Join us as a volunteer tutor – Support young people in Maths, English or Science (up to GCSE)

Join us as a volunteer tutor – Support young people in Maths, English or Science (up to GCSE)

by GT Scholars Other Volunteer Roles Volunteers

We’re looking for graduates and undergraduates that can help make a difference in young people’s lives!

Our online volunteer tutors provide academic support to pupils throughout the year. We’re looking for graduates and undergraduates that can:

  • Provide online one-to-one support to pupils over a period of 12 weeks
  • Build pupil confidence in Maths, English or Science
  • Prepare students for GCSE & A-level exams (if applicable)
  • Give feedback to parents and programme coordinators
  • Work collaboratively with other tutors and mentors

To get started you’ll need to:

  • Have strong subject knowledge in Maths, English or Science (confident enough to tutor up to GCSE!)
  • Enjoy working with children and young people
  • Have a minimum of an undergraduate degree or be working towards this
  • Be computer literate, comfortable with tutoring through online platforms.
  • Be able to commit to a period of 6 months (2 school terms)

Please note that this is a volunteering role and we will need to conduct an Enhanced DBS check before you can join us as a tutor.

You will be provided with support and training for your role and any travel expenses within London will be reimbursed up to the amount of £12 for any session.

This isn’t a paid role so there is no salary. However, tutoring with GT Scholars is extremely rewarding. You’ll be able to:

  • Receive training and support for your role
  • Develop leadership skills and teaching or tutoring experience
  • Be a role model and make a real difference in the life of a young person
  • Have flexibility through online volunteering.
  • Join us at our volunteer days in London (if you are able to)
  • Meet like-minded volunteers at our quarterly socials
  • Get involved in our end of year ceremony for our scholars
  • Contribute your skills in arranging our end of year social for volunteers

How to apply: Please attach your CV and a short cover letter through our contact form.

How you can make a difference as an Events Team Volunteer and help us at our events, workshops and courses!

How you can make a difference as an Events Team Volunteer and help us at our events, workshops and courses!

by Marilyn Other Volunteer Roles Volunteers

About GT Scholars
The GT Scholar’s programme is a social enterprise that consists of two programmes: The Academic Programme which offers online one-to-one tutoring and the Awards Programme that focuses on mentoring.

As part of both programmes, we also offer free access to our enrichment and skill building events that are hosted throughout London.  These events are designed for young people aged 11-18 years of age and include activities such as STEM activity days, study skill workshops and career days and trips to the city. We also run parent workshops and community engagement events to ensure that parents are aware of the academic and career opportunities available to their children.

What makes us different?
There are a range of charitable organisations and social enterprises offering programmes to improve the life chances of young people. However, The GT Scholars programme has the capacity to work with all state school pupils, not just those on Free School Meals. This means that pupil parents do not have to be on benefits and pupils do not need to be referred by their school in order to qualify for support.

What does volunteering at an event involve?
 Volunteers who are interested in getting involved and supporting us at our events can help assist with various tasks and responsibilities.

  • You will need to arrive on time. If an event starts at 10:00am you will need to be there by 9:30am to meet the team and gain an overview of the event with the event coordinator.
  • You will help with setting up and clearing up at events.
  • You will assist to coordinate a smooth arrival and registration as well as departure for attendees and other guests. This can also include maintaining the register and managing any late attendees.
  • Assist with the coordination of lunch or refreshments for attendees.
  • Support workshop facilitators with managing groups of young people or parents.
  • Help with the distribution of stationary and workshop material.
  • Assist the event coordinator with ensuring the health and safety of attendees and overall risk management at events.
  • Give feedback to the event coordinators and programme managers at the end of each event.

When and where do our events take place?
 Our events take place throughout various parts of London. Our events mostly take place on Saturdays from 10am to 4pm and we often have some events on weekday evenings, like our volunteer meetups, which takes place from 6pm to 9pm.

How much time do Event Team Volunteers commit to?
This is a flexible volunteering role. You will be volunteering as part of the Events Team and you’ll need to be available for approximately 6 events per year. All of our events take place on the weekend or weekday evenings and range from 2 to 8 hours in length.

