As a Peer Mentor, you will look after a group of first-year students, helping them settle into university life. You will meet with them regularly, providing advice related to your scheme, such as helping with essay planning, as well as offering pastoral and social support.
We offer the opportunity to volunteer as a Peer Mentor to those who study with a degree which has a Peer Mentoring scheme. To become a Peer Mentor, you must complete 3 training sessions which we run in Semester 2. These sessions are packed full of advice, guidance and problem-based exercises to make sure you are in the best position to Peer Mentor a student come September.
Peer Mentors are recruited by the scheme, normally this will include an email from your scheme's Staff and Student Coordinators inviting students to become Peer Mentors. If you are interested in being a Peer Mentor and haven't heard of an opportunity to become one you can always email Peer Support.
Once you have been recruited, you need to complete training. The first session is Intro to Peer Mentoring and is 90 minutes long; this session sets out the role expectations, the tasks you will be expected to do and the skills you will use and develop. The second session is Mentoring in Practice and is a half-day session; here we will allow you to experience Mentoring first hand and practice your techniques in a safe environment. Finally, you will attend the Meet Your Scheme session, which is 90 minutes and is a scheme-specific session aimed to plan and goal set the upcoming year.
Your new role will begin the week before Welcome Week. It is therefore important to arrange any summer travel plans to allow you to be on campus in that week! We start your role here as this means you are fully prepared to be a part of the welcome your first-year mentees will receive.
Recruitment for the 2023/24 academic year is now closed - keep an eye out for news on recruitment for next academic year, coming soon!
If you have any further questions please contact peersupport@manchester.ac.uk
By becoming a Peer Mentor you will see many benefits through the skills you acquire, the connections you make and the person you become.
From speaking to Mentors, below is a list of some of the benefits that they have got out of their role:
A typical week of a Peer Mentor could involve organising a group meeting with your mentees, discussing how it went in a Mentor meeting, it could also involve spending a few hours at a social event meeting other mentors and mentees or organising one of these social events. The role of a Peer Mentor should require no more than two hours per week.
Your Role and Our Expectations
As a Peer Mentor, you will be one of the first points of contact for first-year students within your discipline. You will play a key role in helping first-year students adjust to university life by sharing your experiences, offering support and directing them to relevant services. Maintaining regular weekly contact with your mentees including meetings is also an important part of your role. It is important to note that your role will involve providing pastoral care and not advising or teaching your mentees.
To fully prepare you for your role, you will be required to attend 3 training sessions before your first meeting with your mentees. The training is designed to provide you with the necessary skills and materials which you will need to be an effective Peer Mentor. This currently includes a combination of live Zoom sessions and a Blackboard module.
Peer Mentors are also expected to attend further monthly Mentor Debriefs with their scheme. These sessions will provide a chance to network with fellow Peer Mentors, exchange good practice and provide feedback to your coordination team (Student Coordinators, Staff Coordinators and your Student Engagement Intern).
Being a Peer Mentor
You will have certain tasks that you need to complete to ensure the effective running of your scheme, but this is paired with the freedom to be creative and inventive. Indeed, some of the most successful Peer Mentors to date have been those who have really put in time and effort into thinking up new and interesting ways to enhance the experience of students on their course.
Peer Mentors are key to maintain the ‘discipline-owned and student-led’ nature of your Peer Mentoring scheme. Working closely with the Staff Coordinators, Student Coordinators and the Student Engagement team, Peer Mentors help to ensure the smooth running, maintenance and development of your scheme.
Support in Your Role
During your time as a Peer Mentor, you will be fully supported by your Student Coordinators, Staff Coordinators and your Student Engagement Intern. It is therefore essential that you maintain regular contact with them through email and by attending Mentor Meetings.
Additionally, over the course of the academic year, Peer Mentors are provided with numerous opportunities for additional workshops and development activities which are advertised exclusively to students involved in Peer Support.
What training is required of a student wishing to be a Peer Mentor?
New Peer Mentors must complete our full training package which is designed to arm students with both the knowledge and the skills required of a Peer Mentor. The first session in Intro to Peer Mentoring and is 90 minutes long, this session sets out the role expectations, the tasks you will be expected to do and the skills you will use and develop. The second session in Mentoring in Practice and is a half-day session; here we will allow you to experience Mentoring first hand and practice your techniques in a safe environment. Finally, you will attend Mentor Debrief which is 90 minutes and is a scheme-specific session aimed to plan and goal set the upcoming year.
You will then begin your role the week before Welcome Week in the new year. Please ensure you plan your travel to and from home to be available before Welcome Week.
Can any of our Peer Mentors continue in their role if they so wish and do they have to complete training again?
Of course, any Peer Mentor can return to their role. They do not need to complete all training again, only the final session Mentor Debrief. However, we do recommend returning Peer Mentors reflect on their training and revisit some resources to keep the content fresh in their mind.
Our scheme has students who would like to be Peer Mentors that are on placements in industry or abroad. What happens here?
This is absolutely fine. They will need to commit to completing their training as soon as they can and this can be discussed with a Student Engagement Intern or by emailing Peer Support. Training must be completed before they are allocated a group of Mentees.
Does training have to be completed in a certain order or by a certain time?
Yes. Students must complete their training in order: Intro to Peer Mentoring, Mentoring in Practice, Mentor Debrief. All training must be completed before students can interact with their Mentees. As such we highly recommend you sign up for your first available session.
Can we recruit more/fewer Peer Mentors than we have had in previous years?
Of course. The number of Peer Mentors a scheme needs to have is dependent on the size of your first-year cohort. We recommend 2 Peer Mentors per group of 5-15 first year students. The Student Engagement (Peer Support) Interns are always happy to advise you on this.
In order to become a trained Peer Mentor, you must complete:
1. Intro to Peer Mentoring (Blackboard Online Unit)
2. PASS in Practice (In-Person Training session)
3. Meet your Scheme: The Year Setup
The training period starts from the end of March with Intro to PASS going live. PASS in Practice sessions will follow, running from late April to end of June. Finally, Meet your Scheme: The Year Setup will be arranged by your schemes in September.
If you have any questions please contact peersupport@manchester.ac.uk
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+44 (0) 161 306 6000
The University of Manchester
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Manchester
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