Student-Staff working relationships
Working with students provides us with a lot of benefits, but it comes with unique challenges as you are employing students to operate within a staff context- which can come with all of the nuances and red-tape that staff have spent years building up and which students are new to and may not understand.
Productive staff–student relationships rely on mutual respect, clarity, and a willingness to share knowledge. Acknowledging the structures in which we work, and supporting students to understand and navigate them, is essential to creating more effective partnerships.
Things to remember: We are approaching things from a completely different context
Staff working with students, need to recognise that students may not be familiar with institutional norms or constraints. Common frustrations, such as delays caused by admin/governance, often require explanation and context.
You will need to take time to explain relevant institutional processes and be transparent about what is within both your own control, the teams or departments and the universities control. Providing this context can help students engage more effectively and reduce frustration linked to misunderstandings or delays.
Example: Craft Event
At work you would:
- Carry out a risk assessment
- Think about accessibility of the event
- Make sure you could buy all equipment and it get here on time without the transaction being blocked
- Think about the marketing and communication of the event
- Consider the brand colour and logos
- Ensure that there is a way to track attendees
- Gather Feedback
At home you would:
- Get the scissors out
If you thought deeper you might go so far as:
- Is there an approved University supplier?
- How many will we need- can we borrow this from somewhere else to save budget?
- What about the 10-15% of people who are lefthanded?
- The 678 scissor related injuries reported in the US in 2014
- Are we compliant with any scissor Governing body or regulator?
If a student thought deeper they might consider:
- Easy to use
- Versatile
- Cheap
- Available universally
- Bit Sharp, but you'll be careful
Things that may help as conversation starters/topics to start bridging this:
- We have a duty of care to our community- what does that look like in your context and how can you share this with your student workers?
- We use public money and have to be accountable for spend- what does that mean and what are the implications in your work (e.g. do you use procurement) and therefore on the students whilst they are with you
- We have legal obligations under GDPR, Prevent, UKVI and countless others- are there frameworks or regulations you must remain compliant with and how might students and their work be impacted by this.
You can get more detail around the Dos and Don't of student collaboration in our section here:
Common frustrations
When you are bringing students in, they become paid colleagues within a hierarchical institution, subject to the same regulations, rules and structures as any other University colleague or project. That means that students will have to commit some time to learning where the red tape may be, and how to navigate around it.
- Students need more support than a staff member in a similar role- onboarding students and bringing them up to scratch with your project is an intensive part of getting students fully functional
- You will need to commit more time to supervision and support, and work around their availability
- This is not students primary role- they are a student first, their academics must always take priority, and whilst they may enjoy or prioritise your work outside of their academics they are still constantly context switching which may result in misunderstandings, or forgotten context
- You may have to repeat yourself a lot
- Time means something different to a student- for most students working to a deadline is second nature, but being accountable for deliverables, that have knock on impacts to other teams and work if not completed, especially in an organisation and industry as complicated as Higher Education, is not something they will be used to.
- Consider students time blind- they will need reminders and emphasis on when things are flexible and when things are not.
- Be patient, and build in gaps (where possible) to allow for things taking 'longer than usual'
- We depend on structure to meet our obligations as an institution, but this can frustrate a democratic, roundtable approach to project ideation and delivery. Students may not always understand our context, the reasons behind the red-tape or why things (that seem illogical to them) are the way they are, and are not easily fixable.
- You may need to dedicate time to 'moving things out of their way'
- For things that are immovable within the timescales of the project- acknowledge them, explain what the blocker is, why it may exist, and try to help prompt them to think of ways around the issue
- Power dynamics and hierarchies can be intangible and hard to navigate.
- You will either need to work with fellow staff and stakeholders on the project to remove/re-distribute some of the power dynamics in order to support students (we always recommend this approach)
- Or you will need to guide and educate students in how to navigate the systems, to best get what they may need out of it (this may mean compromise on their part)
Tips and things to think about:
Recruitment & induction
Staff should It is important to remain mindful of potential biases and avoid assuming prior institutional knowledge. You can do this by being open to new and different perspectives, questions and ideas from the beginning- as part of your recruitment.
Induction is equally important. The first few weeks should provide not only practical guidance, but also context on team structures, institutional hierarchies, and decision-making processes. Acknowledging power dynamics and offering clear explanations can help students feel welcomed, supported, and confident in their roles.
Revisiting expectations
Initial conversations about expectations are essential, but these should not be treated as one-off events. As projects evolve, so do roles and responsibilities. Regular check-ins help maintain transparency, address misunderstandings, and create a sense of trust. Both staff and students benefit from open communication throughout the project lifecycle.
You don't have to be the expert!
In academic settings, there is often an implicit expectation that staff must always be the expert or authority figure. However, effective collaboration with students calls for a different approach — one grounded in humility, openness and shared learning. Students bring their own knowledge, lived experience and critical insight to a project. Recognising this requires a degree of vulnerability and a willingness to let go of rigid hierarchies.
Productive relationships may involve moments of disagreement or differing perspectives. In these cases, the goal should not be to assert authority, but to remain open to dialogue and to reflect on alternative ways of working. Trusting students, listening to their ideas, and being flexible enough to adapt are all signs of strong and inclusive leadership