Would you like to use your experience and knowledge to help a current student develop their skills and sense of purpose?
City's Mentoring Scheme offers professionals the opportunity to impart knowledge, share experience, inspire and guide our students through a six month one-to-one mentoring relationship.
The scheme exists as a developmental element of the student journey at City by offering engagement with professionals that can unlock potential and enhance employability. By volunteering your time as a mentor you are offering City students a pivotal bridge between academic learning and insight in to industry.
Since 2008 the scheme has successfully delivered over 5,000 mentoring relationships between professionals and City students. On average the scheme brokers 400 mentoring pairs per annum.
Award
With 71 per cent of our mentors City alumni, 13 per cent City staff and 16 per cent referred to the scheme or recruited by staff, we engage a diverse range of professionals who invest their time in mentoring our 2nd and 3rd year undergraduates and Master students.
An average of 80-85 per cent of mentees year-on-year agree that having a mentor had a direct impact on their employability and median responses from a variety of cohorts show that 78 per cent of mentees felt that they were more employable after the mentoring process.
Programme waves
We have two waves of participation: November to May and March to August.
Mentors will select a strand to participate: November or March. All new mentors accepted on to the scheme must undergo compulsory training offered during our strand recruitment periods. This is to equip you with information and guidance on how to use your expertise and knowledge to effectively support to your mentee.
We encourage mentee applications from undergraduates and Masters students on all courses. A list of the courses on offer at City may be found on the undergraduate and postgraduate courses webpages. Students are subject to a competitive application process and undergo an interview and training session before final selection.
The average profile of our mentees include:
- Students from non-traditional academic backgrounds
- Students with drive and ambition but a lack of knowledge on how to pursue their dreams
- Students unsure of what path their qualification may lead to
- Students that demonstrate need for developmental guidance
- Masters students seeking to pursue a new career direction
- Students who may already be work-ready but seek to finesse their employability
- International students seeking guidance on industry-specific UK recruitment practices
- Students who struggle with professional communication skills.
Undergraduate and Masters student characteristics – an overview.
What would be expected from you as a mentor?
To be an effective and engaged mentor it is crucial that you have enough time to dedicate to the programme. Our existing mentors guarantee our mentees a time commitment of 1 to 2 hours every 2 to 4 weeks.
- You will have a minimum of three years of professional work experience
- You may be supporting, advising and guiding a student who demonstrates sustained lack of clarity
- You will be reviewing CVs and assessing the mentee's ability to perform well in an interview
- You may be helping to build a student's confidence in themselves and their abilities
- You will provide an insight into the world of work
- You may be developing your mentee's networking skills
- You may be assisting your mentee in developing awareness of different career paths and options
- We recommend at least one mentoring meeting at your place of work if possible but alternative venues are acceptable
- We ask you to attend an Introduction Evening where you will meet your mentee for the first time and we encourage you to get involved in ad hoc group activities if possible
- Mentors have to be based in London.
Professional Mentoring Complaints Policy – Mentors.
The benefits of being a mentor
- Scheme-specific training to support your mentoring journey with top-up sessions available throughout the scheme lifecycle
- An opportunity to help a student starting out or embarking on a career change
- For City staff: an alternative form of engagement with our student population
- Becoming part of a wide network of professionals
- Develop as an individual professionally and personally.
Many mentors who volunteer on the scheme have found the experience beyond rewarding. It has the potential to impact on and changes lives in profound ways.
