29 October 2025

Dear student,

Due to the upcoming departure of the current student-member, the Programme Board of the Institute of Political Science is seeking a new representative to join for the remainder of the 2025–2026 academic year (from 1 January to 31 August 2026) and the 2026–2027 academic year.

This is a meaningful role: the student-member represents the interests and perspectives of students within the Institute’s governance. As the current member describes it, it is “an insightful and engaging opportunity to learn about academic administration and actively voice student interests.”

The position entails 8 hours of work per week for the Institute. While the usual term runs from 1 September to 31 August, we are now recruiting mid-year; therefore, candidates who are available from 1 January 2026 to 31 August 2027 are preferred.

As a student-member, you will attend board meetings and reflect from a student perspective on everything that has to do with education and teaching. In addition and more generally, you will form the link between the Institute and students, while working together with other students at the Institute and Faculty level in order to voice and safeguard the interests of all Bachelor and Master students at our Institute.

Overview of tasks

• Participate in Programme Board meetings once every three weeks.
• Participate in the (faculty-level) Student Programme Boards Consultation (1x per month)
• Organise and conduct elections for the BSc and MSc Programme Committees (PC/OLCs)
• Keep in touch with the student-members of the Programme Committees (PC/OLCs) and study/student association(s)
• Participate as a student member in the selection/hiring committees of new teaching staff, and in other ad hoc advisory committees

Requirements

• You must be registered as a student during your appointment as student-member, in one of the Bachelor specialisations (Political Science, IP or IRO) or one of the Master specialisations of the Institute of Political Science.
• You are consistently available throughout the academic year and do not have any extended travel plans, such as an internship or a study abroad.
• Proficiency in Dutch is strongly preferred but not required. Passive knowledge in Dutch is required so that you can work with both Dutch and English documents.
• You can maintain the strict confidentiality of sensitive information and documents that are shared within the board.
• You are flexibly available for ad hoc consultation and decision-making.
• You are prepared to travel between Leiden and The Hague for meetings and maintain a relationship with various bodies of the Faculty. Any travel costs made between Leiden and The Hague will be reimbursed.

If you are enthusiastic and motivated to take up this position from 1 January, apply now! Send a short motivation letter (max 1 A4) and your CV to the current student-member of the Programme Board, Marieke de Vries (studentlid.pol@FSW.leidenuniv.nl), no later than 14 November at 23:59.

If you are selected for an interview, you will receive an email before Wednesday, 19 November at 13.00. Job interviews will be held (in person) on Monday, 24 November, between 15.00-17.00. If you have limited availability at this time, please let us know in your application email so we can arrange a different timeslot in case necessary.

Kind regards,
Marieke de Vries
Student member Programme Board
studentlid.pol@fsw.leidenuniv.nl