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NEWS • VIEWS • INFORMATION • ADVICE


Mentors needed for Refugee Teachers

Can you help a refugee to use their education experience in the UK?

Hundreds of refugees in London have years of teaching experience that they could use to make a difference to schools and communities. Sadly, they often struggle to access training and employment in the UK. You could help to change that. As a mentor you can help and support them to access the advice, training, work placements and employment that they are looking for.

Who can help?

TimeBank and the Refugee Council are seeking teachers, teaching assistants, trainee teachers, and exteachers who can offer voluntary mentoring support to refugees in London who want to become qualified teachers, or work in other school support roles.

Give a little – gain a lot! Low time commitment:

Mentoring doesn’t have to take up much of your time. Just an hour once a fortnight, at a time and place convenient to you and your mentee, for a minimum of three months would be a great support.

Training and expenses given:

You’ll receive training and support to ensure that your volunteering experience is beneficial and enjoyable for you and the person you’re working with. Reasonable transport and subsistence expenses will be reimbursed.

How you and your school can benefit:

You’ll gain valuable mentoring training and experience that will support you in mentoring pupils and school staff and contribute to your Continuing Professional Development. Your understanding of another culture and refugee issues should also bring a fresh perspective to the classroom.

What is involved in being a mentor?

You’ll meet with the refugee at least six times over three months at times and places convenient to you both. At the beginning of your mentoring relationship you’ll agree on specific goals that you want to work towards. These goals will guide how you spend your time together. Areas that you can help with include sharing your understanding of how the English education system works, increasing your mentee’s confidence or helping him or her to find a suitable teacher training course. You might also develop their interview skills and provide opportunities to improve your mentee’s English.


Case Study – Ben and Emmanuel:

Emmanuel, a refugee teacher from Angola now living in the UK, struggled for five years to understand the steps he needed to take to achieve his dream of becoming a teacher in the UK until he was matched with Ben Walker, a British geography teacher who mentored him through the Refugees into Teaching programme.

As a result, Ben helped Emmanuel start his teacher training journey by helping him secure a place on a PGCE course.

On how Ben helped him Emmanuel says:

“The Refugees into Teaching programme itself pointed me in the right direction of where to go to apply for the PGCE course but the extra one-to-one help from Ben was what I think ultimately secured me my place on the course. He helped me fully prepare for the interview, not just by practising interview techniques but making sure I knew all the small details of what life in a classroom is really like.

The fact that he was actually in the field of teaching meant that he was able to share his knowledge and experience of his teaching on a daily basis. Ben was like a guide for me, an extra pair of eyes and ears. It was like having a better me. He made the whole process so much easier.”

On what he gained from acting as a mentor, Ben says:

“For all the bad press that refugees get, they come here to improve themselves. Emmanuel has got some incredible skills that he can offer to the UK education system. He’s also got tons of enthusiasm, in fact more enthusiasm than a lot of other people that want to become teachers. I feel honoured that I was part of the process of channelling Emmanuel’s enthusiasm and helping him overcome the difficulties of achieving his ambition of becoming a teacher in this country. He was incredibly determined and keen to learn. I hope he will take on board everything the schools want from him. He’s got a lot to give.”

Emmanuel has now been offered a conditional place at London Metropolitan University, dependent on him successfully passing his Maths and English GCSEs.


Find out more and sign up:

For more information and to register as a mentor, visit www.rit.refugeecouncil.org.uk/mentor.

For an informal chat, please speak to Taku Mukiwa, Mentoring Coordinator at Timebank on 0207 785 6371 (Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays only) or email taku@timebank.org.uk.




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