What is Thrive? | University of Reading

About Thrive

Thrive is our award-winning career mentoring scheme which has been running for over 10 years, exclusively for undergraduates and taught postgraduates.

Thrive sign ups for 2025-26 will open in September. Updates about the next intake of mentees will be available on this webpage in the Summer.

We are introducing a new Priority Access scheme where undergraduate students from specific Widening Participation backgrounds moving into 2nd and final years will be emailed privately from the 13th May onwards to sign up early, with extra support in matching with a mentor. If you do not receive an email about this by end of May and believe you are eligible, please email the team.

What is Thrive?

Thrive is a career and future focused mentoring program that matches you with a successful professional mentor in an industry of your choosing. You will have a minimum 1 hour meeting with your mentor per month for 3-9 months, where they can provide support and guidance for your career plans and aspirations.

What do you get out of Thrive?

Each mentoring partnership is different, but we see a mixture of the following:

Gaining clarity about the type of roles available in different sectors
Discussing potential job options
Applications for internships and work experience
Workplace visits
Building/refining your CV
And more…

All mentors are volunteers and want to support you whilst you explore your options, grow in confidence, and open yourself up to the different opportunities having a Thrive mentor can offer. In the past, we’ve seen students secure internships and work experience with their mentor’s companies, gain more knowledge about the type of role they might be suited to and build their networking skills in ways that benefit them and their future.

You can read some of these stories and see what past students have said about the programme by visiting our ‘What our students say’ page.

To find out more about the programme, please see our list of frequently asked questions below, or contact the team on mentoring@reading.ac.uk.

Please note: Henley Business School students are not eligible for the scheme but have access to a separate mentoring programme - find out mo re.

Read our privacy notice.

The THRIVE Timeline

1. Sign up - If you are a University of Reading Undergraduate or Taught Postgraduate student, you can sign up to the scheme from September to December by attending a Mentee Preparation Session, bookable on MyJobsOnline. These sessions run regularly while the scheme is open. Please note that Thrive is currently not open to students in Henley Business School.

2. Pathway – Once you have attended the Mentee Preparation Session, you will be invited to join the Thrive Mentoring Pathway on MyJobsOnline, where you will need to complete a short self-reflection, decide your mentoring goal(s), and choose your mentor preferences.

3. Matching with a mentor - After submitting your mentoring preferences, the Thrive team will review this and give you access to the Thrive Platform where you can choose a mentor. Once you sign up to the platform, you will have 4 weeks to match with a mentor. If you are struggling to find a match, reach out to the Thrive team. Please contact your mentor within 3 weeks of matching, and from there you can start your partnership.

4. Ending your Partnership - The Thrive scheme runs until May. Depending on the nature of your mentoring partnership, you may finish before May.

What is mentoring?

Mentoring is to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be.'” – Eric Parsloe

Eric Parsloe was one of the founders of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and an experienced international executive coach-mentor.

What is my commitment to Thrive if I sign up?

You are committing to 1-2 hours a month of engaging with mentoring over 3-9 months. Sometimes students will have a mentor for 4 months and feel they get lots out of it, while others want the whole 9 months to develop a lasting partnership. Thrive is flexible around your studies, and meetings are scheduled by yourself and your mentor based on your respective availabilities.

What are my responsibilities as a Thrive mentee?

Our mentoring partnerships are led by the student, so it is your responsibility to initiate contact with your mentor and respond to their emails promptly. If you have any other commitments or responsibilities, we advise you to let your mentor know so that they are aware.
You are expected to behave in a professional way throughout and can seek help from the Thrive Team at any point if needed, as we understand this may be the first time some students have had to communicate with someone in a professional context.
All mentees are expected to send their mentor an email to let them know when they want to end the partnership and the Mentoring Team are available to help you do this in a professional way.

What can you achieve through the scheme?

If you commit fully to Thrive, you will really see the benefits of having a career mentor. What we see through the programme is:

Boosted confidence when planning your career after university
Expansion of your professional network, networking, and interpersonal skills
Development of your written and verbal communication
A greater sense of motivation which will help you to be more proactive
Some mentees gain tangible experiences such as workplace visits, shadowing, interview experience, placements and even a graduate job
A great addition to your CV to show connections to industry and your willingness to develop and explore your career.

Your career mentor will be with you every step of the way as you explore your thoughts and aspirations. The partnerships are led by the mentee so make the most of this experience and ask for any support you may need.

How long do mentoring partnerships last for?

• This depends on when you join the scheme, but they last between 3-9 months on average.
• For students who sign up in September, the partnership can last for just over 10 months – September through till the end of June.
• Partnerships can continue after the scheme closes in June outside of Thrive, providing your mentor is willing to maintain contact with you.

How can I make the most of my mentoring partnership?

What you put in is what you get out! The more committed you are, the more you will take from the scheme. Being proactive and arranging meetings, emailing your mentor promptly, creating a list of goals or questions beforehand – all these things can help you get the most from the scheme.
Use our resources to help you get the most out of your partnership
Asking for support where you need it is also a good idea – the THRIVE Team are around to help with any issues, big or small so please do email us

How does Thrive work for Postgraduate students?

What are the mentors like?

Our mentors come from a large variety of backgrounds, some are Alumni of the University of Reading and have studied exactly what you are doing now. Others are professionals from the local area and even from other countries.
The mentors on the scheme are not as scary as you think! They are all part of the scheme as they want to volunteer to support you in a practical way that will positively benefit you.
One of our mentors even talked a little bit about his mentee in a recent article!

Do I have to know what I want to do to take part in the Thrive scheme?

Absolutely not! It is common for students on the programme to be unsure of their career path. Thrive is a good way to explore potential job roles or interests you might have to get a unique insight.
As the scheme is extracurricular, it allows flexibility which allows you to make mentor choices in areas that may be outside of your subject area if you wish to.

What if I don’t get on with my mentor?

It can be daunting to be matched with a professional, but we want to make sure you feel as comfortable and supported as possible during your partnership. It can take a little while for you and your mentor to get to know each other but the Thrive Team will provide resources to help you do this. If you feel you would like to change mentor at any point for a variety of reasons, please get in touch with the Mentoring Team and we will support you with this.

What if I am not eligible for the scheme?

if you are not an undergraduate or taught postgraduate, unfortunately you are not eligible for Thrive. The Thrive Team are happy to provide you with support to find a mentor yourself so please contact the team on mentoring@reading.ac.uk.
If you are a student studying with Henley Business School, there is a different mentoring programme available for you. This can be found through the Henley Live webpages.

If you have any questions, or just want to get to know the team, then please feel free to contact us on mentoring@reading.ac.uk. We look forward to working with you as part of Thrive!