Mentoring and Support Structure

Finally, it was noticeable that all participants whose placements were organised by CFEs described having support from the college staff either in person, online or by phone throughout their placements. Accompanying people from the college stayed for the first part of the placements and were in regular touch with participants afterwards.

• Before we went we set up a WhatsApp group. Any information, trips, meeting, everyone would see it. There were messages from both sides. One of our teachers was on the group, so she would pass on the message if there were any problems. And I’ve still got that WhatsApp group chat on my phone, so it created a long-term relationship with people. Ellen • We all went over with a teacher for three days. They made up a little WhatsApp group, saying, ‘If anything happens, text us!’ Then [the project coordinator] would be ringing, asking, ‘How are you getting on?’ Grant Survey respondents were not directly asked how their placements were organised. One respondent mentioned in their observations on the placement that it was ‘so unorganised and I wouldn’t recommend anyone to do it’. However, the respondent did not elaborate on which aspects of the placement were unorganised so this could not be investigated further.

Participants from the in-person research group described receiving support through both the sending and host organisations. Sending organisation staff tended to focus on the participants’ emotional and physical well-being, while host organisation staff more often provided practical and logistical assistance.

Two focus group participants experienced serious illness during their placements; one needed to return to Ireland after only two weeks of her six-week placement to receive hospital care. Both participants described receiving exemplary support from their sending organisation staff during this time.

• It was brilliant. [The accompanying person] looked out for me and brought me to the hospital. [The project coordinator] came over and took me home. It just wasn’t going to work out after two weeks, so she sent me somewhere else in Ireland then [for a work placement] over the summer. Tara • I woke up in the middle of the night one night, turns out I have arthritis. [The accompanying person] took me out shopping for a walking stick, ’cause I was walking like a penguin! I ended up having to go to the hospital. [The accompanying person] was brilliant, she was absolutely brilliant. Sonia Participants also spoke very positively about the mentoring they received in their host organisations. All were able to recall their mentor immediately and some had established quite close relationships with their mentors and maintained that contact.

• [My mentor had] amazing knowledge, and what an attitude. Like, really an incredibly open-minded person. So fabulous. He always found the time to talk to us as a group and as individuals. So whatever questions you had, or even if he could check something on your project and find it’s not maybe as it should be, he was there – teaching, teaching, teaching. Dorota • We had contact on a daily basis. It was a school, so every day we would walk in and they’d say, ‘This is what we’re doing today.’ We’d have meetings every morning basically. And then you see these boards where they would plan out stuff. So it was very organised; if we needed anything they were always there to help us out with stuff. Filip