Academic Mentoring Programme: Start and finish dates

Last updated 23 March 2021

Frequently Asked Questions

When can an academic mentor start working in my school?

We have one remaining start date for 2021, immediately after the February half-term.  

How long is the contract for / when does the academic mentor’s contract end?

There is one remaining start date for academic mentors: immediately after February half-term.

Academic mentors will be paid pro-rata, depending on their start date. Regardless of when they start, their contract must run until 31 July 2021.  

Following the end of their full-time fixed-term contract, if you wish, your school would be able to negotiate further employment with the academic mentor, but this would need to be agreed directly with your academic mentor. If this programme gets extended or there are any other changes, we will let you know. 

What happens to the mentors once the programme is finished? Can my school continue to employ them?

We will be encouraging mentors to stay in education after the programme has finished, either by training to teach or remaining in the profession. Following the end of their contract, your school would be able to negotiate future employment with the Academic Mentor, should you wish.

If your academic mentor holds an offer to start our Training Programme in September 2021, you will be able to discuss potential opportunities for the Academic Mentor to train in your school with Teach First.

If an academic mentor gives notice and resigns, will Teach First find a new mentor for the school?

We are recruiting in three waves (for start dates in Oct, January and February). If an academic mentor withdraws within one of those windows, we would look to find an alternative academic mentor for your school but we can't make any guarantees. Unfortunately, we are unable to place mentors outside of these three set recruitment windows.

What will happen if our academic mentor has an offer for the Teach First Training Programme?

If your academic mentor holds an offer for the Training Programme, they will need to attend our Summer Institute training full-time from 21 June. As a full-time commitment, working during Summer Institute won’t be possible. Therefore, your academic mentor will need to finish their employment at your school on Friday 18 June.

Please amend your mentor’s contract and your HR/payroll systems to reflect this earlier finish date. You will continue to receive salary reimbursements up to 18 June and all processes for reclaiming your mentor’s salary will remain the same. The Department for Education have agreed to this end date change to support more new teachers entering the profession.

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For more information on the Academic Mentoring Programme, return to the directory.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for, please contact academicmentoring@teachfirst.org.uk.