To get started you’ll need to:
Be passionate and committed to tackling educational inequality

  • Be able to support at events as part of a diverse Events Team
  • Enjoy working with children and young people
  • Be able to remain calm under pressure
  • Be punctual and organised
  • Possess strong communication skills
  • Have excellent time management skills
  • Be able to work well as part of a team

Other important information for this role:
Please note that this is a volunteering role where you will be interacting with young people, therefore the following information must be noted:

  • Enhanced DBS check –  Before you can join the Events Team you will need to have a valid Enhanced DBS check that is dated within the last three years. If you do not have one we can process one for you. Please contact our office for further information on this.
  • Pictures – Please refrain from taking any pictures on the day, especially of the young people this forms part of our data and security policy. The volunteer photographer/videographer at the event will be responsible for capturing the day.
  • GDPR – To ensure we comply with the latest GDPR rules all data must be treated as confidential and must be returned to the events coordinator at the end of the event. Especially documents such as the attendance register.
  • Training – You will be provided with support and training for your role and will be briefed with any additional information on the day of the event.
  • Travel expenses -Any travel expenses within London will be reimbursed up to the amount of £12 for any session.

How to apply: Please attach your CV and a short cover letter through our contact form.

Become a GT Scholars Ambassador

Become a GT Scholars Ambassador

by GT Scholars Other Volunteer Roles

We are looking for skilled professionals who can use their professional experience to support our growth as a charity within the education sector.  Someone who is passionate about improving social mobility for young people from low-income homes will feel right at home at GT Scholars.

Who are GT Scholars Ambassadors?
Ambassadors are volunteer undergraduates, graduates and professionals that are naturally enterprising and want to use their particular skill set to raise the profile of GT Scholars and support in the growth and development of GT Scholars as a social enterprise.  By becoming an Ambassador, you’ll be committing to becoming our go-to person within your organisation or university: a vital contact for GT Scholars and a bridge between us and your colleagues.

What do GT Scholars Ambassadors do?
The ambassador role would suit someone that is part of existing networks at their university, corporate place of work or in the business world.  They help us gain access to:

  • Volunteers; this could be by promoting volunteer roles to their network or connecting GT Scholars to existing networks of graduates and undergraduates.
  • Low cost or free space that we can use for volunteer training and socials which take place on weekday evenings or space for scholar enrichment events which usually take place on weekends.
  • Corporate sponsorship or funding; this could be financial support or access to volunteers and or space for events.
  • Teacher networks; connecting us to school SLT, headteachers, academy trust leaders and teacher networks.
  • Parent networks and youth networks so that we can reach and impact more young people and parents through our programmes

Your role may also involve:

  • Providing advice and practical support to the founder and the team
  • Assisting with developing our recruitment, marketing, fundraising and public relations strategy
  • Promoting GT Scholars to your existing networks and championing the social mobility agenda
  • Speaking at external events to help attract more volunteers to the programme
  • Providing innovative solutions to raise the profile and the reach of GT Scholars
  • Representing GT Scholars on a top-level both online and offline.

What qualities does an ambassador have?
We’re looking for ambassadors who are:

  • Proactive, passionate and committed to tackling educational inequality
  • Educated to a minimum of degree level
  • Be committed to the organisation’s vision and aims
  • Enjoy working with a diverse team

How much time does an ambassador have to commit to?
You will need to be available for approximately 3-4 hours per month. This is a flexible volunteering role. Being an ambassador means joining our online group of ambassadors, connecting GT Scholars to your existing network and representing GT Scholars at internal and external events.

Any other information about the role:
This role does not involve working directly with young people. However, we will still need to conduct reference checks.  Professionals who have a genuine passion for social mobility and educational equality can get in touch with us by calling 0208 8168066 or completing the online contact form.

 

Would you be able to join us as a volunteer mentor?

Would you be able to join us as a volunteer mentor?

by GT Scholars Other Volunteer Roles

The role: Our scholars are eager to meet graduates and professionals that can support them in achieving their ambitions. Mentors are mainly responsible for providing support and career advice to pupils. Mentors must also be committed to supporting us at our events, which take place in the evenings and on Saturdays throughout the term. These events include our scholar enrichment days, our parent and pupil information sessions and our volunteer social events which are held in London.

