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Learning Mentor
(Learning Support Mentor, Pastoral Support Officer, Student Mentor, Pastoral Mentor)
Education & Training
Salary
€28,000 - €48,000/yr
Level
Operational
Outlook
Growing
Sector
Education & Training
What does a Learning Mentor do?
As a Learning Mentor you work directly with students who face academic, behavioural, or personal challenges that are affecting their progress in school or further education. You develop individual action plans, hold regular one-to-one sessions, and monitor each student's attendance, attitude, and achievement over time. You liaise closely with class teachers, special educational needs coordinators, educational psychologists, school social workers, and parents or guardians to build a joined-up picture of each student's needs. Much of your work takes place in DEIS schools and colleges of further education, where you support students from disadvantaged backgrounds or those with learning difficulties to remain engaged and reach their potential.
A Day in the Life
Listen: a day as a Learning Mentor
You arrive at your DEIS secondary school in Ballyfermot at half eight, twenty minutes before the first bell. You check the school's information management system, VSware, to flag any unexplained absences from the previous day. Three students on your caseload missed afternoon classes without a note, so you print their records and leave a message with the year head before the corridors fill up. By nine o'clock you are set up in the small room beside the learning support base that doubles as your office. Your first one-to-one is with a third-year student whose Junior Cycle results have been slipping since Christmas. You sit down together with his individual action plan, a simple two-page document you update fortnightly, and agree three short goals for the week ahead around attendance, completing homework, and asking his English teacher for help rather than sitting silent.
Videos about Learning Mentor
Career Advice on becoming a Learning and Development Officer by Nemesia W (Full Version)
icould career stories
Some videos were filmed in the UK. The work itself is the same, but the exams, qualifications and pay they mention are British — we include them so you get a feel for the job.
Required Education
A QQI Level 6 Advanced Certificate in a relevant area such as Community Education, Youth Work, or Addiction Studies is a common entry route into this role in Ireland. Leaving Certificate subjects such as English, Irish, and SPHE provide a useful foundation for the communication and pastoral skills the role demands. Some employers, particularly in further education settings, may prefer candidates who hold an NFQ Level 7 or Level 8 degree in Education, Psychology, Social Care, or a related discipline. PLC courses in Community Development or Special Needs Assisting, available through ETBs and colleges of further education, can also lead into this work. While there is no single statutory registration body for Learning Mentors in Ireland, those who provide therapeutic or counselling-style support may be expected to hold relevant CORU-recognised qualifications or work under supervision from a qualified professional.
Required Skills
Career Perspective
Many Learning Mentors begin their careers as Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) or youth workers before moving into a dedicated mentoring role, often in a DEIS primary or post-primary school. With experience and further qualifications at NFQ Level 7 or 8, you may progress to a senior or lead mentoring position, taking responsibility for coordinating a school's wider student support programme. Some mentors move into guidance counselling (which requires Teaching Council registration and a recognised postgraduate qualification), educational psychology, or school social work. Others move into management roles within ETBs, Youthreach programmes, or community education organisations.
AI Impact on the job
AI tools are beginning to assist Learning Mentors by automating some administrative tasks such as progress tracking, report generation, and scheduling, freeing up more time for direct student contact. Adaptive learning platforms can flag students who are falling behind, helping mentors to prioritise their caseloads more efficiently. However, the core of this occupation — building trusted human relationships with vulnerable young people — cannot be replicated by AI, and the empathetic, face-to-face nature of mentoring will remain central to the role. Mentors will increasingly be expected to understand and critically evaluate digital wellbeing tools as these become more common in Irish schools.
Career Ladder
→ Learning Mentor (Current role)
Related Studies
Employers in Ireland
Organisations in Ireland that employ people in this occupation.
Dublin, Nationwide
Mentors support at-risk learners across ETB schools and further education colleges.
Nationwide
Learning mentors assist vulnerable children through educational welfare programmes.
Dublin, Nationwide
Mentors support learners on FET programmes overcoming barriers to progression.
Belfast and Dublin, Nationwide
Mentors work with young people facing social exclusion to re-engage with education.
Nationwide
Learning mentors deliver one-to-one support for young people at educational risk.
Dublin
Mentors support disadvantaged students through digital and academic learning programmes.
Dublin
Mentors help Traveller and Roma students stay engaged and progress in education.
Nationwide
Learning mentors provide individual pupil support within mainstream school settings.
Nationwide
Mentors re-engage early school leavers and guide them toward qualifications.
Dublin, Nationwide
Mentors support children and young people with learning and behavioural difficulties.
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