My experience as a Reslife Assistant - Year 2

Hello my name is Leila. I am one of your Residence Life Assistants here at Coventry University FutureLets accommodation. You have most likely seen me around running events, chatting to students or asking if you would like to participate in one of our events.

I have been a Reslife Assistant since September 2022. I liked it so much I came back for  a second year running! In this blog i will be talking about my experience being a Reslife assistant for almost two years now and what I have enjoyed and any challenges I may have faced.

Being a Reslife Assistant has been a great job and a one  I would highly recommend to anyone interested. It allows you to be sociable and mix with a range of other students. It has a great variety and no day ever looks the same. It is also really flexible around your studies and offers a good work-life balance whilst still being able to have some extra money whilst your at university. I often say it is a job which doesn’t feel like working.

A great benefit of the job is all the different events you will be running as well as going on the trips. This year some of my favourite events have been, henna event, pamper and pancakes and pool tournaments. My favourite event I have ever done is pumpkin carving which I did in my first year as an RLA but I also really enjoy the baking and arts and crafts events.

In total during my time as an RLA I have worked 3 trips. These have been some of my highlights of being an RLA. In my first year i went to the space centre in Leicester which was a really fun trip. This year I have been to Bicester Village and Manchester. At Bicester village we had a fun day of shopping and in Manchester we went on a walking tour of Manchester, saw the Chinese New Years celebrations and explored the shops. Trips also include getting the students there on a coach, ensuring attendance and helping out should anything go wrong. The photo below is a picture of me and my colleagues in Manchester. 

Another thing I love about being an RLA is all the great people you meet. We have a strong team of lovely people who then become friends and are a great group to work with. You also meet so many students and learn about a large range of cultures which is really interesting. An important thing about being an RLA is to be chatty and sociable. Talk to anyone about anything and really make the most of the experience. 

Another factor about the job is you also have to do kitchen meetings and inspections. This can be one of the more challenging parts of the job as you can be met with some hostility and some very dirty kitchens! However, your training fully equips you for this and you go in feeling fully prepared. It can also offer you the chance to build skills such as dealing with difficult situations and building your confidence.

Another important part of being a Reslife assistant is offering support to students who may need it. It is important to recognise students who may be facing any difficulties and may need any extra support and help and put them in contact with the right people. We could be the only person that student sees today so it is important to reach out if you notice anything.

Reslife offers some great training too such as first aid and mental health awareness training. It has offered me invaluable skills which I will carry with me for life.

Some of the main skills i feel as though I have gained over the past two years are building my confidence, team work, leadership, people-skills, creativity skills, social media, compassion and empathy. It is a great job to cover lots of different areas and get you some good experience.

It has been a pleasure being a Reslife assistant again. It's a great job which I have thoroughly enjoyed and it offers great experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested. 

Living in university-owned halls of residence | Coventry University

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