Availability: Mentors must be available for approximately 2-3 hours a month to meet with their mentee, discuss via phone, email or in person. There is a minimum commitment of one year (three terms). We recommend that you meet with your mentee in person at least once per term.

In addition to this, you will need to support at a minimum of 3 events throughout the year. Enrichment and skill building events for our scholars usually take place in the evenings and at weekends, with events ranging from 2-8 hours in length.

Location: Meetings can take place in any part of London.

Responsibilities: 

  • Working collaboratively with parents to give students guidance and advice on how to achieve their aspirations
  • Informing pupils of opportunities to them so that they can achieve their aspirations
  • Meeting with pupils for one to one mentoring sessions
  • Supporting pupils with university, sixth form or job applications
  • Monitoring and reporting on each pupils progress
  • Giving feedback to parents and programme coordinators
  • Working collaboratively with other tutors and mentors
  • Supporting at events including:
    • Collaborate effectively with other volunteers within the events team
    • Assist with setting up and clearing up at events
    • Support workshop facilitators with managing groups of young people or parents
    • Assist with the coordination of lunch or refreshments for attendees
    • Assist the event coordinator with ensuring the health and safety of attendees and overall risk management at events
    • Give feedback to the event coordinators and programme managers at the end of each event.

Person specification:

  • Be passionate and committed to tackling educational inequality
  • Enjoy working with children and young people
  • Be educated to a minimum of degree level or equivalent
  • Possess strong communication skills both written and verbal
  • Be punctual and organised
  • Be able to remain calm under pressure
  • Have excellent time management skills

Additional information:

Please note that this is a volunteering role and we will need to conduct an Enhanced DBS check before you can join us as a mentor. You will be provided with support and training for your role.

How to apply: Please attach your CV and a short cover letter through our contact form.

Meet one of our volunteer mentors – Jason

Meet one of our volunteer mentors – Jason

by GT Scholars Other Volunteer Roles Volunteers What's new? Young people

Our volunteers are amazing people that are passionate about making a difference in education. We would like you to get to know who they are and what they do at GT Scholars, so every few weeks we conduct an interview with one of them. Here is the most recent interview with one of our volunteer mentors, Jason Luu.

Why did you decide to volunteer with GT Scholars?
I decided to volunteer with GT Scholars to make a difference in my local community. Having already done some work to help other communities in different countries, I came to the realisation that I should also be contributing to my local community. I also recognised that providing support to people when they are still young can make a significant difference, as this is something that I was not fortunate enough to have when I was younger. If I had the opportunity to be mentored when I was a teenager, I can only imagine how much more I could have achieved by now or how many disasters I could have avoided.

Tell me a little bit about you and what got you to where you are today?
I was born in London, my parents were refugees from another country. This had a huge impact on me and my upbringing. When I was younger, I was embarrassed by my heritage because it was so foreign to western culture. But as I got older and matured, I embraced my background and decided to stand up and stand out rather than follow the crowd. I more took control of my life and did not live according to other people’s expectations. This has become a big factor in getting me to where I am today. It turns out that my own expectations for myself were wildly beyond other people’s expectations of me.

I also have role models who I can look up to and inspire me. Some of them are alive today and some are historical figures. Having these role models allow me to draw energy, ideas and behaviours from. If anyone reading this doesn’t have a role model, then you better start looking.

Why do you think mentoring is valuable to young people?
Traditionally, mentoring is something that has been reserved for older, professional and sometimes even wealthy people. Many of the most powerful leaders in our society have or had mentors. So why can’t the rest of us have access to this resource?

Many young people today from my local community have parents who are very busy working or studying, and their friends are usually in the same boat as them. Thus, having a mentor who has the right experience would really help with some of the things that they struggle with, and would help to develop smarter behaviours and habits. This additional guidance and development can really help a young person to be successful in all that they do. I really believe that if I had a mentor when I was younger, I would not have had to experience so many difficulties in my life. I would have been able to get where I am today sooner or even be more successful sooner. It is the aim of all good mentors is to guide their mentee to reach their full potential.

