uel.ac.uk

Student vs Employee Experience

As I have been both a graduate and an employee of UEL in 2024 I will be completely honest and hold nothing back. In light of student life: We had free gym, bars and events for every community which was nice, abroad learning, mooting events, every weekend there's travel trips ie Cambridge, Thorpe park etc.We also had a bus that runs between all three campuses which helped, I only used this during lockdown though as my classes were between two campuses. They ran every hour, although I'm sure that it's a lot more frequent now. In regards to the teaching, this is where the stars go down. I recall first year (I'm a law graduate by the way), one of my classmates asked the lecturer for clarity so that we could understand what was being 'taught' this lecturer told us to go on google instead?? SORRY what am I paying £9250 for?? Anyway good thing I can research on GOOGLE!FYI, this lecturer still works at the university.(Mark)There is a lot of bad apples at this university, lecturers known for lack of support, I remember vividly Catherine in public law a fellow student asked her a question and she asked the student the same question they asked and said what do you think? sorry but if we don't know/understand and have the courage to ask for clarity, why wouldn't you try and help??One thing they do really care about is recommendations/ reflection at the end of each term. In our last year, we had a unapologetically racist lecturer called Vick, he was racist to blacks, Indians, asians. Collectively some students reported him and the university did NOTHING.So yes, I see many reviews talk about dismissive, racist and many other bad things, it's true. (do not take with a pinch of salt)I had one lecturer Lorna in particuar say that I would NOT pass my module?? I did pass and I did get an awesome grade.People warned me not to come here, I tried it for myself yes, I graduated but, would I honestly want fellow people to relive the experiences I did? NOPE.There are some good hard working lecturers, and of course this account reflects solely on Law lecturers. I noticed that in some cases lecturers came, worked here for a few months and then left to further elevate themselves. A bit of a stepping stone environment.I think if they continue to push aside major inequalities and issues within then no matter how many awards they may get their ratings will still be low. Another good thing, as I noticed I highlighted many inequalities, was that they have an option of getting 5% of your fees back. So if you can pay for your studies in full you get back approximately £450 per year, which could help you with paying for books, printing allowance, travelling allowance etc. As an employee: I had a few instances, one of which they attempted to do a full social media check on me, which is in line with KCSIE 2024 guidelines now, but since they couldn't find anything, I was invited in so that they can scan my emails... my PERSONAL emails? STRANGE RIGHT?Anyway, fast forward, I worked within the UEL on a hybrid basis, they are a London Living Wage employer, so that's a bonus, work requirements were good, colleagues were nice, honestly I have nothing to complain about, there were no pay issues, it was lovely! - For this aspect alone I'm torn between 3* and 4*.. - So 3* for my experience while being student & 4* being an employee.Overall rating: 3* simply because if students constantly complain about issues within your facility, perhaps you should look into them. They tend to sweep things under the rug, that's not how it should be. There was proof of such racist remarks (Vick). (Catherine) known for her way of "teaching" if you want to call it that, she needs training? but she always boasts about the fact she's been there for 15 years...maybe they can't get rid of her I'm not sure?(Lorna McF..) well nothing nice to say about someone who talks down to students and wishes ill on them.

Date of experience: Dec 09, 2023