Got offered a position as RA

b0gg3r

What am I in for?

Am I enough of a prick already or should I work on improving my asshattery?

pacni

Completely depends on the residence that you got allocated to...

And contrary to popular belief, RAs generally aren't all asses - they're just trying to do their job. If you go into it with the intention of being a prick you aren't going to last very long.

b0gg3r

Sorry, poor joke.

I've no intention of being an ass. I just don't know how I'm expected to act. Obviously I want to be as decent as possible, but at the same time, the interview made it sound like they were looking for jerks.

I'm gonna be in Glenomena.

I was in Merville last year, so I have a decent idea of the experience from the resident's point of view.

Like, I encountered really decent RA's who were fair and approachable. And there were some assholes.

Just not sure what to expect.

pacni

It's just frustrating that RAs get such a bad rep when the vast majority are genuinely just trying to do their job and such a small part of it is breaking up parties. The parts that most people don't see are where they go out of their way to help the residents as much as possible with any problems they have.

They look for people that are confident and can stand up for themselves - you need thick skin for the job. Equally they want people who can be fair and build a good relationship with the residents.

Glenomena and Merville are generally the same in how difficult they are and what you'll be doing. In fact, you'll be working half the time in Merville and the other half in Glenomena because they share their RAs. (You'll also be working with me).

I don't know whether you have any specific questions but ask away!

b0gg3r

Haha okay! How many people meet their boss on the internet? :P

Just a couple of things:

The vast majority of RAs I encountered were quite tolerant of pre-drinks/gatherings. Usually they showed up, told us to cut it out, and as long as we were gone in five minutes there were no repercussions.

But others "toed the line" so to speak. The weren't unfair, just less lenient.

Is being a "tougher" RA encouraged by managers, or is there some leniency allowed to the RAs?

Secondly, I'm terrified that I may sleep through the phone ringing some night that I am on call. Any words of wisdom?

pacni

Haha I'm not your boss! Just a colleague.

There is a set of guidelines that you will be told in training as to what constitutes a gathering and until what time these are tolerated. All gatherings should technically be reported if an RA attends, after that it is completely out of the RA's hands - it becomes at the discretion of the Residences team. Having said that, the RA writes the report and the tone and details of the report generally corresponds to the cooperativeness of the residents. No RA wants their job to be made any more difficult than it already is. Obviously there are differences in how each individual RA approaches a party so again it depends on the RA and the situation.

The Residences team encourages impartiality above anything. Make reports as factual and detailed as possible, if the residents were cooperative then say so but if they weren't then it's equally as important to say. It isn't your job to be tough or even have an opinion, all you can say is that you will be submitting a report and the resident may be subject a disciplinary hearing as stated in the licence to reside.

My words of wisdom? It is impossible to sleep through the nightmare that is the RA ringtone. In fact, you will come to dread that sound for the rest of your life and shudder every time you hear it, even if you aren't on duty.

b0gg3r

Thanks, that's reassuring.

When you say "and RA attends" I presume that's when an RA knocks on a door and breaks up a gathering?

Also, in the past, when an RA said "Lads, enough of that, get out." was a report filed and nothing came of it?

pacni

Yeah - knock on the door 3 times, announce your presence, find the resident.

It really depends on the RA. It's kind of at their discretion whether or not a gathering is 'report-worthy'. I know some who wouldn't bother reporting a few lads having a couple of drinks before going out that all left straight away and I know some who would. I think technically everything should be reported no matter how small but sometimes you're just too busy with bigger things going on. If in doubt, always report it. Nothing may come of it but you're always better on the safe side to cover your own back. Especially later in the year if the same apartment has a massive party and they say in the disciplinary "oh well sure the RA comes round all the time and just tells us to leave and we always do" yet there is no record of that happening. Then Residences will be asking you why you haven't been reporting things.

b0gg3r

Okay, that makes sense.Thanks for your help.

One other thing, the training this year, is it a 9-5 Monday to Friday affair, or is there weekends too?

pacni

Yeah it 9-5 Monday to Friday for two weeks, then a week of check-ins/orientation(Reslife stuff) then your first week of shifts starts. First week of training is classroom based and the second week is on location. Although, they might let you off early some of the days if they haven't filled the schedule.

