1) How does icouldbe work?

Intranet
For reasons of safety and security, all mentoring is completely virtual, carried out through a messaging system internal to the icouldbe.org website — that means you won't be receiving messages from mentees at work or at home. You must log on to the icouldbe.org site to communicate with mentees.

Mentor-Mentee Anonymity
Anonymity is essential to icouldbe.org and protects both mentors and mentees. Never indicate your last name, your other email addresses, your telephone numbers, your street address, the city you live in, the name of your employer, your myspace or friendster information, instant messenger id, virtual or gaming identities or any other self–identifying information.

2) What is my role as a mentor?

Year-Long
As a Year-Long Mentor (YLM), you work with a minimum of three (3) mentees and a maximum of five (5) for the duration of the school year. Your time with your Year-Long Mentee is spent working on the icouldbe curriculum (our activities and questions), communicating via email and communicating on the discussion boards.

Spontaneous
As a spontaneous mentor, you answer ad hoc questions and carry on impromptu conversations with other mentees. The main difference between spontaneous and YLMs is that spontaneous mentors are not obligated to work with the spontaneous mentee on his/her curricular activities.

Authority
icouldbe.org needs mentors to report any inappropriate mentee communications. If a mentee confides that he or she is the victim of sexual, emotional or physical abuse, you are required to notify icouldbe.org immediately. Similarly, if you suspect that a mentee is suffering from this type of abuse, please notify icouldbe.org as soon as possible. icouldbe.org will contact the proper authorities. It is neither your job nor ours to attempt the difficult counseling that surrounds this sort of trauma. Some states, for example, Texas, require their residents to notify the appropriate government agency when they suspect that a child is being abused in any way. Also, if a mentee confesses to involvement in any illegal activity, you are required to notify icouldbe.org immediately.

3) What is the time commitment?

One hour per week
One hour per week per Year-Long Mentee. Based on program experience, we find that this time commitment helps to establish a mentor-mentee connection. This provides you sufficient time to review your mentees’ activities and to provide them with in-depth feedback. When you become familiar with the program, you will find that it takes less time to offer your help and advice.

24-hour flexibility
Because we are an online program, you have the ability to access our site at the times that are most convenient for you. While some of our mentors are able to schedule the time during the work day, others choose to incorporate icouldbe into their afternoons, evenings and weekends. We recommend seeing what works best for you and scheduling accordingly.

4) How are mentor-mentee matches made?

Mentee Driven
Field of Interest
Open Mind
We encourage student autonomy and allow mentees to choose Year-Long Mentors with work experiences relevant to them. They configure our search parameters in whatever way they see fit and then, once they select an available mentor, they are automatically paired for the year (mentors cannot reject mentees).

5) How do I register?

Personal Information
SAFETY IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY! Please understand that the personal information that we request is necessary for us to ensure that our mentors are thoroughly reviewed for the protection of our students. Your personal information will be used for a series of background checks; it is NOT shared with any unnecessary third party.

Actual Process
The Registration process takes no more than 20 minutes to complete. Please fill out all information and double check personal information such as name and address. As a reminder, because of background check purposes, a P.O. Box is not an acceptable form of address. MISTAKES IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS WILL RESULT IN DELAY.
Please be aware that at the end of the registration process you will be prompted to make a (minimum of) $3 gift to offset the cost of your background check.

To Register:
1. Browse to www.icouldbe.org
2. Click on icouldbe… a mentor
3. Click on ‘Be an E-Mentor’
4. Click on ‘Click Here To Get Started’
5. Read this FAQ and click ‘Click here to register.’
6. Click on ‘Click Here To Continue Registration’. If you work with one of icouldbe’s corporate partners scroll down and click on the appropriate box.
7. Commence with application. Remember that the Registration process is no longer than 20 minutes. Please fill out all information and double check personal information such as name and address.

6) What is the background process?

THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE ON OUR SITE IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE TO ICOULDBE.

It is VERY important that all information on your registration is filled out completely. Please be sure to check the spelling of names and addresses. As well as making sure that the correct numbers are entered for addresses and zip codes. MISTAKES IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS WILL RESULT IN DELAY.

Employer verification or Personal Reference *if self-employed, retired or college student*

The first step in this process is to verify your employment or to verify your character with a personal reference. Have your employer reply to the verification email sent from employerverification@icouldbe.org. This email will be sent one to two weeks after you register. If you are self-employed, retired or a college student please provide us with the contact information for a personal reference *non-relative*.

National Sex Offender Background Check
Once the employer verification has been received, we will commence with the National Sex Offender Background Check. This process should take up to one week.

National Criminal Background Check
Once the employer verification has been received, we will commence with the National Criminal Background check. This process should take up to one week.

7) When will I know if I have been approved as a mentor?

We certainly want to see you come on board as soon as possible. The approval process will take anywhere from one to two weeks. As soon as all paperwork is in order, you will receive either an ‘Approval’ or ‘Rejection’ email from icouldbe.org. If you have not been approved as a mentor and want to know why, you may email info@icouldbe.org to inquire about the specifics. Also, if you have been waiting longer than a month without an answer, please send us an email at the same address so that we may review the reason for the delay.

8) I’m excited and ready to become a mentor, what do I do now?

Fantastic! Click here to register.