In the United Kingdom a sabbatical officer is a full-time officer elected by the members of a

students' union A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...

(or similar body such as students' association,

students' representative council {{Unreferenced, date=July 2014A students' representative council, also known as a students' administrative council, represents student interests in the government of a university, school or other educational institution. Generally the SRC forms par ...

or guild of students), commonly at a

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

establishment such as a

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. Sabbatical officers are usually

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

s of their students' union, in its capacity as a

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

, and may also sit on or form the board of directors of the union. Sabbatical officers (or ‘sabbs’) are normally elected annually, for a one-year term, i.e. a ’

sabbatical year A sabbatical (from the Hebrew: (i.e., Sabbath); in Latin ; Greek: ) is a rest or break from work. The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Biblical practice of ''shmita'' (sabbatical year), which is related to agriculture. According to ...

’. Some students' unions allow their sabbatical officers stand for re-election for a second year. Terms of more than two years are not permitted in the UK, under the

Education Act 1994 The Education Act 1994 is an act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom under John Major's government in 1994, which primarily established the Teacher Training Agency and allowed students to opt out of students' unions. Part I Part I re ...

. Typically, the primary requirement for candidacy (and election) is that a candidate be a member of the body of the relevant association at the time of their candidacy. Sabbatical years are either taken in between years of study (for example between year two and three of a typical degree, sitting the third year twelve months later than would have normally been the case) or else immediately after graduation. They are almost always paid positions, with funds coming from the students' union itself, or directly from the educational institution. The officer generally retains student status during their time in office. A university students' union may have one or more sabbatical officers, with as many as eight being not unheard of. Each generally has a specific job description and title, such as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, Education Officer, Societies Officer, Sports Officer (often both Sports and Societies are overseen by one Students Activities Officer), Services Officer, Welfare Officer or Communications Officer. Together they form all or part of the "executive" or "executive committee" (or equivalent) of their organisation. They are generally supported by unpaid part-time officers who fulfil their roles while continuing their studies. In some cases, sabbaticals may work for separate bodies within a larger students' association at their institution; for example a sabbatical president of an athletics union when there are other officer working for the main students' union. Some

Further Education Further education (often abbreviated FE) in the United Kingdom and Ireland is education in addition to that received at secondary school, that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. I ...

colleges also have small numbers of sabbatical officers but these are rare, partly due to funding restrictions. Often the executive members of the students' association of these bodies will do the job whilst still studying. Student organisations outside of individual educational institutions, such as the National Union of Students of the United Kingdom, sometimes have their own sabbatical officers drawn from one of their member institutions.

References

{{Reflist Students' unions in the United Kingdom