Current volunteering opportunities
Each year, the University of Surrey receives the voluntary support of alumni, friends, local businesses and entrepreneurs. These gifts of time and expertise benefit the University in many important ways, and the impact of our volunteers cannot be underestimated.
Become a volunteer
Opportunities
We are always delighted to welcome new alumni to the volunteering community, and there are many ways in which you can help. Take a look at some of the options below and sign up to become a volunteer.
Ways to support our current students and graduates
There are many ways you or your company can support our students and graduates.
Join SurreyConnects, our new online platform which brings alumni and students together for networking and mentoring.
The platform is a place where students can reach out to alumni with one-off questions about your company or industry, or request short-term career mentoring over a ‘virtual coffee’.
To offer online support and advice to current students, please visit SurreyConnects, register and create your alumni profile and use the settings to customise your interests – how much time you are able to spare and what you’d like to get involved with.
All it takes is one click to make a connection.
‘Three Cups of Coffee’ is our short-term, informal, mentoring scheme hosted on our new platform SurreyConnects.
Over three online chats, you can become an alumni mentor and offer advice and networking opportunities to students who are starting out in their careers. This simple programme will create meaningful connections for mentors and mentees alike.
To become a 'Three Cups of Coffee' online mentor to our students, simply visit SurreyConnects, register for an account and create your profile. Under 'Offer Mentoring' settings, select 'Online mentoring with a current student over three cups of coffee' and this will enable students to reach out to you and initiate a conversation about their career development and aspirations.
To find out more about 'Three Cups of Coffee' you can talk to the alumni volunteering team at alumni@surrey.ac.uk
Across campus our academic departments are regularly looking for guest speakers to deliver talks on campus or online via video conferencing.
If you would be interested in sharing your area of expertise - academic or professional - with our current students and staff, please get in touch at alumni@surrey.ac.uk with some information about your specialism - we'd love to hear from you!
This year alumni volunteers gave guest talks for:
- Civil Engineering
- Electronic and Electrical Engineering
- International events
- Law
- Surrey Business School
- School of Hospitality & Tourism Management
- Mechanical Engineering
- Guildford School of Acting
- Department of Music and Media
- Student Enterprise
- Student clubs and societies
- and more...
We always welcome support from alumni and industry professionals at the Careers and Employability team's comprehensive programme of workshops, events and practical advice sessions. These events help students and recent graduates with their employment search and career development.
Your experience of the world of work is invaluable to those who aspire to enter your industry. Could you share your knowledge by:
- Taking part in an employer panel and providing first-hand insight into current business demands
- Becoming a guest speaker and inspiring and encouraging students to enter into their chosen profession
- Representing your company at a careers fair
- Offering a current student work experience or a Professional Training placement year.
To express an interest in being a careers speaker please email us at alumni@surrey.ac.uk or find out more about the Employability and Careers team and the ways you or your company could get involved by visiting the employer engagement page.
Student Enterprise offers practical business support to entrepreneurial students from all disciplines who aspire to run their own businesses or social enterprises.
We support students with training, mentorship, start-up office space and seed funding to help them get their business up and running.
What can I do?
- Become a mentor to a young entrepreneur
- Become a guest speaker and give a talk about your career and your company development
- Run a skills workshop
- Be a judge at a pitching competition
- Attend a student and business networking event
How can I help?
- Help raise awareness of the breadth of opportunities available
- Develop the students’ business awareness and employability skills
- Inspire young people to pursue the right career path for them
- Empower students who aspire to run their own businesses
- Guide and mentor prestart-ups and start-up businesses
Surrey placement students are considered among the best and most sought-after in the UK, offering many great skills to employers.
The University is committed to Professional Training placements and the experience our graduates gain from their placements undoubtedly contributes to Surrey being consistently well-ranked in graduate employment league tables. Placements give students a taste of life in a work environment and the opportunity to put into practice the theory they have learnt on their undergraduate course.
Please email alumni@surrey.ac.uk if your company would be interested in entering into a mutually beneficial partnership and employing a Surrey student for their placement year.
Are you looking to recruit recent graduates for your company? We also offer a free vacancy advertising service and a dedicated employer engagement team to help you find the best new talent.
As a Surrey graduate, would you like to give something back? Each year the Employability and Careers team recruits volunteer mentors for our Career Mentoring Scheme. The purpose of the scheme is to support students in the career planning process and provide an insight to the world of work. This scheme is open to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who may need additional support in entering the graduate job market. This will be the fifth year we have run the scheme; previous mentors have commented on how much they enjoyed contributing to someone else’s journey and having the opportunity to get to know a Surrey student.
Taking part in the scheme this year is likely to involve a virtual welcome session and matching process, with training materials provided on the university’s online networking and mentoring site - SurreyConnects.
