Occupation intelligence

Learning Mentor

Key facts

Learning mentors support underperforming students both inside and outside of the classroom in order to increase their academic success. They assist students experiencing (multiple) disadvantages, such as learning difficulties, behavioural issues, and attendance problems, and also assist gifted students who are under-challenged. They may also work with adult students in the further education system. Learning mentors develop schedules and action plans with the students in order to plan the necessary mentoring activities and monitor progress. They also liaise with the students' teachers, educational psychologists, school social workers and, if necessary, with the student's parents, in order to improve the student's educational development.

Labour market
More candidates than openings in Austria and 4 more countries
ELA/EURES 2025
Industry
Education
Education
Bachelor's or equivalent level
78%
Resilience Score · 2026 (Higher is better)
Bachelor's or equivalent level 3% AI exposure · 2026
Labour market

Where this occupation is in demand

Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.

Figures cover Teaching professionals — 131 jobs including this one.

3 of 8 in shortage20259 of 32 growing2.8Mopenings to 2035

In shortage: Belgium, Germany, Norway.

Longest-running shortage: Norway, 4 years.

Select a place on the map to see its figures.

About this source›

Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.

What these words mean

The four things this section reports

Reported demand
Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
Where it is heading
Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
Openings
Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
Typical pay
What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.

A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.

Which way the market leans for you

In your favour
More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
Balanced
Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
Competitive
More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
Mixed evidence
Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.

Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.

How this job compares with other jobs in the same country

Strong
Among the strongest in that country
Good
Stronger than most jobs in that country
Mixed
About typical for that country
Weak
Weaker than most jobs in that country

This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.

Where these come from

Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.

None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.

Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta)
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading
Reported demand Typical pay Where it is heading
United States Not reported $43,350 2025-05 +0.6% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034
Ireland Not reported — −4.4% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 *
Australia Assessed as balanced Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * — —
Malta Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * — +23.2% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 *

* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)

Do you guide students, clients or employees? Use this occupation data in your organisation.

NexFuture™

Future Outlook for learning mentor

The outlook for learning mentor is exceptionally stable. While AI tools will assist with daily tasks, the core of this role relies on human judgment, resulting in a high resilience score of 78%.

How are these scores calculated?

The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.

Play the future
How could learning mentor change as AI adoption grows?

Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.

Significant task-level transformation is estimated in 20 years (around 2046) under the selected Expected Pace scenario.
~80%
Resilience
Automation Risk
EXP~5%
Human advantage
MOAT~85%

Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.

2026
2037
2051
AI Adoption Speed:

Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.

How AI may change this role

Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.

78% Human-owned

What still depends on people

  • support children's wellbeing
  • liaise with educational support staff
  • show consideration for student's situation
The Human Edge To stay ahead in this role, focus on behavioural disorders and communication disorders. These human-centric skills are the hardest for AI to replicate in the next 20 years.
16% Assist

Where AI may become a co-pilot

  • listen actively
3% Automate

Tasks most exposed to automation

No single task here is highly automatable yet.

Detailed Analysis

Vital Signs & AI Vectors

AI Exposure Vectors

0-100%
Generative AI 16%

Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools

Cognitive Software 2%

Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation

AI / Machine Learning 0%

Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks

Robotic & Physical Automation 0%

Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement

Technical Details
Methodology: NexFuture v3.0 Sources: O*NET® 30.3, ESCO v1.2.1 Updated: Oct 2026

NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.

Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.

Day in the life

What people in this role usually do

Education

Day in the life

A typical day as a learning mentor

09
09:00 · Morning
adapt teaching to student's capabilities
Identify the learning struggles and successes of students. Select teaching and learning strategies that support students’ individual learning needs and goals.
10
10:30 · Mid-morning
assist students in their learning
Support and coach students in their work, give learners practical support and encouragement.
12
12:00 · Midday
communicate with youth
Use verbal and non-verbal communication and communicate through writing, electronic means, or drawing. Adapt your communication to children and young people`s age, needs, characteristics, abilities, preferences, and culture.
14
14:00 · Afternoon
consult student's support system
Communicate with multiple parties, including teachers and the family of the student, to discuss the student's behaviour or academic performance.
15
15:30 · Late afternoon
counsel students
Provide assistance to students with educational, career-related or personal issues such as course selection, school adjustment en social integration, career exploration and planning, and family problems.
17
17:00 · Wrap-up
encourage students to acknowledge their achievements
Stimulate students to appreciate their own achievements and actions to nurture confidence and educational growth.

Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.

Skills & knowledge

What you need to do this work

The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.

Essential skills
advising on educational or vocational matters
  • consult student's support system

    Communicate with multiple parties, including teachers and the family of the student, to discuss the student's behaviour or academic performance.

