Career Mentor Scheme

This page is for current and prospective mentors. If you're a student, Graduate Business Partner (GBP), or you graduated from Exeter within the last 3 years please visit the Career Mentor Scheme website for students and graduates.

Get involved in one of the best mentoring schemes in the UK

Since it was established in 2008, the University of Exeter's Career Mentor Scheme has grown to become one of the largest and most successful employability schemes in the UK.

At the heart of its success are the professionals who volunteer their time to support Exeter's student and graduate community.

Our dedicated team have matched thousands of students and graduates in mutually beneficial mentoring partnerships with experienced professionals from many different sectors across the UK and overseas.

As a mentor, you'll have the opportunity to share your skills, knowledge and experience with an individual at the start of their career, in a rewarding exchange, which is supported through structured guidance.

Benefits of becoming a mentor

In this video, University of Exeter alumna Virginia Stuart-Taylor (BA Modern Languages, 2012), shares her highlights as a mentor, and describes how the experience was beneficial to the students who participated as well as herself.

Find out more about benefits of the scheme for mentors

What's involved in mentoring?

The Career Mentor Scheme aims to give mentees the opportunity to:

gain an insight into their preferred employment sector
develop personal networks
develop employability skills

Mentors volunteer to support students and graduates by providing insights, advice and guidance – in person or remotely – once a month for six months.

When you sign up you'll be able to to specify whether or not you're happy to mentor graduates as well as students, and the number of mentees you feel you could support.

Dates

There are two schemes per year:

Timeline of June-November scheme
Period of time	Stage
Preparatory phase
December - February	Mentor recruitment
March - May	Mentees selected and trained
Active mentoring phase
June	Mentors and mentees are introduced by email Mentoring month 1 commences
July	Mentoring month 2
August	Mentoring month 3
September	Mentoring month 4
October	Mentoring month 5
November	Mentoring month 6 Feedback is requested

Timeline of December-May scheme
Period of time	Stage
Preparatory phase
July - August	Mentor recruitment
Sept - November	Mentees selected and trained
Active mentoring phase
December	Mentors and mentees are introduced by email Mentoring month 1 commences
January	Mentoring month 2
February	Mentoring month 3
March	Mentoring month 4
April	Mentoring month 5
May	Mentoring month 6 Feedback is requested

General requirements

Our mentors are a mix of alumni and non-alumni, and can be based in the UK or overseas.

To make sure the mentoring experience is beneficial for all involved, we ask that all of our mentors have:

At least three years of professional experience in any career sector (mentors range from graduate trainees to managers and company directors).
An email address or telephone number you can share with your mentee.
A keen interest in supporting students and graduates to improve their employability.
Willingness to support one or more students and graduates for up to six months on a voluntary (unpaid) basis.

Expected level of contact

At least once a month for 1-2 hours, via one or more of the following:

email
online messaging
phone
meeting, which can be in person or online

Meeting in person

There's no requirement to meet in person, and we understand that mentors based some distance away are not likely to do this.

If you do wish to meet in person, it's valuable if this can take place at your place of work, so that the mentee can gain insight into your everyday working environment and the culture of the company. If you're unable to meet your mentee at your place of work, we recommend that you meet at an appropriate public location.

Who your mentees will be

The scheme is open to all University of Exeter students (UK and international) across all disciplines. So, you could be matched with an undergraduate or postgraduate student based at one of our Exeter or Cornwall campuses.

The scheme is also open everyone who has graduated from the University of Exeter within the last three years. In addition, we welcome graduates from other universities who have secured employment at the University through our Graduate Business Partnership (GBP) scheme.

All mentees complete online training before the start of the scheme to help prepare them for the mentoring process. They're also supplied with a support guide and ongoing support throughout the scheme from the team.

What your mentees will be expecting

Some mentees have a clear idea of the career path they intend to follow and would like a mentor who can provide real-life insight into that sector and potentially opportunities for practical experience.

Others may be less sure of which career path to follow and would appreciate the help of a mentor who can provide inspiration through insight into their sector.

We also encourage entrepreneurial students and graduates to apply, and we match them to mentors who have been through the business start-up process successfully. These mentees may already have a business plan they would like to develop, or they may be looking for an insight into the life of an entrepreneur.

Resources, support and networking for mentors

Our resources for career mentors will provide you with information and support so you can be confident about the guidance you're providing.

All mentors and mentees will also be invited to attend a networking event (usually based in Exeter City Centre) during their time on the scheme. This is an opportunity to hear updates about our schemes, celebrate the successes of your partnership, and meet other mentors and mentees over refreshments.

We also run online networking sessions on Zoom, giving mentors and mentees from across the globe a chance to meet online, hear about the scheme and widen their networks.

Contact us

Becoming a mentor

Thank you so much for your interest in becoming a mentor.

If you have not previously registered as a mentor with the University of Exeter, please complete the expression of interest form. We'll then contact you with information regarding registration and next steps.

If you have any questions before you join, please email us at careermentorscheme@exeter.ac.uk and the team will be happy to help.

Returning mentors

If you're already a registered mentor and wish to mentor again, we'll be in touch to invite you to complete a joining form before the start of the next scheme. This is to ensure we're complying with GDPR, and to confirm how many mentees you can support.

If you don't hear from us, or if you need to update your contact details, please email us at careermentorscheme@exeter.ac.uk.

Employer partnerships: can we help your organisation?

The University has developed new mentoring partnerships to support employers with specific challenges to overcome in skills development or recruitment. If your organisation has a specific need in this area, you are invited to explore how career mentoring can support your aims by contacting the University's Employment Schemes Manager, Andrea Hodges at a.hodges3@exeter.ac.uk.

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