FAQs

RA’s are typically continuing students who live in university accommodation and play a key role in supporting fellow residents. They contribute by fostering a welcoming community, organising events and activities, responding to enquiries, and assisting with tasks that ensure an inclusive and positive living environment at their accommodation site.

Why be an RA?

In return for the duties they provide as outlined in the role description, RA's will receive free accommodation during RA training 29th August – 5th September 2025 and further renumeration for a standard room allocated to them at their assigned accommodation from the start of the lease. RA’s will receive this renumeration while they actively remain in the role.

Undergraduate RA applications are open throughout the month of January.

Postgraduate RA applications are open throughout the month of April.

The Application Journey

As we recruit for such large numbers we sometimes run multiple recruitment cycles and/or recruit during the academic year. If you would like to be notified when these vacancies arise then please add yourself to our mailing list by emailing recruitment.reslife@ed.ac.uk

Please contact recruitment.reslife@ed.ac.uk for any special circumstances to applying 

For the most part we do not place undergraduate RAs at postgraduate sites or vice versa as differences in duration of accommodation lease and RA contracts can be problematic. Some exceptions have been made in the past for PG students who are enrolled on courses with atypical semester dates. We also often have summer RA opportunities for returning UG RAs to support our pre-sessional students. If you would like to request to be placed out-with this policy then please contact us at recruitment.reslife@ed.ac.uk before applying.

We have a different appointment process for candidates who are currently RAs at the University of Edinburgh, or who have been within the last two years. This is based on your performance in the role and conducted as part of progress review with your line manager. If you are not currently in an RA role but are interested in re-applying please contact recruitment.reslife@ed.ac.uk. For RAs in the role currently, please speak to your Line Manager.

• If you have been unsuccessful in securing a role then we would not consider another application from you within 3 months of your original application.  After 3 months has passed we can accept an application for future rounds of recruitment, but we would strongly encourage that you gain relevant experience prior to submitting new applications.  You can find potential opportunities by contacting the Student Association or visiting My Career Hub run by the University of Edinburgh Careers Service.  

During the application process we ask all candidates to detail any support needs they may have. This information will be taken into consideration when placing successful candidates. RA teams are formed with diversity in order to meet student needs as a priority, and placements within buildings are allocated strategically within our residences to ensure RAs are distributed across the community and in prime locations to support their residences.

Please note that any personal information disclosed in the application regarding accommodation needs will not be considered during the assessment phases of the recruitment process.   

We believe that our recruitment process should be a positive learning experience for applicants. For that reason we make the following commitments:

• The application process will be as much about you finding out if the Resident Assistant role is the right fit for you, as it is about us assessing your suitability for the role.
• Our processes will be fair, inclusive and transparent. We will try and help you succeed at every step by communicating clear expectations and timelines.
• If you are not successful we will aim to respond with feedback on your application within two weeks of a request being received.

If you're expected to receive an extension for completing your degree, you may still be eligible to apply as an RA. However, you will need to provide proof of such extension when submitting your application. Proof of extension is required to ensure that all RAs meet the necessary criteria of being fully matriculated and enrolled as full-time students.

Acceptable forms of proof may include official documentation from the University confirming the extension, such as a letter from your academic advisor or a copy of your updated academic plan.