advice and support to families and academic staff if they are

concerned about an international student, within agreed service
boundaries.

**Generic**:

- To encourage a culture which supports University and Service

priorities including the following:

- responsiveness
- excellence in customer service and valuing the importance of

delivering services of the highest quality
- ownership of actions
- adaptability & a 'can do' attitude
- strong communication
- innovation
- inclusiveness
- collaboration and working across team boundaries to build &
strengthen working relationships
- flexibility of approach
- being student-centric
- To provide both a proactive and responsive supportive role, taking a lead

on the wide range of welfare issues impacting upon the wellbeing of
international students.
- To deliver effective one to one focused support to international students

in need of an immediate/quick response to a variety of welfare and
wellbeing problems.
- To support staff to more effectively support international students in

relation to welfare needs.

University of Sunderland

**Role Profile**

Part 1
- To contribute to the development of policies and strategies relating to the

provision of effective international student support.
- Liaison with voluntary and statutory sector services as appropriate to

support international students.
- Maintain own professional development by ensuring mandatory training

needs are met and attend 1-1 support sessions and supervision.
- Complete administration necessary to the role and the requirements of

the department including keeping records and statistical information
about the work undertaken.
- To provide both a proactive and responsive supportive role, taking a lead

on the wide range of welfare issues impacting upon the wellbeing of
international students.

**Special**
**Circumstances**:

- Regular evening working and occasional weekend working as required to

fulfil demands on the service and other requirements.
- Attendance at Open Days and other events as required.
- Work across University campuses.
- Work across and with teams as required.

**Part 2A: Essential and Desirable Criteria**

**_Essential
- **

**Qualifications and Professional Memberships**:

- Educated to degree level

**Knowledge and Experience**:

- Demonstrable knowledge of international student issues and experience of

providing support for international students
- Significant relevant experience of providing both practical and emotion