Online mentor for university applicants

We are looking for enthusiastic prospective mentors who are passionate about ensuring fair access to higher education to join our friendly team supporting young people facing barriers during a challenging period.

About the role

Mentors make a huge difference to students’ experiences of applying to university and their chances of success. Applying to university is a particularly daunting task for those young people who face socio-economic barriers and whose schools are often not given the training and resources to provide the necessary level of support to compete with privately educated peers.

Mentors are matched with students who are part of our Application Mentoring programme. Mentoring takes place on our online platform, OSCAR. Students use the platform to plan and draft their personal statement and mentors provide ongoing feedback. Whilst this is the primary purpose of the role, mentors also provide general support in relation to their university application progress through OSCAR's messaging function. This may include, but not be limited to, providing examples of own experiences as well as advice related to university and course choices.

All contact takes place via the text messaging and feedback functions of the OSCAR platform. There are no video calls, phone calls or face-to-face contact.

Training is provided and mentors can contact Causeway’s programme management team for support and guidance.

We aim to pair mentors with students who are applying for subjects that are similar to the mentor’s area of expertise (academic and professional). The number of students we pair you with will depend on the number of applicants we receive overall, the subjects they intend on applying for and your own capacity.

Time commitment

There are no set hours for the role as it is dependent upon the number of mentees assigned and the level of support they require. Mentors can set a maximum number of mentees they are willing to work with, depending on their capacity. The time commitment will vary on a week-to-week basis. During peak periods, successful mentors may be expected to commit 5-8 hours per week towards this role.

Mentors and mentees are encouraged to maintain regular contact and there is the expectation that students receive a response from their mentor within 2 days, even if this is just to acknowledge receipt and provide an estimated time within which they will receive a full response.

Who we're looking for

This is an altruistic, freelance role that could be taken on alongside other commitments. It is suited to those who are willing to be flexible with their time to accommodate the support needs of their mentees. We have mentors who are university students, academics, school teachers and professionals.

We would love to hear from applicants who:

• Have experience of applying for and studying at higher education level in the UK as an undergraduate (essential)
• Have completed an undergraduate degree, or at least one year of an undergraduate degree (essential)
• Are interested in promoting fair access to educational opportunities (essential)
• Have experience of working with young people, ideally aged 16-18 (desirable)
• Have expertise and/or experience with one more of: Law, Accounting, Business, Management, Economics, Data Science, Geography, Environmental Science or related subjects (desirable)
• Have knowledge or experience of applying to Oxford and/or Cambridge (desirable)

Application process and timeline

• Applicants will be invited to an introductory call with one of our team.
• Applicants will participate in one two-hour online training session on a date of their choice in April.
• Applicants will complete a follow-up task and receive feedback from our team.
• Applicants will provide 2 references and DBS details, or we will arrange for a DBS check to be conducted.

The expected start date is due to be early July 2025. The role runs through to the end of January 2026 and can be extended at the discretion of the programme management team.

Expenses

Mentors can claim expenses for their work with their mentees. More information will be provided prior to and during the introductory call.