Being a mentor
If you feel you have what it takes to offer someone else the right support and encouragement, mentoring could be the perfect volunteering opportunity for you.
What is a mentor?
A mentor is an individual who offers support and encouragement to someone else in a specific area of their life. Mentors often make it easier for others to reach their full potential. Mentoring can take the form of:
- Educational mentoring - a volunteering adult or someone employed by a school to provide one-to-one educational support for pupils that need it the most. Educational achievement, career plans and options, behavioural concerns and school or college attendance can all be discussed in these sessions;
- Peer mentoring - based on the idea that an older pupil acts as a 'buddy' and a listening ear for younger pupils. They can also help pupils find practical solutions if they find schoolwork and/or socialising difficult. Adults in similar careers can also mentor each other, e.g. a senior reporter helping a trainee newshound;
- Business/education partnering - when a school or college develops a relationship with different work industries and arranges for representatives to mentor students who have matching career interests. Mentoring also automatically widens the skills base of the industry's employees, so both parties benefit;
- Lone parent mentoring - offers additional support to lone parents. There are also mentoring services available to refugees and the homeless.
What would I get out of mentoring?
Mentoring provides many benefits. It can improve your confidence, leadership and workplace skills. Becoming a mentor can also raise your own achievement aspirations and increase your levels of motivation.
Do I get paid?
There is normally no salary offered for mentoring unless they have been hired by a school or college. Mentoring, with a few exceptions, operates on a voluntary basis in the UK. You may be reimbursed your travel expenses, or paid a small fee, but again practices vary between organisations.
How do I get started?
Mentors can be any age from early teens upwards and come from all walks of life. You don' t have to be a teacher or counsellor to become a mentor. Sometimes people who have benefited from mentoring go on to become mentors themselves.
If you want to become a volunteer mentor you can search volunteering opportunities on the the do-it.org.uk website. Local volunteer bureaux/centres are also likely to have opportunities for mentors. To find a list of national bureaus take a look at the Volunteering England website.
