Become a Language Cluster Leader!
This position is open to undergraduate and graduate students who are native or advanced speakers of the target language. Applicants must be current or newly-approved members of Global House. Members who are currently living in Global House are preferred.
Residency in 610 Beacon St, 4th floor is required for this position. Students not currently living on campus must submit a Housing Deposit and a Housing Agreement to the Housing Office by the Housing Deadline. Click here to visit the Housing Portal.
The application is open for Fall 2025 for all new or returning members. We are seeking leaders for the following clusters: African Languages*, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Russian. For the African Languages cluster, we are seeking a speaker of Akan Twi, Swahili, or Amharic.
DEADLINE: April 5 or until the positions are filled
If we still have remaining openings after the internal hiring process, we will open the application for new, incoming students to apply for the position. Check for updates in mid-March.
Benefits of becoming a Language Cluster Leader
- Share your linguistic and cultural knowledge with other students
- Develop leadership, organizational, and professional skills through coordination of Language Cluster and Global House events and activities
- Help build an inclusive, globally-focused community on campus
- Earn $1200 stipend per semester
Language Cluster Leader responsibilities
- Reside on-campus in Global House.
- Serve as a liaison between the language cluster and the Director of Global House
- Speak the target language exclusively with students in the language cluster.
- Organize language cluster activities that broaden students’ knowledge of the target cultures. This includes weekly cluster meetings and 2-3 cultural events per semester (one Single Cluster Event, one Multi-Cluster Event, and one end-of-semester All-Program event)
- Organize one internal community night per year
- Help students to practice their language skills and remind them to abide by the language pledge
- Meet weekly with the Global House Director to share ideas about both language cluster and house-wide activities and to discuss cluster members’ engagement with our community
- Coordinate community activities with other language cluster leaders
- Communicate regularly with the faculty mentor for your language cluster
- Help recruit new students to Global House
- Help advertise Global House events
- Occasional light administrative tasks
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Frequently Asked Questions: Language Cluster Leaders
Who should I ask for a recommendation, and how should they submit it?
You should ask a BU faculty or staff member who is familiar with your language abilities, cultural knowledge, and/or leadership skills. This letter should be submitted directly to Dr. Webb at ghdirect@bu.edu. All letters of recommendation must be received no later than the application deadline.
How much does this position pay?
Language Cluster Leaders earn $1200 per semester. These wages are paid in weekly installments and are structured as a stipend. This is not a work-study job.
How many hours per week should I expect to work as a Language Cluster Leader?
You should expect to spend 3-5 hours per week working as a Language Cluster Leader. This includes planning and leading a weekly cluster meeting, attending a weekly staff meeting, and working with Global House residents, other cluster leaders, and the Director to plan and implement cultural activities, events, and projects. You may also occasionally be asked to assist with administrative tasks and recruitment events.
If I am a member of one language cluster, can I apply to be the leader of a different language cluster?
Yes.
If I am a current member of Global House and am hired as a cluster leader for next academic year, do I also need to submit a separate application to continue living in Global House?
No. Students who are currently living in Global House and are hired to serve as cluster leaders for the following academic year do NOT need to reapply as members. Once you are hired, your name will be automatically submitted to BU Housing as “approved to select into Global House.” You will then be able to select your room in Global House during Room Selection.
If I am hired as a cluster leader for next year, can I also enroll in the HUB co-curricular?
Yes. If you have not yet completed the Global House co-curricular and are hired as a cluster leader, you may start or complete the two-semester co-curricular to earn a HUB unit. If you are enrolled in the Global House co-curricular AND serving as a cluster leader at the same time, you will need to complete a small additional project each semester to qualify for the HUB unit. The Director of Global House will discuss these requirements with you during job training.
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