What part of the volunteering process have you found the most fulfilling?
Seeing students and their parents working together, and it provides extra support to traditional parenting.

What do you think is the most important skill to have as a volunteer mentor?
I think showing a genuine interest in someone else’s future and actually caring about their happiness is an important skill. It is not just about making sure that they are successful, but also about helping to define what true happiness means to them and their family.

Jason briefly attended university before deciding to drop out and start his professional life earlier. He now works in the headquarters of the Department of Health, holding CEOs, directors and major leaders in healthcare and education accountable to the taxpayer as a Senior Contract Manager. He has spent the last 3 years dedicated to promoting equality and fighting social injustice at his place of work and at home in his local community.

GT Scholars is a social enterprise that provides tutoring, mentoring and enrichment to young people from a range of backgrounds. To find out more about our volunteering opportunities, please get in touch with us. 

12 Ways You Can Volunteer with GT Scholars

12 Ways You Can Volunteer with GT Scholars

by GT Scholars Other Volunteer Roles Social mobility Volunteers What's new? Young people

As you may already know, GT Scholars is a not-for-profit social enterprise that aims to improve social mobility for young people from low-income households.

We run a range of courses, workshops and programmes with support from our staff and volunteers who are dedicated to helping our scholars achieve their full academic and career potential.

If you are passionate about tackling education inequality and you would like to make a difference to the lives of young people, then here are some ways you can support GT Scholars.

1. Volunteer as a Tutor: Would like to help a young person reach their full potential? Could you provide academic support to a student in Maths, Science or English up to GCSE? If so, volunteer tutoring may be perfect for you. We are always looking for more volunteer tutors so that we can reach more young people across London. Send us your CV and a short cover letter if this is something you’d be interested in. You can get in touch by clicking here

2. Volunteer as a Mentor: Our scholars are eager to meet graduates and professionals that can support them in achieving their ambitions. Mentors are mainly responsible for providing support and career advice to young people. If you enjoy working with young people and are passionate about helping a young person achieve their goals then mentoring may be perfect for you. Send us your CV and a short cover letter or get in touch with us here

3. Volunteer Ambassador– Could you help with the growth and development of GT Scholars by providing advice and practical support to the founder? We’re looking for professionals and graduates that have experience in business development and strategy, consulting, fundraising, social investment, marketing, recruitment or public relations as well as a passion tackling educational inequality then get in touch with us here

4. Tell a friend about us! If you have a friend that could potentially be interested in volunteering with GT Scholars, then why not let them know! You can forward them a copy of our weekly volunteer newsletter so they can have a better idea of what we do. You can also invite them to come to one of our volunteer socials in London where we share more about our story and how they can support. To book a ticket for you and a friend to come to our next volunteer socials, click here.

5. Connect with us on social media: If you are already one of our fantastic volunteers then add your new role to your Linkedin profile and don’t forget to like us on all your other social media platforms (facebook, twitter, google+). You can also like and re-tweet our facebook and twitter posts as this will help us reach more volunteers just like you!

6. Help with videography and photography– We’re always looking for professional photographers and videographers that can take high-quality photos and videos at our enrichment and workshop events in London. If you are a talented videographer or photographer and would like volunteer your time to help us capture our events and workshops, then get in touch with us here

7. Be a guest speaker at our event– We host a variety of exciting enrichment days, workshops for young people throughout the year and we are looking for graduates and professionals who would like to share their journeys and experiences with our scholars and inspire them to achieve their own ambitions. To find out more on how your story and experiences to inspire young people, please contact us here

8. Volunteer at one of our workshops or events: Throughout the year, we run inspiring and interactive workshops for young people and once a term on a weekday evening we host a parent and pupil information session at schools across London. If you are available to volunteer for 3-4 hours in the evening or available to volunteer for the whole day on Saturday, this could make a huge difference to our scholars. As a co-host or volunteer helper on the day, your main role will be to assist at these events and ensure that our workshops and information sessions run smoothly. To find out more, get in touch with us here

