Chinese and Korean Mentoring Service
A shared first language
The mentor speaks Mandarin, Cantonese or Korean, so a student can say what they mean rather than what their vocabulary allows.
A shared frame of reference
Mentors understand what studying at a UK university is like from the outside: the teaching, the expectations, the distance from home.
Practical navigation
Support and guidance for finding a way through the institution, not only a space to talk about it.
What sessions cover
The themes international students bring
Working with a specialist, students face the obstacles blocking their studies and develop strategies, and find a safe space to explore the challenges of being an international student.
- Loneliness and distance from home
- Cultural differences in and out of the classroom
- Academic teaching and learning styles that differ from home
- Homesickness and the pressure of studying abroad
- Insight into the issues affecting wellbeing and study
How first-language mentoring works
A regular one-to-one arrangement, matched on language as well as on role.
01
Confirm the referral
UMO checks the language required, the funding route, the approved hours and the student’s delivery preference.
02
Match the mentor
The student is matched with a mentor who speaks their first language and understands UK university culture.
03
Regular sessions
One-to-one sessions of 50 minutes, weekly or fortnightly, working on the obstacles the student names.
04
Build and review
The student develops strategies they can reuse, maintaining wellbeing alongside course and personal goals.
Current hourly rate
First-language mentoring prices
One hourly rate applies to this service. Who pays it depends on the funding route agreed for the student.
Standard rate
Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean mentoring
Applies to direct university referrals and to approved funded support
£65.50 excluding VAT, per hour
Therefore, the invoicing arrangement follows the funding route confirmed at referral. Contact UMO if the route has not yet been agreed.
Why the language matters
Support in a second language is not the same support
A student describing anxiety, isolation or academic difficulty in a second language is doing two hard things at once.
Matching on first language removes one of them. It also means the mentor recognises what is being described without it having to be explained from first principles, which is what the shared cultural frame of reference is for.
What mentoring works on
The exact focus is individual, and it changes as the student settles or as pressure builds.
Breaking through barriers
Identifying what is blocking study and developing strategies to work past it.
Building confidence
Unlocking talent the student already has but has not been able to use here.
Understanding the system
Making sense of UK academic teaching, assessment and what is expected of a student.
Maintaining wellbeing
Keeping wellbeing intact while pursuing course and personal goals.
Funding, matching and university responsibilities
First-language mentoring sits alongside a university’s own provision rather than replacing it.
Matched on language and role
UMO matches a mentor who speaks the student’s first language and is qualified for the role named in the referral.
Funding routes
Universities and colleges commission this support directly; where a student has assessed funded support, the approved route applies.
University duties continue
Mentoring does not replace reasonable adjustments, international student services or the support a department provides.
Questions about first-language mentoring
Answers for students, international offices and other referrers.
The service
Which languages are available?
Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean. The mentor speaks the student’s first language and shares a cultural frame of reference.
How long and how often are sessions?
One-to-one sessions of 50 minutes, arranged weekly or fortnightly.
What do sessions cover?
Whatever is getting in the way: loneliness, cultural differences, academic teaching and learning styles, homesickness, and the obstacles blocking study.
Is this counselling?
No. It is specialist mentoring: practical, strategy-focused and aimed at study and independence. Where a student needs clinical care, the mentor supports them to reach it.
Referral and cost
Who can refer?
Universities, colleges and student support teams. Contact UMO with the language required, the hours and the funding route.
What does it cost?
£65.50 excluding VAT per hour. Who pays depends on the funding route agreed at referral.
Are sessions remote or in person?
Either, depending on the arrangement agreed and mentor availability.
Can a student ask for a particular mentor?
Matching considers language, role and what the student brings. Discuss any specific preference at referral.
Arrange first-language mentoring
Share the language required, the number of hours, the funding route and the student’s delivery preference, and UMO will match a qualified mentor.