James was matched with a freelance actor and theatre practitioner, through the Career Mentor Scheme. This mentor specialises in theatre-in-education, working mostly with children and young people. The majority of her work is in schools, providing curriculum-enhancing drama workshops and creative days to children and young people.

This mentor’s experience and guidance was really useful to James. He gave us an insight into their mentoring partnership.

What were the highlights of the scheme for you?

Meeting my mentor was incredibly worthwhile as it made it easier to discuss the career I am interested in and therefore I got a lot out of it.

What did you find most useful from the mentoring experience?

Gaining insight into working in the creative industries (the employment sector I am interested in) including the good/bad aspects of the industry, as well as the many different possible careers there are within the industries.

What message would you give to a student thinking of applying for the Career Mentor Scheme?

Make sure you have a plan of what you want to discuss/find out. Always reply promptly. Always try and meet your mentor at least once if you can.

“It was wonderful working with a student who was so keen, and who was really prepared to take advantage of the scheme. I very much enjoyed meeting and working with James, and thought his enthusiasm was admirable.” – James’ Mentor