Education Mentorship Programme

Objectives

 

The Education Mentorship Programme is jointly organised by the Faculty of Education, HKU and the Hong Kong University Education Alumni Association (HKUEdAA). The Faculty’s senior-year students are enabled to enhance their exposure to professional development through direct experience, sharing, and active interaction with experienced professionals and executives in education-related fields, who serve as mentors. 

Through the Programme, our students shall:

• learn and obtain advice from their mentors;
• build networks; and
• understand the expectations of potential employers.

Our mentors shall:

• get acquainted with the next generation; and
• contribute towards their professional sectors/fields.

Eligibility

Faculty mentors:

• are alumni or friends of the Faculty from a range of disciplines/backgrounds including the teaching profession, education administration, speech therapy, information technology in education, library management, government and non-governmental organisations, etc.; and
• usually have at least five years of working experience.

Faculty mentees are full-time third-year^{^} to final-year undergraduate students^* of the Faculty of Education, HKU.

Remarks: 

^{^}First/second-year for students of the BASc(SDS), BSc(ACD) and BSc(IM) programmes.

^*Students are not eligible if they will not be in Hong Kong for four months or more during the mentorship period.

Important Dates

Application deadline: February 17, 2023 (Friday)

Announcement of result: Early March 2023

Inauguration Ceremony: 

  - Date:  March 11, 2023 (Saturday)

  - Time:  11:30 am - 12:30 pm 

     (All mentees are required to attend the Ceremony) 

 Mentorship period: March 2023 to February 2024

Application

Apply to be a Faculty Mentee  (Priority will be given to fourth-year and final year students)

Alumni of the Faculty who are interested in joining the Programme as a mentor, please contact [javascript protected email address].  

Tips

Faculty mentors should:

• engage with your mentee(s) regularly via different kinds of online communications and activities (depending on the pandemic situation);
• interact with and provide opinions/perspectives to your mentee(s);
• give your mentee(s) opportunities to learn by experience;
• maintain a professional relationship with mentee(s); and
• inform us of issues that arise with the Programme/mentee(s).

Faculty mentors should not:

• encourage short-cuts or the development of bad habits;
• give your mentee(s) expensive gifts and always pick up the bill; and
• help your mentee(s), in actual terms, to secure a job.

Faculty mentees should:

• contact your mentor proactively and regularly through telephone, email, ZOOM, social media platforms, face-to-face (depending on the pandemic situation), etc.;
• take the initiative to arrange different activities;
• observe general etiquette standards, i.e. be punctual, courteous and thankful;
• keep all scheduled appointments; and
• prepare some topics for discussion before meeting your mentor.

Faculty mentees should not:

• expect your mentor to solve all your problems for you;
• expect your mentor to find a job for you;
• cancel a meeting and/or a visit at the last minute;
• contact your mentor at unreasonable hours; and
• commit yourself to obligations you cannot keep.

Activities

• At the programme level, the Faculty will take the lead to arrange group/networking activities, such as sharing sessions to facilitate communication and strengthen the relationship between mentors and mentees.
• At the individual level, mentor and mentee(s) may arrange more online activities, office/home visits, lunches, sports or other activities, depending on their interests and the pandemic situation.
• There are no rules governing the minimum number of contact hours, which will vary depending on the schedules of both mentor and mentee(s).
• Typically, mentor and mentee(s) are advised to meet, via online channels like ZOOM, email, social media platforms, phone or in-person (depending on the pandemic situation) three times a year.

Feedback

• Faculty mentors will be invited to give us comments at the end of the mentorship period by completing an online survey.
• Faculty mentees will be required to submit interim and final reports on your mentorship experience and opinions.