About Hoddle

Hoddle Melbourne is being built for first-year international students navigating life and studies in Melbourne. Unlike generic advice and institutional helplines, Hoddle provides real, practical guidance from students who have faced the same challenges — because the best support comes from people who have actually lived it.

We are currently in discovery — talking to students, listening to real experiences, and refusing to build anything until we truly understand the problem. This role is your chance to be part of something from the very beginning.

This initiative is proudly part of the Study Melbourne Leadership 4Impact Program — a student-led movement committed to creating real impact for international student communities across Melbourne.

About the Role

We are looking for high-achieving international students who are ready to give back to the community that shaped them.

As a Student Mentor Volunteer at Hoddle, you will be one of the first faces of our platform — showing first-year international students that the system can be navigated, that success is possible, and that they are not alone.

This is not a passive volunteering role. You will be on the ground, in conversations, on a microphone, and in rooms with students who need exactly what you have already figured out.

Daily responsibilities include:

• Participating in Hoddle podcast episodes as a guest mentor, sharing your honest journey as an international student in Melbourne
• Running small group peer support sessions with first-year international students on topics including academic life, social connection, practical challenges, and career pathways
• Conducting one-on-one conversations and surveys with students to help Hoddle understand what support is actually needed
• Contributing ideas and perspectives to help shape the direction of the platform
• Assisting in the organisation of community events and student meetups
• Acting as a genuine, approachable and culturally aware point of contact for students who are navigating their first year

What You Will Gain

We believe your time is valuable. In return for your contribution, Hoddle offers the following:

• A published podcast episode featuring your story, distributed across Hoddle's platform and LinkedIn audience
• Official recognition as a Hoddle Founding Mentor and Study Melbourne Leadership 4Impact contributor, a meaningful addition to your professional resume
• Hands-on leadership experience within a student-led social enterprise from the ground floor
• Access to Hoddle's growing network of high-achieving students, founders and industry mentors across Melbourne
• A platform to share your story with international students who need to hear it
• Practical experience in community building, peer support, content creation and social impact
• The opportunity to contribute to something significant at its earliest and most formative stage

Qualifications

Essential:

• Currently enrolled as an international student at a Melbourne university
• Have been living and studying in Melbourne for a minimum of two years
• High-achieving in at least one area — academic, leadership, sport, community, entrepreneurship, creative work or career. We are looking for people who have excelled at something and can speak authentically about how they got there
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to engage diverse groups of students with ease and genuine warmth
• Empathy and cultural awareness — a genuine understanding of what it means to navigate a new country and connect with students from diverse backgrounds
• Proactive and self-motivated — this is a startup environment that requires initiative, adaptability and a genuine commitment to the mission

Highly Regarded:

• Prior experience as a peer mentor, student ambassador, tutor or community leader
• Involvement in student clubs, university societies or volunteer organisations
• Familiarity with Melbourne's university systems, student services and community resources
• Experience in content creation, social media, podcasting or public speaking
• Fluency in more than one language

How to Apply

Send your resume and a short cover note to [email protected] with the subject line: "Hoddle Mentor Application — [Your Name]"Within yo

ur resume, include one section titled:"The one thing that makes me stand out — and why I want to help my fellow students"

This section does not need to be formal or lengthy. It needs to be honest. Tell us the one thing about your journey, your skills or your story that makes you different — and explain in your own words why you genuinely want to show up for first-year students who are where you once were.

This section is mandatory. Applications submitted without it will not be considered.

Why This Role Matters

Every year, thousands of international students arrive in Melbourne with ambition, ability and everything to give — and spend their first year quietly struggling with things nobody prepared them for.

Not because they are not capable. Because nobody gave them the right guidance at the right time.

You have that guidance now. And you have the opportunity to be the person you wish you had access to in your own first year.

That is what Hoddle is being built on. And that is who we are looking for.

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