9. Write for our blog: Could you write a short blog that could be of benefit to our scholars or their parents? We are always excited to work with volunteers who can bring a fresh perspective to a range of educational issues to support our scholars with their challenges and their aspirations. You could write about your experience growing up, the support you received, the reason why you volunteer with GT Scholars, some important advice for young people or even a new initiative that you’re running for young people or their parents. Find out more about guest blogging here

10. Be in the spotlight: Every few weeks, we conduct a short interview with one of our volunteers to find out more about their experience volunteering with us. We know that many of our volunteers don’t like being in the spotlight but it’s usually a very short piece (we promise!). It’s a brilliant way for us to tell other people about your role and attract more volunteers just like you. Find out more about our volunteer spotlights by clicking here

11. Host a workshop: We host a variety of workshops throughout the year aimed at supporting and inspiring young people. If you have a flair for delivering and leading short, interactive and inspiring workshops for young people then why not run or co-design a workshop with us. We would love to hear your ideas! Get in touch with us here.

12. Invite us to your speaking engagement: If you run events for undergraduates, graduates or professionals, we’d love for you to consider inviting us to speak at your event. We have a dynamic and inspiring team and a network of scholars that would love to share their experiences and raise awareness of educational inequality in the UK. Get in touch with us to discuss ways in which we can be partners here

Meet one of our volunteer Maths tutors – Alex

Meet one of our volunteer Maths tutors – Alex

by GT Scholars Other Volunteer Roles Our Impact Volunteer spotlight Volunteers What's new?

Every few weeks we conduct an interview with one of our amazing volunteers to find out more about them, why they decided to volunteer with GT Scholars and how their experience has been so far with us. Here’s a recent interview with one of our volunteer tutors – Alex.

Why did you decide to volunteer some time tutoring with GT Scholars?

I was looking for a chance to gain experience in teaching. The GT Scholars Programme offers a great opportunity to do so while also volunteering in the education sector. GT Scholars provide online sessions and lots of supporting material for tutors and tutees. It has been a great experience for me so far.

How important was it for you to gain support when you were younger?

Support has contributed a lot to my self-growth and development. It has given me the necessary tools to move forward and understand what it takes to succeed academically. Tutors, teachers, and professors all played a vital role in my studies, teaching me how to organise my schedule and efficiently manage my time.

Why do you think tutoring is valuable to young people?

Guidance and support are essential ingredients in order, for a young individual to flourish and become the best she/he can be. Tutoring can equip students with knowledge and enhance their self-confidence. Furthermore, tutoring provides structure by forming a functional schedule for children to follow and to maximise their potential.

What have you gained from volunteering with GT Scholars?

I’ve gained teaching experience which is a big plus for my job search in the education industry. I met new people and exchanged ideas on how to become a better tutor, along with other interesting teaching concepts.

What do you think the most important skill is to be a volunteer tutor?

You need to be patient and approach tutoring from the student’s perspective. Figure out how to tackle difficult concepts but also be in the position to justify even the easiest terms so that the student can follow.

What part of the volunteering process have you found the most fulfilling?

Watching a young mind maturing is the most fulfilling part of my volunteering experience with GT Scholars.

Alex is a postgraduate student working towards his MSc in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering at University College London. He is currently a volunteer Maths tutor with GT Scholars.

GT Scholars is a social enterprise that provides tutoring, mentoring and enrichment to young people from a range of backgrounds. To find out more about our volunteering opportunities, please get in touch with us via the website.

 

7 Personal Qualities of a Good Tutor

7 Personal Qualities of a Good Tutor

by GT Scholars Other Volunteer Roles Private tutoring Volunteer tutors Volunteers What's new?

Tutors have risen in popularity over the past few years due to a growing need for personalised learning and the noticeable benefits of one-on-one teaching. According to a report done by a social mobility charity, Sutton Trust, the number of 11 to 16-year-olds in England and Wales who receive extra tuition rose from 18% in 2005 to 25% in 2016. In London, the figure is even higher at 42%. They also noted that this private tuition mostly benefitted students from high-income backgrounds, widening the gap between students from different backgrounds.

