Apply to become the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä’s (JYY) President, Vice President, Chair of the Board or Member of the Board for 2026!
Apply for the positions of trust by Monday 10 Nov 2025 at noon from here.
Duties of the Chair and Members of the Board
JYY consists of member operations and business operations, both of which are overseen by the JYY Board. The Board also acts as the working board on the member operations side, meaning it participates in the planning and execution of day-to-day activities. In the daily operations of the business side, the Board’s chairpersons are more extensively involved.
On the member operations side, Board members take part in activities related to their respective sectors alongside staff. For example, JYY Board members participate in sector-specific working groups, organize events, and engage in planning and development work. The Board’s activities are led by the Chair of the Board.
Familiarize yourself more in depth with the Board’s work, daily life and the sectors of responsibility in the Guide for Board Applicants.
JYY’s Board is a working board, which is primarily expected to be available alongside the paid staff of JYY on weekdays during office hours. On average, JYY’s activities take up about five to seven hours a day for Board Members, with an emphasis between 9am-3pm, but the weekly hours vary significantly. In addition, the Board Members will at times have to be available at evening hours, for example, for representative duties, in organizing JYY’s events and for working with the Council. Although most of the board work takes place during weekdays, some events require availability over the weekend. The board work also includes some travelling, for example to seminars of the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) and to Student Union network meetings.
A requirement for successful board work is commitment to these practises.
Board members receive compensation for their work. Board members are paid a fee of 700 euros per month from January to May and from August to December. The Vice Chair of the Board receives 800 euros per month during the same periods, and the Chair of the Board receives 1,150 euros per month throughout the entire year. (The Representative Council will review the 2026 budget on November 27, 2025, and confirm the board compensation amounts; the figures above are those proposed in the budget draft.)
In addition to being a working board, JYY’s Board also directs and develops JYY’s activities based on the policies determined by the Council and takes care of other rule-based tasks.
In addition to the Chair, the Board is composed of nine other Members. Each Board Member is designated their own portfolio, which in 2026 are:
- academic affairs and internationalization (two Board Members; one doesn’t need Finnish proficiency)
- municipal and social affairs (two Board Members)
- communication
- associations
- events and culture
- corporate cooperation
- tutoring and communities (does not need Finnish proficiency)
In addition to sector responsibilities, the Board divides other tasks and projects among themselves. The 2026 Board will make an official decision on division of responsibilities, the selection of the Vice Chair, and other responsibilities—such as the sustainability sector—during its organizational meeting in December.
JYY is a bilingual organization, meaning the working languages are Finnish and English. It is possible to participate in Board meetings and internal member operations work even without speaking Finnish. However, all portfolios except for academic affairs and internationalization as well as tutoring and communities require proficiency in Finnish, as work in those areas is largely conducted in Finnish.
Duties of the President and Vice President of the Student Union
The highest decision-making power of JYY is held by a 39-member Representative Council selected in the Council elections, which is led by the President of the Student Union.
The President leads and coordinates the Council’s activity together with the Vice President. The Presidency cooperates closely with the Board and staff of the Student Union.
The duties of the President include, for example, to chair the Council meetings, prepare the Council’s meetings together with the Executive Director, plan the Council’s communication, represent the Student Union towards different stakeholders together with the Board and to supervise that the Student Union strictly adheres to rules and regulations. The President and Vice President also typically act as the chairs of the General and Special Selection Committees annually according to each Presidency’s division of tasks; typically, the duty to chair the General Selection Committee has been one of the duties of the Vice President. The work of the selection committees is concentrated in odd-numbered years, when student representatives in administration are chosen for new two-year terms.
The President of the Student Union receives a compensation of 1,500€, and the Vice President receives 500€. Additionally, in odd-numbered years, 500€ is paid to the person serving as Chair of the General Selection Committee.
The administrative language of the Student Union is Finnish, but the Representative Council operates bilingually in Finnish and English. Therefore, the Presidency of the Student Union are expected to have proficiency in both Finnish and English.
Application process, negotiations and selection
The Council has in its meeting on 17 Sep 2025 decided of the principles for the application and selection process of JYY’s positions of trust.
If you’re interested in applying for a position of trust within JYY, it’s recommended that you first contact one of the Representative Council groups. This gives you the opportunity to gain the group’s support during negotiations and to discuss the application process with them in advance. Representative Council groups are formed after the Representative Council elections, but in practice they correspond to electoral alliances that receive at least one representative in the elections: https://jyy.fi/edustajistovaalit/vaaliliitot/.
Application process
The application period for the President and Vice President of the Student Union as well as the Chair of the Board and Members of the Board for 2026 is open until Monday 10 Nov 2025 at noon.
According to the rules of the Student Union, every member of JYY can apply for JYY’s Board, and the candidates of the 2025 Council elections who are members of JYY can apply for the Student Union’s Presidency positions. JYY’s Board is elected in accordance with the Equality act’s obligation of equality (609/1986, Act on Equality between women and men) under section 4 a paragraph 2.
JYY’s positions of trust are applied to on a Webropol-form (link at the top of the page), through which the applicant sends in their application and CV.
For those interested in JYY Board positions, further information is available from Executive Director Teemu Vasama and Chair of the Board Venla Suosalo, as well as from the staff and Board members responsible for each sector. Detailed contact information can be found here: https://jyy.fi/en/what-student-union/contact-information/.
Content of the applications
Those applying to be President or Vice President of the Student Union
Those applying for the President of the Student Union must answer the following questions in their application:
- Applicant’s short introduction
- Why would you be the right person to be the President or Vice President of the Student Union?
