What is peer mentoring?
Is
mentoring different to offering business support?
So, am I
expected to write my mentees’s business plan?
What sorts
of ideas, concerns or challenges might a mentee want to explore with me?
How can I
find out more?
How can I
become a peer mentor?
How much
support will I be expected to offer to each mentee?
How many
mentees will I have to work with at any one time?
Do we have
to meet face-to-face?
Once I’m a
mentor how quickly will I be expected to take on a mentee?
Do I have
to complete support within a particular time frame?
Do I get
paid?
How do I
get paid?
Can I
continue to work with my mentee after we have completed our work together?
Can I work
with more than one mentee?
Do mentees
get to choose mentors?
Do mentors
get to choose mentees?
What if I
can’t work with my mentee?
What if my
mentee doesn’t turn up?
What if my
mentee wants more intensive support?
What if I
come across something I don’t know the answer to?
What
is peer mentoring?
- It’s
about offering support to someone who has had similar experiences to you, or
who you share some common ground with (so for instance, social enterprise)
- It’s
about providing space for your mentee to explore their concerns challenges and
idea
- It’s
not always about telling your mentee what you did, but more about telling your
mentee what you have learnt and the experiences that you’ve gained
- It
can be about recognising when your mentee needs specific expertise, such as HR/financial
advice and referring them to the most appropriate support
Is mentoring different to offering business support?
Yes, there
is a difference – while you don’t have to be an expert in business start-up, you will:
- have
a track record of working in the third sector
- be
a talented communicator who possesses the skills of reflection and curiosity
- have
a desire to help people
- have
a desire to explore and develop your skills in relation to peer-mentoring
You may:
- have
specialisms, such as skills in bid writing, management ,etc, but this will be
secondary to the mentoring relationship, which will be based on the skills
detailed above
So,
am I expected to write my mentee’s business plan?
No, but you
may provide advice on how it is done, or where to go to get support.
Here are
some of the things that peer mentors are not:
- an additional member of staff:
so you aren’t expected to do a mentee’s work for them
- someone to solve a crisis or
provide legal advice: you may suggest ways for your mentee to seek
specific expertise elsewhere
- a consultant: so you are not
paid to deliver a particular set of outcomes
- someone with all the answers: so
you won’t tell a mentee what to do
What sort of ideas, concerns or challenges might a
mentee want to explore with me?
Your mentee
may be in one of the following positions:
- considering
social enterprise as an option, but want to check out their values, their
commitment and/or the suitability of their business
- ready
to start their enterprise but want to review and test out their ideas and plans
- an
established enterprise but want to explore the possibility of taking a new
direction or how best to refresh a particular aspect of the business
- wanting
a safe space to get their head round a tricky dilemma, such as staff
relationships, time management.
How can I find out more?
Give Eky a call on 0121 456 7400 or email on
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.
How can I become a peer mentor?
To register
your interest in becoming a mentor go to the 'Become a mentor' page and fill in an online enquiry form, or give Eky a call on 0121 456 7400.
Once brap has checked your eligibility for the programme and you have gone
through the mentor application process, which includes providing brap with a
current CV, we will offer you a couple of mandatory training dates and enrol on
the programme.
How much support will I be expected to offer to each
mentee?
Peer
mentors are expected to provide each mentee with up to five hours support. This
should not be exceeded as mentors’ costs will only be covered for five hours
maximum.
How many mentees will I have to work with at any one
time?
This is not
meant to be a full-time job (or even part-time). It is meant to fit in around
you existing responsibilities. Your mentee will also have a day job so there is
no expectation that you will spend large amounts of time as a peer mentor.
However, there is an expectation that you can work with up to three mentees
over a 12-month period. We aim to stagger start dates for mentees, so that you
aren’t over-loaded and don’t feel that the demand on your time is too much.
Do we have to meet face-to-face?
Support
will in most cases be delivered on a one-to-one, face-to-face basis, involving
just two people: you and your mentee.
