Thank you for volunteering for Global Buddies! We are incredibly grateful for the support from our alumni community.

Global Buddies connects Birkbeck alumni with new international students to help them settle in during their first term of study. The aim of Global Buddies is to help international students feel integrated within the Birkbeck community and support their transition to life in the UK.

As a Global Buddy you can make a real difference to a student’s Birkbeck journey by:

• Welcoming students to Birkbeck
• Signposting students to services, support and opportunities at Birkbeck
• Sharing tips for how to make the most of their time at Birkbeck and living in London.
• Encouraging students to get involved with student life.
• Enabling students to practice conversational English.

Your matches

You will be matched with an individual or small group of incoming international students. Where possible, we try to match buddies based on interests, course of study, shared languages and background, however, this is not guaranteed. We hope that you will enjoy meeting new members of our student community who share your passion for learning.

Common concerns from international students include:  

• Difficulty understanding and being understood in English.  
• Being required to adapt to a new style of learning very quickly (especially for postgraduate students on a one-year programme).
• Uncertainty over expectations e.g., essays/exams/seminar discussions.  
• The need to adjust to UK culture and customs.  
• Making new friends and settling in.
• Being unfamiliar with many practicalities including eating out, finding a bank, travelling around London.

Expectations

Global Buddies volunteers provide a warm and friendly welcome to the Birkbeck community, share their experience, and can commit to meeting with new international students at least once during their first term of study.

No previous experience is required however we do ask that all volunteers adhere to the below expectations:

A commitment to:

• Notifying us if you do not hear from your student or are no longer able to participate in the programme.
• Showing sensitivity towards other cultures and religions.
• Making the initial contact with your match(es) and arranging at least one meeting during the first term.
• Establishing boundaries and agreeing how much additional time you can commit the programme. This includes how you would like to make to contact and how often.
• Ensuring any in-person meetings take place in a public space.
• Offering encouragement and signposting students to services and support on offer.
• Following guidance around confidentiality and reporting any safeguarding concerns. Please read our Safeguarding and Confidentiality guidance.

What we do not expect:

• We do not expect you to be an expert! Please refer to our signposting document or contact the Alumni Engagement Coordinator if you have any questions or concerns.
• We do not expect you to provide academic support or provide any proof-reading for a student. Birkbeck has a range of academic support services available, which we ask you to direct students to.
• We do not expect you to solve personal, social or emotional issues. Birkbeck has a range of wellbeing support available. If you have any concerns about the safety and wellbeing of a student, you must report them.
• We do not expect you to be ‘on call’ for your students – we understand that as a volunteer you have a number of commitments, and you may not be able to answer every question immediately.
• Please do not offer money or an uncomfortable amount of time. This is a short-term volunteering opportunity, whilst we hope you are committed to meeting at least once this term, it is up to you how much contact you can provide your student. If a student is experiencing financial issues, please refer to the signposting document.

Meeting Guidelines

Although there are no fixed rules about what you should discuss during your meetings, you can use these general guidelines:  

• Introductions – share what you studied at Birkbeck, what you are doing now and explain why you both signed up for the programme.
• Show interest in your student – find out their likes, dislikes and and the role Birkbeck plays in their future plans.
• Agree methods and regularity of contact and agree how you will cancel if you are unable to attend a meeting.
• Discuss confidentiality, please see Safeguarding section below. Ensure that you pass on information about other Birkbeck support services where needed (this is provided in the signposting document).
• Leave time at the end of the meeting to check whether they have any urgent questions. If there were questions you felt unable to answer, you can always ask a member of the alumni team to follow up with a student.

Tips:

• Be aware of using slang or unfamiliar idioms.
• Whilst we encourage you to reflect on your time at Birkbeck and share your experiences, don’t do too much of the talking!
• Don’t overcorrect pronunciation or grammar.
• Ensure that you are familiar with the pronunciation and spelling of your student’s names, you can always ask the student how to pronounce their name if you aren’t sure.

Suggested activities:

Meetings can be virtual, or they can take place in person. In person meetings can take place outside of Birkbeck but must be in London at a mutually convenient location. You might like to:

• Take your buddies on a campus tour.
• Show your buddies around Bloomsbury.
• Take your buddies to a museum or gallery.
• Catch up at a cafe.

Confidentiality and Safeguarding

It is up to you how much personal information you wish to share with your buddy. Please do not share any email addresses that are not your own, passwords or bank details with your student. As a Buddy Volunteer you are placed in a position of trust. Your student may confide personal information with you which we ask you not to share with other people. However, there are limits to confidentiality, and in rare instances you might need to speak up to protect your student. If your student mentions that they might be a risk of themselves or others – you must contact us.

The College has a Safeguarding Policy and Procedure which outlines the College’s approach to ensuring the safeguarding of all members of the College community. 

Where there are concerns that children, young people or adults in vulnerable situations are in danger of any of the below, you must report your concern to alumni@bbk.ac.uk and your concerns will be passed on to the appropriate team.

• Abuse (abuse can be physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, domestic, financial, exploitative or neglect/abandonment) 
• Harassment or stalking behaviour 
• Behaviours which cause harm to themselves or to others 
• Forced (as opposed to arranged) marriage 
• Suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harm to others 
• Deteriorating mental health 
• Risk of students withdrawing from their studies 
• Any other concerns relating to a student’s wellbeing. 

Data Protection and Privacy

Birkbeck does not sell or exchange personal details with external organisations for sales or marketing purposes, other than those acting as agents for Birkbeck College on alumni related activities. To understand more about how we use and store personal data, please see our Alumni Privacy policy at https://www.bbk.ac.uk/downloads/policies/privacy-alumni.pdf