Many parents want to ensure that their child does not fall behind, while students want to have a tutor that can support them with the subject knowledge, guide them through the challenging topics, and ultimately help them finish the year with a grade that they can be proud of.

Additionally, it is evident that a  good quality tutor can be the difference between passing or failing at GCSE level, which can have a huge consequence on the student’s future. Therefore, a tutor needs to be good at what they do if they want to make a positive and lasting impact on a young person’s life.

Tutoring is not just about having the subject knowledge. One-on-one tutoring requires a certain amount of patience, adaptability and tenacity. Thus, it takes a special combination of personal qualities to be someone who can help a child to improve academically. So if you want to make sure that you have what it takes to be a good tutor, here are seven personal qualities that you should aim to improve:

  • Patience: Every student is different, and not all of them will grasp a concept easily or learn quickly. It is also most likely that the student that really needs tutoring is a student that is struggling. Thus, tutors need to be very patient. Since schools have larger classes, everyone is more or less taught at the same pace. On the other hand, tutors need to teach slowly and at a pace that the student is comfortable with – it is the main point of one-on-one tutoring. Tutors must not rush through course work or get visibly impatient with a student that is struggling. This will discourage the student from learning.

 

  • Expertise: A tutor needs to have a good understanding of the subject knowledge, but also needs to have the skills to teach it. They must be confident in their knowledge of the subject and be able to explain concepts easily. Good teaching skill is being able to take the subject knowledge and explaining it in such a way that the student understands it. This will include knowing where to start, being able to pace the work correctly, always checking that the child understands, being interactive, and simplifying difficult topics if need be. 

 

  • Adaptability: Tutors must be able to adapt themselves to every student that they work with. Since there is no universal formula, your approach must depend on the student’s individual need and the particular difficulties he or she experiences. Throughout the sessions, the tutor will have to keep track of the student’s progress and determine if you need to change your plan or approach if it is not working.

 

  • Energy: The student must be kept attentive to make sure that they are absorbing everything that they are being taught. This will need for the tutor to be energetic and enthusiastic. Tutoring sessions should not just be like classes at school. Tutors should be interactive, and make the coursework interesting to inspire active interest in the student so that they can do well and overcome the discouragement by school and his or her bad grades. Being energetic also motivates the student to aspire to do better.

 

  • Openness: Tutors need to be active listeners and demonstrate a level of openness that makes them approachable and accessible. Listening to the needs of the child will also help you to better understand the student’s situation so that you can come up with an effective plan. The tutor’s active involvement and openness will offer comforting support for a student in trouble and will make the student feel valued. Tutors can demonstrate openness by being visibly dedicated to making a difference in the student’s academics.

 

  • Maturity: Tutors need to display maturity to make them a good role model to their student and to make them trustworthy to the parents of the student. Parents will not trust their children with you if you are impolite, cannot pay attention, or talk about inappropriate things. It is important to note that maturity has nothing to do with your age, and everything to do with how you carry yourself. You cannot carry yourself around your student like they are your friend, no matter how easygoing and open the tutoring is.

 

  • Passion: Great tutors are passionate about the subject they teach and about making a difference in the student’s academic life. You need to love what you teach and show this passion by always being interested and eager. You want your students to feel that their success is important to you and that what you are teaching them is important. Passion should also be the main motivation for you to become a tutor, not money or experience.

Tutoring is important for a student’s academic development and success in their future. As you can see, tutors need to have a combination of the above good qualities to ensure that they are making an effective difference. The student is the focus and point of tutoring, and their needs to be met well.

The GT Scholars tutoring programme is designed to support young people with improving attainment in English, Maths and Science. Our volunteer tutors ensure that tutoring sessions are personalised and tailored to each student and that we give young people the support, skills and strategies that they need to achieve their ambitions. Contact us for more information about how to become a tutor with us and make a difference in a student’s life.

