A PGR Peer Mentor is a point of contact for new researchers who want to engage with the mentoring scheme, providing informal peer-to-peer support about the researcher experience through small group or one-to-one meetings, which could be online as well as in person.

Mentors provide mentees with advice on community and developmental aspects of PGR study e.g. discussions may include future career aspirations, working successfully with their supervisor, work/life balance, demands of personal/work life etc. 

Mentors have the opportunity to develop leadership in academia through mentoring and to gain experience of helping and advising postgraduate researchers, with the aim of inducting them into the postgraduate research community.  Mentors also have the opportunity to use their experience to apply for Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy through the University TALENT scheme.

Details will be discussed with Laura Christie in the mentoring training or you can email Laura.Christie@rhul.ac.uk for information.

• The aim of the scheme is to match current doctoral researchers with new researchers. 
• The mentees have the freedom to focus on any aspect of their academic and professional life including but not limited to their current role as a student, their future career aspirations, work/life balance, demands of personal/work life, teaching demands, and research.
• From their mentor, mentees can expect to receive guidance in some of these areas, experience of communicating with other researchers and have the opportunity to ask questions and receive advice.
• It is expected that each PGR Peer Mentor will be allocated up to four mentees, whom they can choose to meet with (online or in person) as a group or individually.
• It is expected that the mentoring relationship will last for at least two terms and can last up to a year or more if agreed by both mentor and mentee. 

• To complete an online training session to prepare you for the role of PGR Peer Mentor.  
• To be proactive in contacting your mentees and providing them with support
• To listen actively with interest, holding the focus on the mentee’s agenda
• To take appropriate approaches such as empowering a mentee to achieve their goals and to sufficiently convey a sense of belong to the PGR community
• To help the mentee become aware of the College services that can support them e.g. Wellbeing, Careers, Researcher Development Programme etc. 
• To take an interest in the mentee's progress
• To display discretion. 

PGR Peer Mentor guidance