Educational Mentor Volunteer
Refugee Education UK
About the Role: Refugee Education UK (REUK) is looking for committed volunteers to support young refugees and asylum seekers (aged 14–25) one-to-one with their education. Mentors meet their mentee weekly in a public space (usually a library) to help with homework, learning goals, and confidence building. What’s Involved: Attend training and pass child protection checks Commit to 1 hour/week of in-person mentoring (plus prep & feedback) Support the young person’s educational progress and well
Educational Mentor job description Role purpose: Volunteer Educational Mentor Educational Mentoring hub coordinator Up to 2 hours per week Voluntary 6-month volunteering programme Refugee Education UK (REUK) provides education support to young people affected by displacement and crisis. We support these young people to overcome the barriers that prevent them from accessing and progressing in education and training, in order that they may realise their potential and build a brighter future, whether in the UK or elsewhere. We work with unaccompanied minors, refugee and asylum seeking children in families, and young survivors of trafficking. The young people on this programme are aged between 14 and 25 years old. Each Volunteer Educational Mentor provides individual educational support to one young person for one hour a week, for a minimum of six months. These sessions take place either in a public library local to the young person, or in the young person’s college library. Educational goals are set at the beginning of the mentoring relationship, and reviewed after six months. Mentors mostly work on the aspects of homework or classwork which young people find most challenging; at times, they also provide additional teaching and prepare resources. Mentors work closely with the REUK Educational Mentoring team who provide oversight, guidance and support. Key responsibilities: 1. To attend full induction training, other training as necessary, and complete all relevant child protection checks. 2. Prepare and arrange the sessions with your mentee, including sending reminders each week. 3. Meet with your young person for a one hour session once a week, over the period of at least 6 months at a mutually convenient, public place, with the purpose of supporting young people to progress in their education. 4. To safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people you come into contact with 5. Complete weekly feedback for all mentoring sessions, whether delivered or missed. 6. Liaise with the REUK Educational Mentoring team for support in delivering mentoring sessions where needed. 7. Help to identify support needs of vulnerable students and ask your Mentoring Coordinator to contact REUK’s specialist team with these concerns for assistance from our specialist support worker. 8. Attend a six-month mentoring review with an REUK Educational Mentoring Coordinator. 9. Any other reasonable task requested by REUK. Person specification: 1. Experience of working with young people and the related challenges (ie: flexibility and patience sometimes required for youth work). 2. Capacity to travel to a location convenient for the young person and an ability to meet the young person by 5:30 pm at the latest. 3. Experience of working with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures 4. Ability to work on own initiative and a willingness to take on relevant preparation 5. Ability to think creatively and problem-solve 6. Excellent communication/interpersonal skills 7. Good organisational skills 8. Ability to cope with emotionally-demanding and stressful situations 9. Motivated by promoting the wellbeing of children and young people 10. Commitment to and ability to work in accordance with REUK’s Child Protection policies and Christian Ethos (read more about this here). Exam grades and job titles are not the full picture - the context in which achievements were gained also matters. At REUK, we actively seek to recruit with the right mix of talent, skills and potential, considering the impact of the context in which a candidate has worked or studied. We are an equal opportunities employer, and welcome applications from a wide range of volunteers, including those with lived experience of forced migration, and from other backgrounds that are currently underrepresented among our volunteers and staff. Additionally, if you feel you would require reasonable adjustments in order to carry out the role or attend an interview at REUK due to a disability, caring responsibilities or any other reason, please give details in the 'any other notes' section of the application form or get in touch with the Mentoring Coordinator processing your application to discuss further. Because of the nature of the work the provisions of Section 4(2) of the 1974 Rehabilitation of Offenders Act do not apply. Information about convictions, which for other purposes are “spent” must therefore be disclosed. Successful applicants will need to give permission for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring check to be made. Refugee Education UK is a charity registered in England & Wales under charity number 1132509 and company number 06879651 at 1st Floor, The Salvation Army Building, London NW10 4JJ REUK’s Child Protection Policy and procedures will be covered in the initial training for mentors but successful candidates will be asked to familiarise themselves with our full Child Protection Policy in advance of completing the training. To read about REUK’s mission and values, please click here.
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Language Skills, Maths, Organising & Planning, People Skills
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Make a real difference in the life of a young person affected by displacement Gain experience in education, youth work, and the refugee support sector Develop skills in communication, mentoring, leadership, and cultural awareness Receive training and ongoing support from REUK’s experienced team Be part of a supportive and values-driven community Build meaningful connections and learn from a young person’s resilience and perspective
1 hour every week
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Flexible
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