7 Personal Qualities of a Good Mentor

7 Personal Qualities of a Good Mentor

by GT Scholars Other Volunteer Roles Volunteers What's new? Young people

Mentorships provide an ample amount of benefits to both the mentee and the mentor. In a corporate setting, older or more established business owners or managers take on a younger, inexperienced person with great potential to personally train and advise. This kind of professional relationship would most likely end up with the mentee gaining valuable skills and experience to realise their potential and probably become a successful business owner themselves. The mentor would also benefit by imparting their own wisdom and values and creating their own legacy. This is why it is strongly advocated for by business owners and entrepreneurs.

As with corporate mentorships, mentoring of young people can provide similar benefits. Young people who have a mentor are 55% more likely to enrol in college, 78% more likely to volunteer regularly, and 130% more likely to hold leadership positions. Adults who have a passion for helping young people, take the initiative to make sure that young people have access to advice, guidance and training, while also being able to make a difference and create a legacy.

Though the thought behind mentorship is good and altruistic, it must be noted that it takes certain skills and qualities to be a good mentor. This includes a special combination of knowledge, adaptability, experience and wisdom. Furthermore, young people are often vulnerable and impressionable, thus extra care needs to be taken to ensure that they are not misled by a negative mentorship.

So if you want to make sure that you have what it takes to be a good mentor, then here are seven personal qualities that you should definitely have:

  • Dedication: You must be someone who can be fully dedicated. This includes committing yourself to make the necessary effort and being able to make enough time in your schedule. A mentorship does not have to be a huge commitment if you manage your time well. Together with being dedicated, you must make your dedication visibly evident. Young people will easily pick up an attitude that does not reflect the right level of commitment.

 

  • Adaptability: You have to be adaptable and realise that you have to work around your mentee’s needs. This is not an internship where a younger person learns and gains experience through attending to the needs of their boss. A mentorship is first and foremost about the mentee’s needs. You should be flexible and easily provide help and guidance when needed.

 

  • Openness: A good mentor is always approachable. Your attitude should not depend on how you are feeling on that day. Whenever you are with your mentee, you must be enthusiastic, patient and kind so that he/she feels welcome and comfortable. Being approachable also mean you have to create a feeling of openness so that they are comfortable with talking about any issue that is bothering him/her.

 

  • Tolerance: You must be mature and tolerant enough to deal with a young person. Young people are not necessarily going to be in a good mood all the time. Thus, your respect for them should not depend on receiving their respect in return. You must be patient and be able to tolerate them at all times.

 

  • Respect: With tolerance, a good mentor should also respect the dignity of the mentee. Even though your mentee is younger than you, you must still treat them well. Do not patronise them for being young or inexperienced. It is also imperative that you do not trivialise the issues that they are going through. It may seem simple or small to you, but always remember that they do not have your level of experience.

 

  • Understanding: You must always be understanding and empathetic. To be understanding of your mentee, you should be someone who is a good listener. Listen attentively to everything that they say, and make mental or actual notes if need be. Do not overrule the conversation and always be the one who is talking. Although you want to impart your wisdom to your mentee, it would make sense to understand what they need before you provide solutions.

 

  • Credibility: You should be credible and have actual experience and good wisdom to impart. After listening carefully to your mentee describe an issue or situation, you need to provide support, advice or direction. You can either work together with your mentee to come up with a solution or provide them with stories about how you dealt with a similar situation in your past. You can also just use your expertise or specific knowledge from your occupation to provide credible solutions. Do not be afraid of telling your mentee about your failures or previous setbacks – this makes you relatable. You must just be sure that there is a good outcome or positive ending that can make this a valuable lesson.

As you can see, being a mentor is not necessarily a walk in the park, and there are many things to consider before you choose to be a mentor. On the other hand, if you do have these seven qualities, you are likely to be a superb mentor. Thus, we urge you to consider becoming a mentor. Young people of today desperately need direction and guidance, and you would definitely make a positive impact, not to mention you would also be able to create a lasting legacy.

GT Scholars provides an excellent mentoring programme for scholars aged 11 to 16. The mentoring sessions involve working one-to-one with a mentee that is linked to your career or working in a small group of peers. You will have approximately 6 sessions in the year. The sessions are mostly focused on setting personal goals and coming up with suitable solutions or ways to achieving your goals. Get in contact with us for more information.