Academy support: the Ten10 buddy system

We’re immensely proud of the support we provide through the Ten10 Academy. As so many people come to us to kickstart their new careers in tech, we provide the help and guidance they need to grow from strength to strength.

One of the biggest ways we support consultants after they’ve finished their Academy training is through the Ten10 buddy system. New consultants are matched with experienced consultants who can help navigate working on client projects for the first time and share their personal experiences of working in tech.

We caught up with two Ten10 consultants, May Yau and Rob Peters, to tell you more about how the buddy system works and what they enjoy about supporting new consultants as they join Ten10.

Can you introduce yourself and your current role?

May: Hi! I’m May and I have been working with Ten10 for almost three and a half years, coming through the Academy in January 2021. I moved into Consulting in April 2023 and I have just finished working for my most recent client in the retail industry, where I was working as a Test Analyst. I supported the upgrades of services across their financial systems within the business. I was on this project for a year, working with other Ten10 consultants delivering over 60 projects within this timeframe.

Rob: I’m Rob and I’m currently doing accessibility testing at Ten10. I joined the Academy in 2022 so have worked as a consultant for almost two years.

How do you interact with your buddy and what help do you give them?

May: I like to have an introductory call with my buddy so we can get acquainted and discuss our experiences so far at Ten10. I make sure to check in with them regularly to see how they are getting on and be available to answer any questions they may have. I help provide insight from my personal experience as well as advice on how they can be proactive themselves during their time between clients and on client sites, and any other general chat. We match with our buddies regarding our roles and personal interests. For example, I’m interested in music, fashion, arts and crafts. So along with Ten10 work, we get on personality-wise too, which is always comforting in a new role and means you make new friends!

Rob: I mainly talk on Google Chat but I’ve met my buddy in the office as well if they’re up in Leeds but others are based in other parts of the country. Mainly I help with things like after the Academy – the process of working with clients and getting onto client site.

Is there a particular moment you’re proud of helping your buddy?

May: As my buddies have been very self-sufficient and motivated, they have all been very driven to achieve their goals with exams and performing well on client sites. I helped point them in the right direction and I am proud to have seen them grow as individuals, as well as their progression through their careers. It’s great to see how much they are learning through Ten10 and see where their careers will take them, from start to finish, and I’m glad I can take my previous Academy knowledge combined with my on-the-job growth and pass it down to someone else.

Rob: Recently, one of my buddies and I were working on the ISTQB exam so instead of just revising on our own, we decided to revise together and that meant we both ended up passing it first time. I think having someone there to keep me motivated was very helpful because I’m not really good at revising on my own!

How has being a mentor benefitted you throughout your time at Ten10?

May: It helps me feel responsible and accountable to support my buddy. It deepens my interpersonal skills and provides me with the opportunity to learn how I can help someone achieve their goals and experience working for Ten10. I also love helping others so knowing that I have helped someone is very rewarding. Having the opportunity to guide someone through the start of their career is exciting because you feel like you have helped them through a really important part of their life, which they will probably always remember.

Rob: I think being a mentor is mutually beneficial for both me and the person that I’m teaching because there’s stuff I don’t know that they do so there’s a bit of back and forth there.

What made you want to be a buddy?

May: Going through the Academy, it was nice to be able to have an extra support network. Especially as it can be quite worrying not knowing where to start or develop my skills within Ten10 and clients. Knowing how much my buddy helped me a lot during my Academy training made me want to do the same for someone else. If I had the tools and experience to help, I didn’t see why I wouldn’t use them!

Rob: I joined Ten10 when I was 19. Very early in my career. So I felt like [the buddy system] was a good opportunity for networking and meeting people. After finishing the Academy, there was a lot of client opportunities offered to me. Looking on the buddy sheet, people had listed what clients they had worked with. So through that, I was able to research what companies I might be going to, and the areas (like down in London). For me personally, I’ve been mainly internal at Ten10 so I thought I offered a unique perspective on [work] as most people end up going external [to their clients].

How important is it to have a mentor/buddy system early in people’s careers?

May: It’s super important to have a support system wherever possible, especially when working on client sites it’s easy to feel out of touch. Especially for a lot of graduates and lots of people, it is their first career job. It can be daunting. With every person’s pathway being so individualistic, being able to connect with a mentor helps them achieve their goals to the best of their abilities. You know that your buddy at some point will have been in a similar situation to you, so they’re an easy person to ask for advice, on top of all the trainers and the Wellbeing Team at Ten10. Overall, I think the support people receive here is incredibly valuable and I am really happy to be a part of the help for somebody.

Rob: Early on in someone’s career, it’s really important to have that because most people won’t know much about technology or the industry so having someone there to help them with certain things – they can just ask questions when they need – is really useful. I think as well, for networking purposes, they get to meet a lot more people and expand their roots.