Student Mentor in Essex

Location: Colchester, Essex

Role: SEMH Support Staff / Learning Support Assistant

Experience: SEMH or relevant transferable experience highly desirable

Are you experienced in supporting people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, challenging behaviour or complex needs? We are looking for resilient, confident and compassionate individuals to join a specialist education setting in Colchester, supporting children and young people with SEMH and additional needs.

Your Transferable Experience Matters:

• Residential care or children's homes – supporting young people with complex needs, trauma or challenging behaviour
• Prison Service or secure settings – managing challenging situations, maintaining professional boundaries and using de-escalation skills
• NHS or mental health services – supporting individuals experiencing mental health difficulties or complex emotional needs
• Youth work, outreach or mentoring – building positive relationships with vulnerable or disengaged young people
• SEMH or SEN schools – supporting pupils with behavioural, emotional or additional needs
• Care and support work – helping individuals with complex needs develop independence and positive routines

If you've developed the ability to remain calm under pressure, build trust, set clear boundaries and understand behaviour, your experience could transfer extremely well into an SEMH school environment.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Supporting pupils with SEMH and additional needs throughout the school day
• Building strong, positive and professional relationships with young people
• Supporting pupils on a 1:1 basis and in small groups
• Helping pupils regulate their emotions and remain engaged with learning
• Using positive behaviour management and de-escalation strategies
• Supporting young people who may have experienced trauma or significant challenges
• Encouraging confidence, independence and positive decision-making
• Working alongside teachers, pastoral teams and other specialist professionals
• Helping create a structured, safe and supportive environment

We're Looking For Someone Who:

• Ideally has previous SEMH experience or strong transferable experience
• Has worked within residential care, the Prison Service, NHS mental health services, youth work, SEN, support work or a similar environment
• Is confident working with young people who may display challenging behaviour
• Can remain calm and professional in difficult situations
• Understands the importance of boundaries, consistency and relationship-building
• Is patient, resilient and compassionate
• Can recognise that behaviour can often be a form of communication
• Is willing to learn and develop within a specialist education environment
• Wants to use their existing experience to make a positive difference to young people's lives

Why Move Into SEMH Education?

Your existing experience could give you exactly the skills needed to succeed within an SEMH setting. This is an excellent opportunity to take those skills and use them to help young people re-engage with education, develop confidence and work towards a more positive future.

Our staff are paid on a PAYE basis, so you can rest assured you're paying the correct level of Tax and National Insurance, with no hidden admin charges or umbrella deductions from your hard-earned pay.

Safeguarding and DBS Compliance:

Registration may involve an enhanced DBS check, ID checks and the supply of good professional references, depending on the role. We are committed to safeguarding and compliance across all placements.