Job description – Learning Mentor

As a learning mentor, you will support, motivate and guide pupils, to help them overcome barriers that are preventing them from achieving their full potential. You will work closely with teachers and other staff to identify the needs of learners who require help and plan how to support them.
Barriers to learning can include:
– Abuse
– Social education
– challenging behaviour
– emotional needs
– lack of confidence
– mental health
– persistent absence and truancy
– punctuality

You may work with children or young people on a one-to-one basis or in small groups.
SV Mentoring is commissioned to work with pupils who need the most help, especially those experiencing multiple disadvantages.
Although you will be based predominantly in educational settings (primary and secondary schools), you will have a broader remit including families and the wider community.
Job titles vary and may include learning support mentor, behaviour mentor, academic mentor or student mentor.

Responsibilities
Your duties will vary depending on the school setting or local authority package, also on the level and complexity of the role, the amount of responsibility you have may vary from role to role.
As a learning mentor you will typically need to:
– assist pupils with both academic and social education programmes
– implement strategies and support learners in self-esteem and confidencebuilding activities
– listen to learners and help them resolve a range of issues that are creating barriers to their learning
– draw up agreed action plans with learners, outlining the aims of the mentoring, and monitor their progress via written reports
– monitor attendance and punctuality of learners via registration e mail logs
– inspire and motivate learners and help to promote positive behaviour
– support parents with behaviour strategies and parenting skills
– working alongside other learning mentors, teachers and relevant external
agencies and professionals, such as educational psychologists, the police and social services
– manage your own professional development through undertaking relevant training and sharing best practice with other learning mentors
– help with transition activities for learners moving to secondary schools or on to further education.

What to expect
You will usually be based off site or within a School setting The job may bring challenges, however, seeing pupils achieve their potential will be extremely rewarding. Dress is SV Mentoring issued uniform
You may need to travel in the school’s catchment area and pick pupils up that are on offsite provision timetables. You will require to have a road legal vehicle covered with
business insurance.

Qualifications
This area of work is open to all graduates in particular, the following subjects may
improve your chances:
– early childhood years
– education
– English
– Maths
– Psychology
– social science
– social work
– youth work

Skills
You will need to have:
– excellent communication and listening skills
– the ability to empathise with and motivate learners
– skills in persuading, negotiation and positively influencing
– determination to see problems and solutions through to the end
– a non-judgemental approach
– organisation and time management skills
– the ability to relate to young people in order to build trust so that they can achieve their full potential
– the ability to analyse problems and devise solutions
– the skills to work collaboratively as part of a team as you’ll be working closely with other teaching staff and also external agencies
– flexibility and adaptability, as well as the ability to work well under pressure
– report writing skills and the ability to maintain accurate records
– good general IT skills
– a commitment to equality and diversity
– an understanding of confidentiality and the handling of sensitive information

Professional development
Training is usually on the job from colleagues and senior staff. The first 6 months of employment is a probation period.
As a newly appointed learning mentor, you will undertake an induction programme, which aims to ensure all support staff are able to carry out their responsibilities competently and with confidence. It should help you to provide dependable support to learners while upholding policy and procedures.
Internal and external training may be available in particular areas relevant to the needs of the school, for example:
– addressing cross-cultural issues
– how to work on anger management with learners
– supporting learners with special educational needs
– working with parents
– integrating your role in the school
– Team Teach training
– teambuilding
– safeguarding training
– food hygiene training
– first aid training

Working hours
Working hours are usually 30 to 35 hours, Monday to Friday, during term time. You can choose to work additional hours to support extracurricular activities, after school hours,
weekend support hours, school holiday camps.
Part-time work, zero hour contracts are also available.

Salary
Salaries for learning mentors are based on experience and qualifications, all new candidates will usually start on a self-employed basis for the first 6 months of employment.
Once a successful application form has been reviewed, an interview will be arranged to discuss your application in more detail. Following the interview process references will be applied for to confirm your application information.

There’s MORE …

The ROLE…
–  Full-time / part time flexible hours
–  Enhanced DBS funded subject to probation period being completed
–  Very good rates of pay and weekend / overtime rates available

We are ideally looking for people with…
–  Experience in working with children with additional needs
–  Calm approach and the ability to maintain boundaries whilst understanding each young persons needs
–  Good communicators fluent in written and spoken English
–  Ability to be proactive and have good time management skills
–  Have the ability to learn and adapt to changing environments
–  Full UK driving license with business insurance
-  Ability to write daily reports using spread sheets and word documents