To apply, please submit this online form along with a 60-second video or audio recording with a little bit about yourself (e.g. what year of study you’re in and what course you’re studying) and briefly telling us why you’d make a good telethon caller by 5:00pm on Friday 10 April 2026.
Please email the audio/video recording to annualfund@exeter.ac.uk
Please include your name, so we can link it to your application form. The audio/video recording will be used to help us to identify callers who possess the Essential Skills listed above.
Successful candidates will be notified early the following week (from Monday 13 April 2026).
Group interviews will take place virtually, via Zoom, in mid-April. Exact dates and times to be confirmed nearer the time.
“…a fantastic opportunity to develop my negotiation skills – very useful preparation for my career as a barrister!”
“The training was simply excellent, I was quite nervous at the thought of telephoning, so were many people, but by the end of the sessions I felt ready for almost anything.”
“Great for my CV, friendly atmosphere, new friends and earning money too! If I enjoy my next part-time job has as much as this one, I’ll be happy!”
Student Callers
Applications for the June 2026 Telethon are now open!
We are recruiting for a team of student callers to work on our three-week long June 2026 Telephone Fundraising Campaign. This is a fantastic opportunity to join a friendly team in which you can build your skills, make a difference and gain fundraising experience.
If you are enthusiastic, reliable, comfortable speaking over the phone and passionate about making a difference at Exeter, then we would love to hear from you!
Callers will be required to make calls to alumni (graduates) to:
- Build on our relationship with them and make them feel important to Exeter
- Update them on current news and developments
- Update their contact details and record on a computer system
- Most importantly, ask them for a donation to support the University
Our last telethon in 2023 raised over £70,000 in support of scholarships and bursaries, student clubs and societies, health and environmental research. With nearly three years’ break since that last campaign, our alumni will be very excited to speak to our current students and support them during their time at Exeter!
As a telephone fundraiser, you will be part of a team of 30 students calling alumni with whom you have something in common; for example they may have studied the same course, lived in the same halls or played the same sport as you at university.
You will be provided with some background information and will ask alumni for financial gifts towards the University. You will also inform them about what is currently happening at Exeter and answer any queries they may have. You will be raising money for the University, supporting our Alumni Annual Fund, scholarships and bursaries, and health and environmental research fundraising campaigns.
We are looking for students with:
- Excellent spoken and written English
- A clear telephone manner
- A naturally outgoing personality and a polite and pleasant manner
- Strong team spirit
- A positive outlook on student life at the University of Exeter and the ability to project a positive image of the University
- Reliability and punctuality
- Ability to work autonomously with guidance
- IT literate
- An interest in fundraising
- The self-confidence to ask for donations and to negotiate over the telephone
- The ability to deal with confidential information in a discreet and tactful manner
- No former experience of telephone fundraising or sales is required as full training will be provided.
All applicants for this role need a National Insurance Number and the Right to Work in the UK for the full duration of the job they are applying for.
We welcome all applicants and the diversity they bring. You will be required to provide evidence of your Right to Work in the UK if selected for interview stage.
Details of acceptable documents can be found here: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/employment/righttowork/proof/how/
All callers will need to attend two training days prior to beginning calling. Please note that attendance at both training days is compulsory – you cannot work without having attended both days. The training will take place on Monday 1 June 2026 and Tuesday 2 June 2026, 8:45am to 4:00pm, on Streatham campus.
Six days of on-site calling will then take place at Exploration Lab 2 inside The Forum at Streatham campus on Wednesday 3 June, Thursday 4 June, Saturday 6 June, Sunday 7 June, Monday 8 June and Tuesday 9 June (no calling on Friday 5 June).
Shift times will be as follows:
Weekdays (Weds, Thurs, Mon, Tues): 5.45pm – 9:00pm
Saturday: 10.45am – 5:00pm
Sunday: 1.45pm – 8:00pm
Callers will be required to attend all six of these shifts in person.
Our June 2026 Telethon will run from Wednesday 3 June to Monday 22 June 2026. Our callers will be calling in the evenings on Monday to Friday, during the day on Saturdays, and in the afternoons and evening on Sundays. There will be no calling on Friday 5 June, Wednesday 10 June and Wednesday 17 June.
Shift times are as follows:
Weekdays (Monday - Friday): 5.45pm – 9:00pm
Saturday: 10.45am – 5:00pm
Sunday: 1.45pm – 8:00pm
Callers who complete all of their allocated shifts will receive a retention bonus of £50 at the end of the Campaign.
For this Campaign, the first week of calling (Wednesday 3 June – Tuesday 9 June) will take place on-site at Streatham Campus. The remaining Campaign weeks will take place off-site.
For the off-site portion of the Campaign, the expectation is that the role will be carried out in your own accommodation in a quiet room that you are able to set aside for this work. This will require the sole use of a laptop and smart phone in order to carry out the tasks of a telephone fundraiser. Calling will take place via an App so you will not incur any charges to your phone bill.
We are proud to be a Living Wage accredited employer. You will be paid £15.07ph (£13.45 + £1.62 holiday pay). Weekly timesheets are submitted on iTrent (Paid Time).
All temporary workers are paid monthly, provided the monthly submission and approval deadlines are met. The relevant payroll deadlines for this Campaign are:
Timesheet submitted and approved by Wednesday 17 June – Pay Day of Sunday 28 June (for the two training days, mid-telethon training session, and all calling shifts up to Tuesday 16 June)
Timesheet submitted and approved by Monday 20 July – Pay Day of Tuesday 30 July (for remaining calling shifts)
You can find the deadlines and allocated pay dates on this webpage under ‘Payroll Deadlines’.
*The current rates can be found on the Temporary Worker webpage here via the PDF link.
* Further information on Temporary Working at Exeter can be found here. Support on getting set up on the system will be provided to all calling team members in advance of and during the two training days.
The work should be rewarding, challenging and good fun. The team, even those not together in person, will be in an energetic call-room atmosphere with an enjoyable team spirit. It is a great opportunity to speak to people who are already successful in your chosen field and find out about how Exeter has helped them. You will also be contributing to the development of your University by asking for donations to support our fundraising Campaign.
You will receive a lot of advice and support during each calling session directly from the Campaign Manager and via the software used and you will gain useful transferable skills and work experience for your CV.
Please email annualfund@exeter.ac.uk with any queries.
To apply, please submit this online form along with a 60-second video or audio recording with a little bit about yourself (e.g. what year of study you’re in and what course you’re studying) and briefly telling us why you’d make a good telethon caller by 5:00pm on Friday 10 April 2026.
Please email the audio/video recording to annualfund@exeter.ac.uk along with your name, so we can link it to your application form. The audio/video recording will be used to help us to identify callers who possess the Essential Skills listed above.
Successful candidates will be notified early the following week (from Monday 13 April 2026).
Group interviews will take place virtually, via Zoom, in mid-April. Exact dates and times to be confirmed nearer the time.