£14.01 ph | Term-time only (39 weeks per year)
Based in schools [Liberton High School, South Edinburgh]
Could you be the person a young person looks forward to seeing each week?
If you're someone who enjoys building relationships and supporting young people to feel more confident in themselves and their learning, we’d love to hear from you.
About Light Up Learning
We’re a small, creative Scottish charity offering 1:1 mentoring to secondary school students across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Borders who have been identified by their schools as having potential to benefit from extra support and encouragement. We work alongside young people to help them build on their strengths, explore their interests, and grow in confidence both in and beyond school.
Light Up Learning was founded on two key ideas:
* A young person’s background or social class should never limit their ability to learn in positive, fulfilling ways
* Every young person deserves to experience low-stress, fun, and relevant learning environments in which they can explore their passions and develop critical skills.
These key ideas guide how we support young people through mentoring. Here’s what’s important to us:
Fairness in Education: We work to level the playing field by connecting young people with the resources, opportunities and encouragement that they need to achieve their potential.
Playful and Relevant Learning: When learning connects to a student's interests it becomes meaningful. Our mentoring sessions are low-stress, fun, and student-led.
Student-led: Young people choose what they want to learn about and their mentors act as partners, not teachers, helping them explore their interests and set their own goals.
Sustained Support: We aim to work with students from S3 to the end of their time at school, giving time to build strong, trusting relationships and lasting learning skills
Community of Learners: We foster a sense of belonging and mutual learning between students and mentors and within our wider network of inspiring people and partners.
About the Role
We’re looking for kind, curious and committed individuals to join our team of Mentors. You’ll be matched with a small number (5 per day) of students and work with them regularly throughout the school year helping them lead their own learning journeys through interest.
Your responsibilities will include:
* Building trusting, respectful relationships with young people
* Planning and delivering 1:1 mentoring sessions
* Supporting students to explore and pursue their interests
* Completing session records and admin tasks
* Co-planning trips, workshops and experiences that build on students’ interests
* Recognising, responding to and reporting any child protection or wellbeing concerns
* Maintaining clear and appropriate boundaries
* Taking part in team meetings, reflective practice, and training
* Liaising with schools or partner organisations where appropriate
You will be supported by our Head of Mentoring and a friendly, collaborative team.
Working Hours
* Term-time only (39 weeks per year)
* Working days will remain consistent each week
* Some flexibility for admin tasks (may be done remotely)
Who We’re Looking For
You might come from education, youth work, the arts, social care, or from a completely different background. What matters most is your ability to connect with young people and support them to grow in confidence and motivation.
You’ll be a great fit for this role if you can demonstrate:
* Experience supporting young people in a 1:1 or small group setting
* The ability to build respectful, trusting relationships with a diverse range of young people and school staff
* Strong communication and interpersonal skills
* A reflective, organised and dependable approach to work
* A commitment to equity, inclusion, and anti-discriminatory practice
* The confidence to work independently while also contributing to a collaborative team
* Flexibility and adaptability in how you approach tasks and relationships
* A genuine enthusiasm for helping young people grow in confidence and curiosity
We’d also value:
* A relevant qualification (e.g. in youth work, education, social care) or equivalent lived/professional experience
* Experience working in or with schools, and an understanding of how they operate
* Familiarity with child protection and safeguarding
* An understanding of the structural barriers that can impact a young person’s access to education
* Confidence in writing short reflective notes or tracking progress
* Experience liaising with schools or community partners
* The ability to represent Light Up Learning in a warm, approachable, and professional way
Don’t meet every single point we’ve listed?
If you are excited about this role but your experience doesn’t match everything above, please don’t be put off! We’d still encourage you to apply. We value potential and a genuine interest in supporting young people.
We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of the barriers our mentees face, including care experience, racism, ableism, poverty or marginalisation.
What We Offer
* A caring, values-driven team environment
* Ongoing training and reflective supervision
* Support with professional development (CPD)
* Employer pension contribution
* Holiday pay included in hourly rate (term-time only)
Safeguarding and Checks
The role involves working with young people, so appointment is subject to:
* Enhanced DBS/PVG check (we’ll arrange and cover this if you’re successful).
* Completion of safeguarding training
Inclusion and Accessibility
We’re keen to build a team that reflects the wide range of experiences and backgrounds of the young people we support. We particularly welcome applications from people who are underrepresented in education and youth work, people from minority backgrounds, disabled, neurodiverse people, LGBTQ+ people, and those with young carer or care experience. We're happy to discuss adjustments to meet your needs. If that’s helpful, just get in touch.
How to Apply
To apply, please send your CV and a supporting statement (no longer than two A4 pages) explaining why you’re interested in the role and how your skills, knowledge and experience links to what we’re looking for (please refer to the Who We’re Looking For and About the Role sections)
* Please also complete our anonymous Equal Opportunities form - this form is anonymous and helps us track who applies to ensure we’re reaching a diverse range of candidates
Interviews will take place on: July 16th & 17th 2025
If you’d like to have an informal chat about the role before applying, we’re happy to arrange one just email us at recruitment@lightuplearning.org
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