Personal development and advice

Careers Service

While it may feel like a long time off, it is never too early or late to think about your career and where you want to go after you graduate from SOAS. Whether you are still deciding what might suit you, or you have a firm career in mind; whether this is the very beginning of your undergraduate degree, postgraduate study, or the start of a complete career change, the SOAS Careers Service is here to help you have the most fulfilling time during and after your degree at SOAS.  

We know that making career choices can seem daunting and we will help you make the choices that work for you. We have a suite of online information resources available to you during and after your studies, regular skill development workshops, employer-led events and fairs, as well as one-to-one guidance sessions.  

  • Our online information resources are available on MySOAS Student and we have split this up into the stages of career thinking, so you can choose the stage that suits you. This includes information about career decision-making, planning your job search, writing a great application, succeeding at interviews, finding internships and volunteering opportunities, and information about different employment sectors you might be interested in, as well as information about possible careers suitable for your degree subject in different parts of the world.  

  • Throughout the year, we run short Guidance appointments, Application Advice drop-ins, Careers Discussions, and Practice Interview sessions. Find out what's available and book an appointment.  

  • Our events calendar is rich and varied and caters to a wide range of students. From Careers Fairs to skills workshops, employer presentations, and alumni panels, we have something for everyone throughout the year. Events are a great opportunity for developing your personal networks, career thinking, commercial awareness, and sector knowledge. Our events calendar is available on, CareersZONE and we promote all our events on Instagram and through the weekly newsletter we send you.  

Contact Information 

We will be offering a blend of on-campus and off-campus careers support. For up to date information about our events, workshops and for some great ideas to help your career thinking, please visit the Careers pages on MySOAS Student. 

For physical events, the Careers Service is in SL62, on the Lower Ground Floor of Senate House (to the right of the Atrium stairs). Do contact us on SID, and follow our Instagram account for updates on our events, resources, and great vacancies. We will also send you a weekly newsletter with great resources during term time.  

Opening Hours  

  • Term Time: Mon-Thur, 10:00am - 5:00pm / Friday 10:00am - 4:00pm 
  • Non-Term Time : Mon- Fri, 1:00pm - 4:00pm 

After You Have Graduated 

Our careers resources and CareersZONE are all accessible to you for information once you leave SOAS. SOAS Connect is also a great network for graduates to share and receive support from the SOAS alumni community.

Fifteen months after you graduate, you will be contacted for the Graduate Outcomes Survey which will ask about what work you are doing (including further study), and how SOAS has helped you along the way.  

Student Ambassador Scheme 

The Access, Participation and Student Success (APSS) department is responsible for the School’s Student Ambassador programme. As a SOAS Student Ambassador, you can get involved in a wide range of exciting and rewarding activities.

These include working at large, public-facing events, delivering workshops and talks to younger students in schools and colleges and contributing to projects and initiatives that positively impact the SOAS community. The Ambassador Scheme also provides the opportunity for some Student Ambassadors to receive specialised training for projects designed to improve access, participation, and success in higher education and to promote language studies.  

These experiences add a unique and varied dimension to your university life, whilst also providing interesting, paid work opportunities. Please visit the Student Ambassador Scheme webpage to find out more about becoming a SOAS Student Ambassador. - or email ambassadors@soas.ac.uk 

Peer Support  

The Collaborative Student Learning Scheme (CSL) at SOAS is a great way to further your knowledge of your chosen degree subject and to meet new people. A trained student CSL Facilitator from your department will run subject-specific discussion sessions each week. As a small group, you will be able to recap the week’s teaching and learn new study tips and techniques. 

Alongside CSL, the SOAS Peer Mentoring Scheme (SPM) is a student-led initiative that helps new students to settle in at university. Trained Peer Mentors from your department are there to answer any questions you may have and to point you in the right direction for further support. The scheme allows students to benefit from the advice and guidance of students who have gained valuable experience and offers a great chance to make a new group of friends.

There is specific support available for: 

  • students starting a Foundation Year programme and those beginning their Postgraduate Research journey at SOAS 
  • students starting a Foundation Year programme through the Foundation Year Mentoring scheme

Student Voice 

At SOAS we see you as co-creators of your educational experience and need to know what you think. It is important that every student feels heard, valued, respected, and empowered. And in that spirit, we encourage our students to engage and use their voices, in several ways.

We want to know:  

  • What works, so we can keep doing it. 
  • What is important to you, so we can invest more in it.  
  • Where could we do better. 

We listen

Annual Surveys, like NSS, are a fantastic way for us to collate and analyse data on student satisfaction. But you do not fill out these surveys till your final year if you are an undergraduate student, so to make sure you get your voice heard throughout your whole time at SOAS, you can use a variety of methods: 

  • talking to your Academic staff 
  • engage with the Student Rep Network 
  • visit your Academic department 
  • complete your Student Evaluation Modules each term 
  • engage with Student Experience Forums 

Student Voice is not just one-way communication; it is about enabling dialogue and space for collaboration. We work closely with the Students' Union and the Student Rep Network to get a deeper understanding of your views 

We analyse

Both quantitative data (stats from surveys) and qualitative data (i.e., what you tell us) are collated, analysed, and fed back to the relevant departments and areas. We are looking out for what is important to you, what is worked well, and what we can improve on.  

We act

Your views are central and vital to us at SOAS. They have power and help direct us to improvements on your course and to the services we provide. It is part of key decision-making across the university.

What you tell us can trigger a change in a process or system, help us develop our infrastructures, and allow us to invest in areas that matter to you. What's more, engaging with our service users helps us to understand the impact of changes on your everyday experience. 

We communicate

Of course, it is no good to make improvements if you do not know about it! We will communicate with you in a variety of ways throughout your academic journey. Visit Student Voice @ SOAS to see some examples of what has been done and what we are working on, all possible as a result of your feedback 

Ensuring your feedback is constructive will lead to more productive conversations and more effective improvements. Some of your feedback may need to go outside of your departments. The table below outlines where your feedback should go:  

To find out more visit the My SOAS Sharepoint page or contact Emily Chapman at ec46@soas.ac.uk or you can send your feedback and thoughts to studentfeedback@soas.ac.uk 

Academic Representation

Understanding students' experience, thoughts and needs are essential to good decision-making. Your voice is heard through your elected student representatives who gather views, attend department meetings, and speak up for students. At the start of the year over 150 Reps are elected – a great collective of students taking an active role in your education.   

Reps receive training and ongoing support, gain knowledge, insight, and skills, and contribute to the SOAS community. Previous experience is not required – just a passion for speaking up. Find out more on the S.U Reps webpage (/), Twitter @soasREPS, or email reps@soas.ac.uk

The Student Rep Network is coordinated by the S.U as a central part of the union’s educational remit, with partnership from the school. Programme Reps, Department Reps, and College Reps all network and collaborate through training events and Rep Assemblies.  

Programme Reps  

Department Student-Staff Forums are an open space where Programme Reps raise the whole spectrum of issues that come up, ahead of the more formal Department Meeting. Forums are attended by the key academic and professional services staff responsible for Learning & Teaching and student support.  

Department Reps  

Attend twice-termly Department Meetings with academic and professional services staff. These meetings discuss important departmental business and include space for Reps to present the opinions and views of their cohort.  

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