Come work with us
We are always looking for experienced student advisers to join our associate pool. Flexible, remote, freelance work — and genuinely rewarding casework that makes a real difference to students at critical moments in their university lives.
The work that matters most to students
Alkhemy is a small higher education consultancy specialising in student representation, governance, and independent student advice. Through our Independent Student Advice Hub, we deliver genuinely independent academic advice to students at partner institutions and students’ unions across the UK.
Our Associate Student Advisers are the people who make that work real. They are experienced practitioners who understand how HE processes work, how to support students through them, and why getting the advice right matters so much when the stakes are high.
This is freelance, associate work. We operate a flexible model built around people who have the expertise and want to do meaningful casework on their own terms — whether that is alongside other commitments or as part of a broader portfolio.
Associate Student Adviser
Role SummaryWhat the work actually involves
Academic Appeals and Misconduct
Supporting students through formal academic processes, from the first conversation through to outcome. Helping them understand their rights, the evidence standard, and what options are realistic at each stage.
Extenuating Circumstances
Time-sensitive advice on extensions, deferrals, and exceptional circumstances claims. Getting the right information to students quickly, before a difficult situation becomes a formal one.
Fitness to Study and Practise
Confidential support for students in fitness to study or fitness to practise processes, including cases with professional registration implications where the stakes are particularly high.
Complaints Support
Impartial guidance through formal complaint processes, with honest advice about what is realistic and what steps are available at each stage of the process.
Casework and Reporting
Maintaining clear case records using our case management system and contributing to anonymised thematic reports that help partner institutions understand what their processes are generating.
Panel and Hearing Support
Where institutional policies permit, attending panels and hearings with students as a named supporter. A significant part of what makes genuinely independent advice different in practice.
Accommodation Advice
Supporting students navigating housing issues, whether that is a dispute with a private landlord, a problem with university accommodation, or understanding their rights under tenancy legislation.
Student Money Guidance
Practical guidance on financial difficulties, funding entitlements, hardship funds, and the options available to students who are struggling financially during their studies.
A different kind of advice role
Work that is genuinely independent
Our advisers have no employment relationship with the institutions whose students they advise. That independence is not a technicality — it shapes every conversation and every piece of advice. Students know it, and so do our advisers. It is what makes the work meaningful in a way that in-house roles sometimes cannot be.
Flexible by designFreelance associate work that fits around your life, your other commitments, and the way you want to work. No fixed hours, no office politics.
Peer support built inYou are part of a team of experienced advisers, not a single person holding everything alone. Supervision, peer review, and shared case intelligence are part of how we work.
Sector expertise around youAlkhemy has deep roots in higher education and students’ unions. You will be working alongside people who understand the context without needing it explained.
The work that mattersThe students who use ISAH are navigating some of the hardest moments of their time at university. Getting the advice right for them is the whole point.
The experience and qualities that matter
Experience in student advice, welfare, or a related advice setting within higher education or a students’ union
Working knowledge of HE academic processes: appeals, misconduct, extenuating circumstances, fitness to study
The ability to hold complex, emotionally demanding casework and give honest, impartial advice even when it is not what a student wants to hear
Clear written and verbal communication — case records, thematic reports, and student-facing correspondence all need to be accurate and accessible
Comfortable working remotely and independently, with the self-management that a freelance model requires
A genuine commitment to independent, non-judgmental advice that puts the student’s interests first — not the institution’s
Sound like the right fit?
We do not run formal recruitment rounds for this role. We are actively building our associate pool and we welcome expressions of interest at any time. Send us a short note about your background and experience and we will take it from there.