- How would you develop the Council’s decision-making and activities?
- The Presidency of the Student Union works in cooperation with the Student Union’s Board and staff. Give an example of how you would develop the cooperation especially with the Board.
- The Presidency of the Student Union coordinates the activities of a Council that is made of different groups, members, and deputy members and that has many diverse views. How do you maintain a constructive discussion culture and support high-quality decision-making?
In addition, prepare to hold a speech of maximum of three minutes at the interview, that you would hold at the next opening ceremony for the academic year of the University of Jyväskylä.
Those applying to be Chair of the Board
Those applying to be Chair of the Board must answer the following questions in their application:
- Applicant’s short introduction
- What motivated you to apply for Chair of the Board?
- JYY consists of member operations and business operations (i.e., Soihtu), and the Board leads both. What do you think should be the most important development goal for member operations in the coming year? And for business operations?
- The JYY Board functions both as the working board for member operations and as the decision-making body for the entire JYY. As Chair, how would you support your Board in successfully managing its diverse tasks and responsibilities—from organizing events to making business investment decisions?
- The Chair of the Board leads the Board together with the Vice Chair, member operations together with the Executive Director, business operations together with the Managing Director, and the entire JYY as the head of the management team. What strengths and areas for development do you have as a leader in relation to this overall responsibility?
In addition, prepare to bring your own proposal on the composition of next year’s Board based on the candidates’ applications and interviews. The proposal is brought to the negotiators at the beginning of the negotiations.
Those applying to be members of the Board
Those applying for board member positions must in a free-form application answer the following questions (add emphasis on the portfolios which you are applying for):
- Applicant’s short introduction
- What motivated you to apply for the Board of JYY?
- JYY consists of member operations and business operations (i.e., Soihtu), and the Board leads both. What do you think should be the most important development goal for member operations in the coming year? And for business operations?
- Portfolios you are applying to (Note that each chosen Board Member is assigned one main area of responsibility, i.e. a portfolio, but for the purposes of forming a Board you may apply to several different portfolios at the same time.)
- Which portfolios are you applying to primarily?
- Which portfolios interest you secondarily?
- Are you interested in some of the other areas of responsibility (Vice Chair, responsibility activities, Jyväskylä Student Newspaper Jylkkäri)?
- Why do you see yourself as a good choice for these portfolios?
- Extra question for those interested in being Vice Chair: the Chair and Vice Chair are responsible for the entirety of JYY’s operations, i.e. both member operations and business operations. In which themes and areas could you in particular support the Chair of the Board?
- During the Board year in JYY, you will work a lot in cooperation with the Board Members as well as others. How would you describe yourself as a team player and a member of a group?
Interviews and negotiations
All applicants for the positions of trust are interviewed at the Student Union house Ilokivi, on Tuesday 18 Nov 2025 beginning at 17:00. The event is open for everyone, and it is possible to follow along on a livestream (the video will not be available afterwards). Before the interviews begin, the interview and negotiations process in its entirety is gone over with the candidates.
The day after the interviews on 19 Nov 2025, negotiations will be held at the Student Union house Ilokivi beginning at 17:00. The negotiators named by the Council groups will negotiate on the composition of the Presidency and Board of the Student Union to be selected. The President of the Student Union Eetu Aalto facilitates the negotiations, to which each of the 2026-2027 Council groups has had a chance to set forward two negotiators. In addition, the applicants for the Chair of the Board have a chance to present their view on the composition of the future Board.
Applicants will be informed of the result after the negotiations end. The result of the negotiations acts as the base proposal at the organization meeting of the Council.
Selection
In its organization meeting on Thursday 20 Nov 2025, the Council selects the President and Vice President of the Student Union as well as the Board including the Chair of the Board. The selection takes place according to the rules of the Student Union.
New Board and Presidency of the Student Union
The Board and the Student Union Presidency are invited to JYY’s extended management team meeting on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, starting at 13:00.
The new Student Union Presidency will be oriented to their roles during December 2025.
The elected Board is invited to begin familiarizing themselves with JYY’s operations starting 24 Nov 2025. This includes attending internal meetings, the outgoing Board’s meetings, and possible working groups and other meetings. The new Board is especially encouraged to participate in the following:
- Celebratory seminar for new student representatives on Monday, November 24, approximately 14:00–16:00
- (Optional: The new Board and Presidency are invited to JYY’s Pub crawl on Wednesday, November 26 in the evening)
- Final meeting of the outgoing Representative Council, where the 2026 budget and action plan will be discussed, on Thursday, November 27 starting at 17:15
- JYY alumni evening (and new office housewarming) on Saturday, November 29
- Organizational meeting of the new Board on Friday, December 5 starting at 12:00
- Orientation period December 8–12 and 15–16, approximately 9:00–16:00 (a detailed orientation schedule will be sent to those elected)
- Board transition sauna on December 12 starting around 17:00
After this, orientation will continue weekdays starting Monday, January 12, 2026, approximately 9:00–16:00, as the new Board’s term begins.
The association seminar will be held on Friday and Saturday, January 16–17, 2026, during which the Board is expected to be available.
More information on the Board and JYY’s activities
Venla Suosalo
Chair of the Board
hpj@jyy.fi
Teemu Vasama
Executive Director
teemu.vasama@jyy.fi
More information on the Representative Council and the selection process
Eetu Aalto
President of the Student Union
epj@jyy.fi