Career Pathways
Explore where mentoring could take your career
Introduction
Mentoring can open many doors for your career, providing new opportunities to develop your skills and demonstrate your commitment. On this page we will go over some of the possible ways that you could practice mentoring, specific job examples, and the first steps for getting started.
For more details, such as role specific training level requirements, please download the full Career Pathways guide below.
Download the full Career Pathways guide
What is a mentor?
A mentor is someone who draws upon their personal and professional experiences in order to support and advise another person. They work with their mentee towards a chosen goal, guiding them to overcome the challenges faced along the way. The experience has proven beneficial for both parties, with long lasting positive effects reported by those involved in mentoring programmes.
What are the benefits of becoming a mentor?
Mentors regularly relate that their practice has improved their sense of engagement in their work and communities. Being able to share their experience to positively impact another in turn inspires a sense of satisfaction and achievement. As a result, many who begin mentoring motivated by wanting to ‘give back’ describe discovering new passion for their work and improved personal wellbeing.
Whether through a formal or informal arrangement, part of a voluntary or assigned role, mentoring is also readily recognised as a career asset. From developing active listening and empathetic understanding of another’s circumstances, to best practice for offering effective advice and support, mentor training is known to enhance transferable and soft skills in a way which is easily evidenced.
What career options are there for mentors?
Volunteer Mentors
A large proportion of mentors work on a voluntary basis with community groups and charities. Whether to provide support for a particular cause which they have personal experience with, or simply wanting to give back to their community, their contributions are invaluable.
School or preschool based mentors
Education settings often have a Children’s Mentor, who specialise in providing support for social and emotional difficulties, whilst Learning Mentors focus on learning support. Attendance Mentors are trained to support young people and their families around issues of attending school due to emotional or mental health reasons.
Sport Mentors
This type of mentoring is centred around using sport settings, such as clubs, teams, coaching sessions etc as a foundation for a mentoring relationship. Whether as 1:1 player support or for a whole team, Sport Mentors are trained to help their mentees open up about their goals and guide them through challenges.
Apprentice Mentors
Apprentice Mentors are specially trained to address the pastoral and practical needs of apprentices throughout their programmes. Often a senior or more experienced colleague, who is not the mentee’s actual line manager, they meet regularly throughout the cycle of their course to review and refine their support plan.
Youth Mentors
Youth Mentors work within a community or in a mobile capacity. Typically, their mentees are aged between 10 and 25 years and can be involved on an individual basis or as part of a wider group initiative. Their work can often be as part of outreach programmes for tackling issues such as homelessness, addiction, and violence.
Life Mentors
Whether on a voluntary or paid basis, Life Mentors are trained to provide support to those who are going through a challenge in their life which they have also experienced. The scope for the situation in question is almost limitless, however the mentor is able to draw on their own experience for a real understanding of what the mentee is facing.
Business Mentors
Business Mentors may work with entrepreneurs, start ups and business leaders, helping them to outline goals, anticipate and meet challenges, and review progress for sustainable development.
First steps to becoming a mentor
Many people may feel drawn to mentoring from a desire to give back and draw upon their own experiences to support others. That being said, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Therefore, we have put together this outline of the first steps you can take on your journey towards becoming a mentor.
- Identify the type of mentoring you want to offer (see previous role descriptions for an idea of what types are more widely used).
- Consider whether you want to mentor on a volunteer basis or pursue it as a career. One can of course led to the other, in which case it is worth thinking about how that journey could unfold.
- Investigate the training you would need for your desired role. Will it be provided as part of a successful application or if will you need to complete it independently?
- Identify potential roles or vacancies, such as by contacting local charities, community groups, apprenticeship programmes, or job search boards and websites.
Available Training and CPD
Having the right training is vital for you to feel comfortable and confident in your ability to effectively support your eventual mentees. At The Mentoring School we have developed a range of courses, divided into levels which progressively build upon each other throughout your training journey.
Continual professional development is also an important part of being a mentor. From short courses to higher level qualifications, ongoing training is highly beneficial for effective mentoring practice.
The tiered structure of The Mentoring School’s full training journey allows for long term CPD planning. Being able to progress through these intentional steps ensures your continued access to relevant learning which is evidenced and recognised.
The Mentoring School is also partnered with other organisations who provide additional training opportunities for a varied developmental portfolio.