Students have been left out of pocket after the University decided to outsource Alumni telethon jobs to an external company.
Around 50 students currently work each year as callers on the telethon campaign, which involves phoning former students and asking for donations to the University. Three of these callers were promoted to the position of supervisor last term.
However, these supervisors were consequently emailed over the summer informing them their services would no longer be required.
In the emails, seen by Exeposé, Rose Cohen, Regular Giving Manager, told the students: “An external company will be coming in and running the calling shifts for us. They will also be involved in preparing all of the data, recruiting the student calling team and will run the training days.”
Cohen went onto say that “the operational delivery will be run by a Campaign Manager… I’m afraid that this means we will no longer need student supervisors to run the shifts.”
One telethon caller, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed their disappointment at the decision:“I was really looking forward to gaining experience leading a team and genuinely believed I would be good at that job, so I’m disappointed I won’t be able to progress,” they said.
Another anonymous caller told Exeposé they believed the telethon had raised less money last year than in previous campaigns: “I worked on the telethon for the first time last year, but heard that it hadn’t made as much money as in previous years.
“I’m now worried about the future of my job and I think the decision to outsource is a money making scheme – the University knows that a company will be more efficient than student supervisors.”
Callers at the telethon were paid £7.65 per hour last year, whilst supervisors received £9.45. Both have the opportunity to work in two six week periods over the academic year.
It is unclear whether the outsourcing will impact on the number of students hired by the telethon this coming year.
A University spokesperson said: “All money raised by the telethon directly supports the student experience. The students who had been offered supervisor roles prior to this decision being taken have been offered alternative employment within the telethon team.”
The telethon, which has been running for over ten years, has raised over £2million from Exeter Alumni.