  • counsel students

    Provide assistance to students with educational, career-related or personal issues such as course selection, school adjustment en social integration, career exploration and planning, and family problems.

collaborating and liaising
  • liaise with educational support staff

    Communicate with education management, such as the school principal and board members, and with the education support team such as the teaching assistant, school counsellor or academic advisor on issues relating the students' well-being.

  • liaise with educational staff

    Communicate with the school staff such as teachers, teaching assistants, academic advisors, and the principal on issues relating to students' well-being. In the context of a university, liaise with the technical and research staff to discuss research projects and courses-related matters.

coaching and mentoring
  • adapt teaching to student's capabilities

    Identify the learning struggles and successes of students. Select teaching and learning strategies that support students’ individual learning needs and goals.

  • assist students in their learning

    Support and coach students in their work, give learners practical support and encouragement.

monitoring and evaluating the performance of individuals
  • monitor student's behaviour

    Supervise the student's social behaviour to discover anything unusual. Help solve any issues if necessary.

teaching academic or vocational subjects
  • show consideration for student's situation

    Take students' personal backgrounds into consideration when teaching, showing empathy and respect.

listening and asking questions
  • listen actively

    Give attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of customers, clients, passengers, service users or others, and provide solutions accordingly.

caring for children
  • support children's wellbeing

    Provide an environment that supports and values children and helps them to manage their own feelings and relationships with others.

communication, collaboration and creativity
  • communicate with youth

    Use verbal and non-verbal communication and communicate through writing, electronic means, or drawing. Adapt your communication to children and young people`s age, needs, characteristics, abilities, preferences, and culture.

directing operational activities
  • oversee extra-curricular activities

    Supervise and potentially organise educational or recreational activities for the students outside of mandatory classes.

leading and motivating
  • encourage students to acknowledge their achievements

    Stimulate students to appreciate their own achievements and actions to nurture confidence and educational growth.

Knowledge areas & Software & Technologies
Knowledge areas
  • social development

    The learning process of a child through social interaction. Among the various activities that it encompasses, social development supports children in obtaining and fortifying learning skills and having positive attitudes.

Cross-sector skills
  • behavioural disorders
  • communication disorders
  • learning difficulties
  • learning needs analysis
  • action research
  • counselling methods
  • developmental psychology
  • education law
  • primary school procedures
  • psychology
  • school psychology
Software & Technologies
FacebookZoomGoogle DriveGoogle MeetBlackboard softwareScreencastifyMoodleGoogle ClassroomFlipgridNearpodSchoologyAppointment scheduling softwareSeesawDesmosEdpuzzleAcademic educational softwareRedrock Software TutorTrac
Key traits you need
Dependability Integrity Self-Control Adaptability/Flexibility Concern for Others Independence Cooperation Attention to Detail Stress Tolerance Social Orientation Initiative Leadership Persistence Analytical Thinking Innovation Achievement/Effort
Key rewards you can expect
AchievementWorking Condit…RecognitionRelationshipsSupportIndependence
How to qualify

Path to become a learning mentor

What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.

Typical education level

Bachelor's or equivalent level

Where to study

95 programmes in 17 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 103 short courses that build single skills.

A few examples, taught in the language of this page:

Degree

M Social and Behavioural Sciences (research): Social Psych.

Tilburg University · the Netherlands

Degree 교육과정및공학전공

Education Instruction & Education Psychology

South Korea

Degree

Clinical Child, Family and Education Studies

Universiteit Utrecht · the Netherlands

Sources
  1. 1. Source: Opintopolku.fi (Finnish National Agency for Education)
  2. 2. Bron: DUO open onderwijsdata
  3. 3. Source: Study in Korea, National Institute for International Education (NIIED) (studyinkorea.go.kr).
  4. 4. Source: South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), All Qualifications and Unit Standards (allqs.saqa.org.za).
  5. 5. Source: Malta Qualifications Registry, Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (qualifications.mfhea.gov.mt).
Career progression

Growth Pathways & Similar Roles

Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.

For organisations

The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

What kind of students do learning mentors typically work with?
Learning mentors support a diverse range of students. This includes those experiencing learning difficulties, behavioural challenges, or attendance issues, as well as gifted students who require more stimulating learning opportunities. You may also work with adult learners in further education settings.
Do I need a teaching background to become a learning mentor?
While a teaching background can be beneficial, it’s not always a requirement. Strong interpersonal skills, empathy, and a genuine desire to help students succeed are essential. Relevant experience in social work, counselling, or youth support can also be valuable.
What are the typical work arrangements for learning mentors?
Learning mentors are primarily employed by schools, colleges, and other educational institutions. However, it's also common to find learning mentors working in private practice, offering their services directly to students and families.
How much does Learning Mentor pay in the United States?
$40,090 a year at the median, as of 2025-05. State medians run from $30,410 to $82,290. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a United States figure and not a projection for Europe.

Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 3, 2026 About our data