However, there
is no expectation that you will always meet face-to-face with your mentee – you
may catch up over the phone, or via email. But the way in which you work together,
including whether you meet face-to-face will be agreed in an initial meeting,
to avoid expectations not being met.
In you
initial meeting with your mentee you will establish the following things:
-
Whether
you are well suited
- How
you’ll work together
- What
the focus of the support will be
- Where
you will meet and the best times of day for meetings
- The
parameters of support on offer
The mentee
should not expect you to facilitate group sessions unless this has been
negotiated and agreed in your initial ‘conversation’, where the mentoring
contract will be established.
Once I’m a mentor how quickly will I be expected to
take on a mentee?
Once you
have been through the training day and have been enrolled as a mentor on the
programme we aim to match you with your first mentee within a four-week window.
However, depending on the demand for support this timeframe may be subject to
change.
Do I have to complete support
within a particular time frame?
From the
initial negotiation meeting between you and your mentee, where you will set the
agenda, parameters and how and when you will work together, you will have three
to six months to deliver up to five hours of support, in order to maintain
momentum and create impact.
Do I get paid?
Yes. brap will cover your time at a rate of £75 per hour of support provided, up to a total of £375 (5 hours of support). Support is therefore provided to the mentee at no cost.
However, although support is provided at no cost to the mentee, your mentee will be reminded that a mentor is a professional with a busy working schedule. So courtesy and respect are essential. If a mentee cancels at short notice or misses appointments on two or more occasions, there is no obligation for support to continue.
Mentors will also be expected to attend two compulsory meetings in October 2010 and January 2011 on a voluntary basis.
How do I get paid?
Mentors will
be expected to make monthly claims for support completed, to include invoice,
timesheet and evidence that the support has been provided.
Can I continue to work with my mentee after we have
completed our work together?
Yes – of
course, there is nothing to stop you continuing your relationship with your
mentee when your time under the Knowing me, Knowing you programme comes to an
end. Other ways that you can stay involved and connected with mentors and
mentees are:
Can I work with more than one mentee?
The current
support offer, to be facilitated by the Knowing Me project team, will be
limited to five hours, with one mentor
for each beneficiary on the programme.
There is an
expectation that you will support up to three mentees on enrolment to the
programme, sometimes running simultaneously.
Do mentees get to choose mentors?
No.
brap will ensure
that relevant information from both mentors and mentees is collected so that we
can make successful and appropriate matches.
Do mentors get to choose mentees?
brap will
do the matching, as this is part of our remit as programme manager. But we will
do our best to make appropriate and effective matches and you will have the
opportunity to decline a mentee if you do not feel your skills suit the mentee’s
needs.
What if I can’t work with my mentee?
If you feel
unable to work with your mentee brap will ensure that you are placed with
another mentee and can continue providing support under the programme.
What if my mentee doesn’t turn up?
In the
first instance you should attempt to contact your mentee to check that you have
the correct date and time and to reschedule the support session as required.
If this
happens on two or more occasions the support offered will be terminated and you
will be allocated a new mentee.
What if my mentee wants more intensive support?
In this
situation you should attempt to refer your mentee to the appropriate organisation/individual who can support them in more specific ways.
brap has
worked with a number of consultants over the last two years who have delivered
high quality business support to BME third sector organisations. These
consultants have all joined The Edge network, and by joining have committed to
high quality socially driven and focused business support. If your mentee
requires business support, rather than mentoring then you can signpost them to
The Edge consultant list available at www.brap.org.uk/theedge or call Eky on 0121 456 7400.
What if I come across something I don’t know the
answer to?
Peer
mentoring is not about having all the answers, it’s about facilitating a
learning process, so there is nothing wrong with not having all the answers at
your finger tips. In this situation a peer mentor would either suggest ways
that the mentee could find the information that they are after, or would make a
note and find out the answer (if there is one!) by the next session.
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Mentor FAQ 
