Why Usman decided to request a mentor
"I requested a mentor because I thought it would give me the opportunity to see whether teaching was the right profession for me. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher but I did not notice all of the extra work that it entailed. Furthermore, by participating in mentoring I believed that it would dramatically help my PGCE application as I would be able to talk about all of the real tasks that a teacher may be involved in and it would also show my commitment to teaching."
What you got out of being mentored / the difference which it made to you and your employability
"Being mentored meant I was able to speak to a teacher who could tell me all about the other jobs which a teacher has to do, as it's not all about teaching lessons. Also, I have discussed many topics including: role of a tutor, routes into teaching, CV and covering letters, classroom management techniques and data issues that schools deal with. If I had volunteered in a school I would have never had an opportunity to get an in-depth knowledge of all of these topics. I have also had the opportunity to develop my communication skills as I was communicating with my mentor on a weekly basis."