I'll see you there!

gaiscioch

I hope the RAs are getting a bit of preparation for suicides and depression. I know one RA who was deeply disturbed when he went up with the worried mother of a student, thoughtfully asked her to wait outside and then opened the door of the student's room. It was kept very quiet at the time. My entire body shivers on the memory.

pacni

gaiscioch wrote: »

I hope the RAs are getting a bit of preparation for suicides and depression. I know one RA who was deeply disturbed when he went up with the worried mother of a student, thoughtfully asked her to wait outside and then opened the door of the student's room. It was kept very quiet at the time. My entire body shivers on the memory.

All RAs are fully trained in suicide awareness (safeTalk) and provided with a large network of support for their own mental health and with referral procedures for residents in need of help. SRAs and some RAs are even further trained in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and can be called upon at any time. There are also numerous Please Talk events as part of the Reslife activities to encourage students to talk about their problems, be they academic or personal.

Mental health is a significant issue in student residences and is taken very seriously. UCD in general is very good with regards to supporting students with mental health problems and the RAs specifically are very aware of it. They encourage all residents to open up and talk about their problems no matter what time of the day or night it is - RAs are contactable 24/7 and urge all residents to take advantage of this should they need to talk. There is no need to suffer in silence.

b0gg3r

gaiscioch wrote: »

I hope the RAs are getting a bit of preparation for suicides and depression. I know one RA who was deeply disturbed when he went up with the worried mother of a student, thoughtfully asked her to wait outside and then opened the door of the student's room. It was kept very quiet at the time. My entire body shivers on the memory.

I didn't hear a thing about this. When did this happen?

b0gg3r

pacni wrote: »

All RAs are fully trained in suicide awareness (safeTalk) and provided with a large network of support for their own mental health and with referral procedures for residents in need of help. SRAs and some RAs are even further trained in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and can be called upon at any time. There are also numerous Please Talk events as part of the Reslife activities to encourage students to talk about their problems, be they academic or personal.

Mental health is a significant issue in student residences and is taken very seriously. UCD in general is very good with regards to supporting students with mental health problems and the RAs specifically are very aware of it. They encourage all residents to open up and talk about their problems no matter what time of the day or night it is - RAs are contactable 24/7 and urge all residents to take advantage of this should they need to talk. There is no need to suffer in silence.

That's actually very reassuring.

What other kind of training do RAs recieve? Do they receive certs?

pacni

b0gg3r wrote: »

That's actually very reassuring.

What other kind of training do RAs recieve? Do they receive certs?

Basic first aid, fire safety, customer service, conflict management and other location specific training that you may require to carry out your duties.

You will receive a basic first aid certificate with the potential to 'top it up' to a higher level first aid course including AED training.

r93kaey5p2izun

This is a very interesting thread. Tough job!

Are RAs garda vetted given they have access to apartments?

pacni

Emelia Hollow Kilt wrote: »

This is a very interesting thread. Tough job!

Are RAs garda vetted given they have access to apartments?

No, RAs are not garda vetted. They are however closely monitored by management staff as are their access logs. It is possible to see exactly who enters through any door and exactly when they do so.

RAs are given strict rules as to when they are permitted to enter an apartment. Permission to enter from a resident is sought as a first priority and an RA will only enter without permission as a last resort or under emergency circumstances. This only applies to common areas within the apartment; there are even stricter rules with regards to personal rooms of the residents. Some believe that this is unfair but the rights are slightly different given it's a 'Licence to Reside' and not a tenancy agreement.

RAs also may wear cameras on their lapels for the protection of both residents and the RAs should there be a discrepancy in a student or RA's account of an incident. These can only be used if the RA announces (on record) that it is being used, only in common areas and only if its use is justified.

b0gg3r

"only if its use is justified."

Is it enough of a justification to say that you want it recorded to make it clear what happened should a complaint be lodged?

pacni

b0gg3r wrote: »

"only if its use is justified."

Is it enough of a justification to say that you want it recorded to make it clear what happened should a complaint be lodged?

Yes, that would be the most common reason for it to be used. Obviously an RA can't just walk around filming things for their own amusement, when I say justified I mean that there has to be a purpose for them filming. All footage is reviewed by members of the management team and cross-checked with written reports for any potential disciplinary hearings.

b0gg3r

pacni wrote: »

Yes, that would be the most common reason for it to be used. Obviously an RA can't just walk around filming things for their own amusement, when I say justified I mean that there has to be a purpose for them filming. All footage is reviewed by members of the management team and cross-checked with written reports for any potential disciplinary hearings.

Ah okay.

That makes sense, cheers!