Become an international mentor

Why become a mentor

As an international mentor you play an important role in helping international students settle into student life at Lund and everyday life in Sweden. Being a mentor gives you the opportunity to meet students from all over the world and make new friends. Being an international mentor is not only fun, but is also an experience that can be seen as a qualification when applying for jobs.

Watch on YouTube: Students share why it's a great decision to become an international mentor

Your mentor group

As a mentor, you are never alone. Mentors are organised into groups of 4 to 5 mentors and 20 to 30 new international students. Together with the other mentors in your group, you will organise social activities for and with the new students.

Your mentorship will last throughout the semester and it is important that the international students have contact with their mentors not only at the beginning of the semester, but throughout their whole stay. While many new students settle in after a few weeks, others may need more time.

However, the presence and activities of the mentor groups are most needed when the international students have just arrived. It is therefore preferable for all mentors to be available during the introduction weeks and the first few weeks of the semester. Together with the other mentors in your group, you will decide on the schedule and the level of activity.

Examples of mentor group activities 

Mentor groups organise activities for new international students. It is highly recommended that each group organises a tour of Lund, preferably during the same week as Arrival Day, to help the international students settle in.

Below are some other examples of activities:

• Trips to the beach, the countryside, Malmö or Copenhagen 
• Sporting events such as 'brännboll', 'kubb', football matches, hockey matches or bowling
• Going to the theatre, 'spex' ,or a concert
• Going to nations, going to 'sittnings' or parties and organising picnics, fika, (potluck) dinners and pub crawls.

The mentor certificate

At the end of each semester, international mentors who have successfully completed the programme will receive an official mentor certificate from Lund University. To successfully complete the programme, a mentor must fulfil the following criteria:

• Send a welcome email to the mentor group.
• Arrange a certain number of activities during the Orientation Weeks and during the semester.
• Submit a brief report and final report together with your group.

The official mentor certificate can be used when applying for exchange studies or a job. When applying for exchange studies, it is often considered an advantage to have been an international mentor.

Mentees' experiences

In the video below, international mentees share their experiences of the International Mentor Programme and the Orientation Weeks.

Watch on YouTube: Mentees' experiences of the International Mentor Programme

Arrival Day

Arrival Day is the official start of the Orientation Weeks for new international students at Lund University. As a mentor you can volunteer at one or two of several stations during Arrival Day. The different stations are:

• Copenhagen airport host – greet new students, help them to buy a train ticket to Lund and guide them to the right platform.
• Lund station host – greet new students and direct them to the minivan shuttle service provided on Arrival Day.
• Minivan driver – drive one of the minivans in the shuttle service. Swedish or EU driving licence required.
• Minivan host – host one of the minivans in the shuttle service, read maps and give directions to the driver and use a smartphone with a walkie-talkie app to communicate with the bus coordinator.
• Luggage room host – look after new students’ luggage during their Arrival Day.
• Check-in host – check in new students, give them their welcome pack and answer any questions they may have.
• AD host – help new students to find their way around the Arrival Day venue.

You can choose to volunteer for one shift (08:00 to 15:00 or 15:00 to 21:00) or help us during the whole day (08:00 to21:00). All international mentors working on Arrival Day will be provided with lunch, drinks and snacks, and will be invited to a thank you 'sittning' after the Orientation Weeks.

Orientation Weeks mentor activities

During the first weeks of the international students' stay in Sweden, we focus on introducing them to what it is like to be a student at Lund University. During the Orientation Weeks, several social and cultural activities take place, such as game nights, food fairs and excursions to different parts of Skåne.

As a mentor, you can help with these events. You will be responsible for keeping to the timetable, helping the student workers with various tasks and making sure that the students have an enjoyable day.

During the Treasure Hunt Challenge, you and your mentor group will compete against other groups by completing various challenges at Lund's student organisations. This is a perfect opportunity for your group members to get to know each other and to introduce the new students to the rich Lund student life in Lund! The treasure hunt takes place during the Orientation Weeks in January and August.

During the Sports and Games Day, you will once again compete with your mentor group. At this event, your team will try different outdoor sports and games. Build your team spirit and compete against the other groups for glory and prizes!