Mentoring
The aim of the pilot mentoring scheme is to assist mentees to achieve personal and professional growth through a mentoring relationship that provides support as he/she progresses and develops within the department and university. Equally the scheme also offers benefits to the mentor and to the department.
Mentoring
There are three principles of our mentoring scheme:
- Participation is on a voluntary basis.
- The relationship is confidential.
- The mentor will be outside the mentee's direct line management chain, with greater experience in one or more areas, and is able to exchange knowledge through relationships of mutual influence and learning.
Who are mentees?
Mentees are those individuals with a genuine desire for further development. They need to be fully committed to the programme by accepting the challenges and taking risks in order to progress.
What can a mentee expect?
We want you to gain the maximum benefit from a departmental mentoring scheme by providing a straightforward process with clearly defined aims.
To support mentees we have created the Mentoring Scheme Booklet for Mentees which you should use as an opportunity to consider the commitment you will make as a mentee, understand the boundaries of the mentoring.
Who are mentors?
Mentors are departmental facilitators who allow their mentees to discover their own direction by offering guidance. A mentor is a source of information and knowledge in addition to being a skilled questioner.
Mentors have more expertise than the mentee so the difference between the mentor and mentee is valued because it is mainly the source of learning for the mentee.
Mentors also offer ‘softer’ skills such as listening skills and a genuine commitment to advance their mentees. Mentoring is therefore an all-inclusive description of support for the mentees orientation and professional development.
At the beginning of the scheme mentees should:
- Agree personal ground rules with their mentor and fellow mentees e.g. be non- judgemental.
- Agree the scope of the circle, what it is and what it is not e.g. It is positive but challenging, it is not providing magic answers.
- Ensure everyone agrees to make the relevant time commitments to ensure that all circle members have balanced and mutual support.
- Also agree how you will manage exceptions e.g. Will the mentor and mentee have informal contact between meetings?
At the end of the scheme:
Mentees and Mentors will be asked to complete a short survey on their experiences within the mentoring scheme.
Mentors will agree to act as enablers, helping the mentees to realise their potential and uncover hidden talents/abilities. As a mentee you must actively engage in a non-judgemental, caring yet challenging manner.
Duration of the scheme:
Mentors and mentees agree to join this scheme for a year, and to meet at least three times a year. At the end of the year they will be asked whether they would like to continue as mentors/mentees.
Thinking about becoming a Mentor?
Who can be a mentor?
Any experienced researcher/academic can be a mentor. If you are happy to pass on experiences you have had and be interested in developing yourself and others please read the Mentoring Scheme Booklet for Mentors and then contact Maria Granell Moreno to register. Mentors are facilitators who allow their mentees to discover their own direction by offering guidance.
Mentoring is an all-inclusive description of support for the mentees orientation and professional development.
What can a mentor expect?
To support mentors we will be running short briefing and training sessions for mentors and mentees. This is an opportunity to consider the skills necessary for a mentor, understand the boundaries of the relationship and raise any issues. There will be also on-going departmental support from the Mentoring scheme team, our Equality and Diversity advisor, OLI and MSD.
Why be a mentor?
While the focus of the mentoring relationship is primarily on the development needs and opportunities of the mentee there are also benefits for the mentor including:
- satisfaction of knowing that they can make a difference to someone else
- sharing contacts and increased networking opportunities
- increasing skills and reputation
- an opportunity to share experience and expertise
- enhancing their leadership skills
What should I consider before committing to mentor?
Mentors need to be able to commit for at least one year. In this time it is recommended that the mentor meets with the mentee at least 3 times with each meeting lasting at least one hour.
More Information
For Mentees:
For Mentors: