The Peer Mentoring Program is a social mentoring program offering new students the opportunity to meet up with second-year students for an informal catch up during the first semester with the option to continue into the second semester. The program is open to students studying the Master of Teaching as well as our other professional programs.
Become a Mentee
Benefits for mentees:
- Meet and develop friendships with other Education students
- Feel immediately connected with the Education student community
- Ask questions about everything from study, university life, cafes, clubs and societies, other social activities
- Receive support and encouragement
If you’re commencing in the coming semester:
"This is such a valuable experience. Having someone to talk to who’s been through it already and come out the other side was very heartening on days when I thought it was all too much. I don’t usually sign up for these types of things but I am honestly so glad I did. It’s helped me make friends and settle back into uni life after working full time for a couple years."
— Megan, Mentee, First-year Master of Teaching student
Become a Mentor
Benefits for mentors:
- A chance to develop your interpersonal and communication skills as you guide and assist new students
- Opportunities to develop your leadership skills and talents
- Satisfaction of helping others
Second year students:
"Networking skills are incredibly valuable as a graduate teacher and sharing clinical research ideas and experiences with each other is a priceless learning opportunity. I really enjoyed participating in the Peer Mentor program and would love to encourage MTeach students to join as a Mentor or Mentee - it's a great conversation space to chat about the course, share highlights and challenges, and build professional networks with your future colleagues!"
— Ben, Peer Mentor 2018
Frequently Asked Questions
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Will my mentor provide me with assistance with my assignments?
This is a social mentoring program so mentors are not expected to provide academic assistance. Academic Skills is a great resource for students to support the development of academic writing, time management and communication.
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What is the time commitment involved?
Mentors will need to attend a workshop prior to commencing the program. The time commit for Master of Teaching students is 3-5 catch ups in first semester, with the option to continue should both parties wish to. For all other programs one catch up is the minimum time commitment.
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How should mentees and mentors meet?
Meetings can be held face-to-face, in a mutually convenient location, at times that you both agree on. The Faculty will provide coffee vouchers to our local cafes to help facilitate your catch ups.
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How do you decide which students are matched with a mentor?
Each year we have a pool of volunteer mentors from a diverse range of backgrounds. We match students and mentors based on preferences, including study area, gender and any other criteria indicated. If your preferences do not match the available volunteers or you did not submit a detailed application you may not be matched with a mentor.
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Can I request a mentee or a mentor of the same gender/course/background, will this be possible?
Yes, though in some cases we may not have students or mentors who meet your requirements