Senior Internship Mentor Duties
Dear Faculty Mentors:
Thank you for agreeing to serve as a mentor in the Senior Internship Program. We know that your lives are very busy as it is and we deeply appreciate you volunteering to work with the senior interns in an experience we feel with be a rewarding one. We have done our best to make your responsibilities fit relatively seamlessly into your already busy schedules.
The Senior Internship Program will run for the last four weeks of the school year. Please review the list of duties and responsibilities for the Faculty Mentor.
Principles for Mentors
Mentors guide seniors in the internship experience, a program designed to help them transition from high school, to college and the working world. The following statement of principles will help mentors and Interns understand the most important aspects of this role:
- The mentor will personally commit to assisting the intern to develop and fulfill the objectives and requirements for the internship.
- The mentor will be available to the intern on a regular basis.
- The mentor will help the intern understand his/her progress and guide his/her growth.
Characteristics of a Good Mentor
- The mentor provides insight on the world of work and the workplace experience.
- The mentor provides the intern with long-range perspectives on future employment, educational and personal opportunities.
- The mentor is willing to expand his or her teaching role to also serve as counselor, advisor and resource during the internship experience.
- The mentor is willing to be accessible when needed in order to develop and sustain an effective relationship between the student, work site and school.
Senior Internship Mentor Duties
Before The Internship
- The mentor attends a Mentor Orientation, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, April 24th at 2:30 p.m. in the English/Social Studies Learning Connections room.
- After being assigned a student intern, the mentor meets with him or her to introduce themselves, review the expectations of the program, exchange e-mail and other contact information and to review the intern’s plan to meet academic requirements before the internship begins.
- The mentor reviews the site information, job description, work hours, and dress code with the intern.
- The mentor reminds intern to schedule an interview, if required, and/or make an introductory site visit prior to the first day of the internship – ONLY IF SITE WAS ASSIGNED TO STUDENT. The mentor’s attendance is not required for this visit. The intern many have other requirements to meet such as medical forms, or a drug test, depending on the work site.
- The mentor establishes a schedule of communication with the intern and emphasizes the importance of prompt response to all internship-related communication.
During The Internship
- The mentor monitors the Intern Log on a weekly basis (at minimum) to ensure that the intern is meeting his or her responsibilities.
- The mentor signs off on the intern’s time sheet each week to ensure the intern is fulfilling the 25-30 hr/week requirement.
- The mentor contacts the Internship Committee Chairpersons if the intern fails to meet the expectations as soon as the problem becomes evident.
- The mentor makes a site visit during the course of the internship. (Professional development time will be granted for visits made during school hours.).
- The mentor oversees the intern’s development of a portfolio and presentation for the Internship Fair.
After the Internship
- The mentor ensures that the student has completed the required work (Intern Logs, Final Reflection & Portfolio) by the end of the internship.
- The mentor evaluates the intern’s portfolio and internship experience, with input from the work site.
- The mentor completes the Faculty Mentor Evaluation Form.
- The mentor attends the Internship Fair on June 13* at 7 p.m. for all interns, their parents, mentors, and site supervisors when interns will present their portfolios.