Advice Service Guide for Imperial Staff

The Advice service is an integral part of Imperial College Union.

We work with elected student leaders and the representation team to enhance the student experience.

We are independent from the university. This make students comfortable in disclosing issues they might not feel comfortable sharing with academics or other professional staff from Imperial.

We are here to provide support in case of any mistrust between a student and the university.

The Advice Service offers free, confidential, and expert support to Imperial students across a wide range of issues, including:

• Academic Procedure Advice: We provide guidance on mitigating circumstances, appeals, and academic misconduct. We can also advise when a student faces a fitness to practice and fitness to study procedure.
• Non-Academic Procedure Advice: Support with complaints and disciplinaries from both the university and Imperial College Union when there has been a relationship breakdown between a student and their supervisor.
• Signposting: Helping students connect with specialised services within Imperial or external organisations.

Our advisors empower students to make informed decisions, offering practical advice while respecting their autonomy.

Student unions, including Imperial College Union, exist to represent and advocate for the interests of students.

Beyond offering advice, the union plays a critical role in shaping a positive student experience by:

• Advocating for student voices: We inform our student leaders about recurrent themes and anomalies found through casework. They in turn ensure that student perspectives are being taken into account by the university.
• Proactive support: The service regularly anticipates issues and engages students in discussions about good exam practice, self-care and their rights as students. This proactive approach helps to minimize the chances of problems later on.
• Wellbeing Projects: The union developed the student checklist to share a bank of resources and suggestions for new and returning students to prepare them best for the year ahead.

The union’s independence is vital for ensuring it can effectively fulfill these roles, offering a safe space where students feel heard, supported, and represented.

Imperial staff play a key role in student success, and collaboration with the Advice Service ensures students get the best support possible. By working together, we can:

• Streamline referrals to ensure students receive tailored advice quickly and make sure that if they need our help, they know about us.
• Share insights (where appropriate) to improve processes and address systemic challenges – we are always open to hearing from staff if they think there is something we can collaborate on.

The Advice Service is here to complement the work already being done across the university by offering an independent perspective that prioritises the student's voice.

To learn more or discuss how we can work together, please reach out to advice@imperial.ac.uk 

Slides for use in lectures 

We have created a slide for you to use for your teams or students you support or teach. You can access it here - Advice Service Overview Slides.pptx