The scheme runs for the academic year and we expect most mentoring pairs will conduct a mixture of virtual and in-person meetings. Participants may be asked to complete a mid-term survey, and will be invited to a celebratory event on campus in May (circumstances permitting). Ideally, mentors will be able to offer opportunities to visit their place of work in the second semester. Mentors should provide a minimum of 12 hours of contact time and six meetings. Support from your employer will help facilitate the mentoring relationship. You may also create a company profile on Surrey Connects if you would like to promote your organisation to Surrey graduates.
This scheme will next start in October 2022. If you are interested in this scheme, please contact Vicky Ransley (v.ransley@surrey.ac.uk) for further information. New mentors will be invited to complete a short online application form.
We really value the insight and support mentors can give to our students. You can make a real difference, so thank you for considering this opportunity!
Ways to support prospective students
It is a big decision to travel to the UK to study, so international students and their parents really value speaking to those who have already experienced this.
We are very grateful for alumni who can spare a few hours to join the International Student Recruitment team at events outside of the UK and inspire more students to study at the University.
How it works
International alumni ambassadors attend face-to-face and online education fairs in their country of residence, sharing personal knowledge and experiences of Surrey and studying in the UK.
They also act as a key contact for prospective students from their respective countries who have specific questions alumni can help with.
We are looking for international alumni ambassadors who studied at the Surrey campus within the past 5 years. Some of the places we need volunteers include:
- China – Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen
- Hong Kong
- Thailand – Bangkok
- Singapore
- Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur
- India – Delhi and Mumbai
- Nigeria
- United Arab Emirates – Dubai and Abu Dhabi
- USA - New York, California and more
If you would like to represent the University at a student recruitment event and share your own Surrey experiences, please get in touch at alumni@surrey.ac.uk
Our alumni ambassadors are invaluable at open days and applicant events, sharing their experiences with prospective students and parents. Visitors genuinely value talking with graduates who have first-hand, recent insight of areas such as studying and living on campus, taking a Professional Training placement year and finding graduate employment.
As our ambassadors play a very positive part in a prospective student’s decision to choose our University, we are always on the lookout for enthusiastic and committed graduates of the past five years in all disciplines. We also have opportunities for recent graduates who would be happy to speak at online webinars for applicants and prospective students.
To find out more please email us at alumni@surrey.ac.uk.
Ways to support research at the University
Are you interested in learning more about the current research projects undertaken here at Surrey? Why not sign up to our Psychology Research Participation System.
This system enables alumni and friends to stay involved with the University by partaking in research projects run by our current students and researchers. The projects vary from online surveys to psychology labs on campus.
Areas being researched include:
- Brain and behaviour
- Cognitive psychology
- Environmental psychology
- Food, consumer behaviour and health care
Ways to get involved with your fellow alumni
We are always keen to encourage alumni to stay in touch and reconnect with old classmates and friends from Surrey and we are very grateful for all volunteers who help us to achieve this.
If you would like to organise an alumni reunion, we are here to support you with any planning, invitations or promotion you may need.
If you would like guidance, find out more about organising a reunion or get in touch at alumni@surrey.ac.uk
Are you already organising a Surrey reunion? Remember to use the #ForeverSurrey on social media so that we can thank you afterwards!
Our comprehensive events programme can only continue to flourish with the generous support of individuals and companies who can offer to host or sponsor events on our behalf.
We are always looking for new venues at which to host our alumni events ranging from large lectures and networking receptions to intimate reunion dinners, both in the UK and overseas.
We truly value the generosity of alumni who can provide a complimentary venue, preferential rates or sponsorship for one of our official alumni reunions.
We would be delighted to hear from you if you can host an event, or if you can offer a venue you think may be suitable for our use. If you can assist us in this way, or would like to discuss sponsorship opportunities further, then please contact us on alumni@surrey.ac.uk.
Every Spring the annual 'Grad Sport' day brings together Surrey alumni old and new at an event to celebrate sport at Surrey. Existing student sports clubs challenge alumni teams for the title of 'Grad Sport Champions'.
We are grateful to the brilliant alumni volunteers to each year help us form the alumni sports teams to play against our current students.
Last year’s sports included:
- American football
- Badminton (men's, women's and mixed)
- Dodgeball
- Equestrian
- Fencing
- Football (men's and women’s)
- Hockey (men's and women’s)
- Lacrosse
- Mountaineering
- Netball
- Rowing
- Rugby (men's and women’s)
- Snowsports
- Squash (men's and women’s)
- Tennis
- Ultimate
If you would like to lead the alumni team in any of these sports next year, please get in touch at alumni@surrey.ac.uk