Mentoring Scheme

The Mentoring scheme aims at supporting and encouraging a professional relationship in which an experienced professional (the mentor) assists another, less experienced professional (the mentee) in appraising, reflecting upon, and steering the mentee’s career and personal growth within the complicated and increasingly large academic world. 

The scheme aims to create a LIGHT-TOUCH, NON-bureaucratic and supportive community of peers that work together for the advancement of each other’s careers. 

Definition of mentoring

There is substantial literature on mentoring and many definitions. For the purpose of this scheme we are defining mentoring as:

Who is it for?

This Mentoring Scheme is open to all staff of all grades within the Eastman Dental Institute.  

Why take part?

Mentorship relations allow mentors to reflect upon academic and professional life and to feel that they have contributed to other people’s careers. Mentees can benefit from the experience, alternative perspectives and even knowledge, skills and contacts of their mentors. To ensure the time availability of mentors, the Institute will be acknowledging the contribution of mentors in the annual workload exercise, and progressively introducing a number of other related incentives. 

Benefits of Mentoring:

• Developing professional relationships beyond their usual 'organisational reach'
• Enhancing their professional reputation
• Increasing their job satisfaction
• Reflecting on their own careers through a new perspective
• Developing interpersonal skills.

Mentees benefit from:

• Increasing their self-awareness, motivation and confidence  
• Receiving impartial advice and encouragement  
• Building networking skills  
• Gaining greater clarity about their career aspirations  

The benefits of mentoring reach beyond the person who is being mentored, to the mentors themselves and the wider university community.  

How does it work?

• When you start working in the Eastman Dental Institute, we will automatically reach out to the new recruit to see if they would like a mentor. 
• We will allocate an appropriate mentor (where possible) and you will have a chance to meet with them to see if you are good fit.  If you are happy with your mentor, please let us know so we can inform the mentor who will then arrange a follow-up meeting.  If you do not feel they are appropriate, we will look to find an alternative mentor. 
• The relationship will last two years. The frequency and duration of meetings is up to each mentee and mentor. As a general guideline an average of 3 to 6 sessions per annum, each lasting 1/1.30 hours is recommended.  

Ground rules

Mentees should dictate the rhythm and content of meetings for the most part, subject to their particular needs and of course the mentors availability. Meetings should take place at a mutually suitable venue and time. Confidentiality should be respected in all cases. 

Record keeping 

No record keeping is expected. A short questionnaire will be sent at the end of each academic year to both mentees/mentors in order to feedback to scheme organisers. 

The Mentors Role 

The list below summarises what can normally be expected of a mentor whose role is to support a mentee’s personal and career development: 

• Listening actively with interest, holding the focus on the mentee’s agenda.
• Managing the framework of the mentoring sessions, while encouraging the mentee to take responsibility for the content.
• Taking appropriate approaches such as robustly challenging a mentee who is not sufficiently focussed or sympathising in the event of bad experiences while encouraging the mentee to take ownership and respond appropriately.
• Helping the mentee to see the bigger and longer-term picture if they are concerned only about the present and the short term future.
• Helping a mentee to reframe how he or she views something, or to consider a different perspective, for example a tutor who may need to consider a student’s perspective; an author of a paper who may need help with understanding an editor’s viewpoint.
• Taking an interest in the mentee's progress. 

The Mentee’s Role 

The list below summarises what can normally be expected of a mentor whose role is to support a mentee’s personal and career development: 

• Listening actively with interest, holding the focus on the mentee's agenda.
• Managing the framework of the mentoring sessions, while encouraging the mentee to take responsibility for the content.
• Taking appropriate approaches such as robustly challenging a mentee who is not sufficiently focussed or sympathising in the event of bad experiences while encouraging the mentee to take ownership and respond appropriately.
• Helping the mentee to see the bigger and longer-term picture if they are concerned only about the present and the short term future.
• Helping a mentee to reframe how he or she views something, or to consider a different perspective, for example a tutor who may need to consider a student’s perspective; an author of a paper who may need help with understanding an editor's viewpoint.
• Taking an interest in the mentee's progress.

UCL Support Services