Last year the Institute for Academic Development (IAD) ran Mentoring Circles – Postdocs, for the first time. This is a group mentoring programme where a small group of postdocs (3-4 postdoc mentees) are provided a mentor (1 senior academic mentor). All information around the benefits, time commitment, how we do the matching, the programme time frame and how to apply can be found on our web page.
This year’s programme opens on 3rd November – 28th November for applications, so do keep a note of this date and make sure you apply if you are interested.
Why be a mentor on our Group mentoring programme?
Many people feel daunted by the prospect of being a mentor. Maybe you’ve never mentored before, you don’t feel you have enough experience, perhaps you feel you just don’t have enough time, or worry you won’t be able to focus on your own development if you take on the role.
First thing to highlight is that being a mentor is all about sharing your own experiences, knowledge and skills. Discussing your role can really help a more junior colleague see what you do, what route you took to get there and what support and networks helped you along the way. This can be really useful to them and it’s something you can easily share. The group mentoring format also means that you can share this with a wider pool of people and also get more perspectives back:
‘Amazing experience. Totally sold on group mentoring.’
‘Was also supported by the group – was able to provide insight into experience and challenges I face at my career stage and felt the group provided really useful support and insight there too.’
Mentors can also develop as part of the role, in terms of their communication and interpersonal skills, and it provides the opportunity for the mentor to reflect on their own practice and experience. The added benefit of group mentoring is that you are also getting different perspectives from the group of mentees:
‘I learned more about the perspectives of ECRs (How they plan their careers, what they think they need to prioritise on, and the challenges that they perceive). I hope I managed to help the mentees too in their assessment and decision making by sharing my experience where relevant.’
‘It allowed me to reflect on my own experiences and understanding of career trajectories. I also learnt a lot from the mentees!’
With Mentoring Circles being a group mentoring programme, our mentors felt that this took the pressure off them, as the group discussions supported peer learning and the mentees were able to support each other:
‘It was a great learning experience for me! I think we had good communication within the group so that we could choose topics for discussion that benefitted everyone.’
‘This was a great opportunity to support postdocs who often experience similar issues (e.g. job insecurity and work/life balance) and provide devoted time in a safe space to discuss these and help them to understand that they are not alone.’
‘Collective thinking, brainstorming ideas, sharing different experiences, comparing academia in the humanities & STEM, everyone helping everyone.’
Our mentees were able to feedback on their experiences of taking part in the programme and a number of them had really positive things to say about their mentor:
‘My mentor was truly fantastic, offering excellent support and wisdom during each mentoring session’
‘The mentor was really great – alongside ensuring a successful mentoring circle, she went the extra mile to share resources and offered extra support’
‘I enjoyed meeting fellow researchers and the mentor who was very supportive.’
‘Our mentor was very good at ensuring that everyone had an opportunity to speak and contribute’
What our mentors had to say about their experience of Mentoring Circles
We asked some mentors who took part in the programme last academic year if they would be happy to give some testimonials about their experiences of taking part in the programme:
‘This was a great opportunity to support postdocs who often experience similar issues (e.g. job insecurity and work/life balance) and provide devoted time in a safe to discuss these and help them to understand that they are not alone.’
‘I hugely enjoyed serving in the Mentoring Circles scheme. The open and informal conversations made space for genuine exchange, and I was glad to share my own experiences to help others reflect on their paths and choices. Hearing what matters to the mentees also gave me fresh perspective and made me reflect on how we can better support early career researchers.’
‘Being part of the Mentoring Circles scheme was an amazing experience for me as a mentor. I wasn’t convinced by the idea of group mentoring before, having only been part of one-on-one schemes – but I was blown away by how well this works. Mentees in the group are able to help support each other so much more effectively than a senior mentor can do alone. And as a mentor I learned a lot about the challenges post-docs face by hearing the different perspectives and the exchanges within the group.’
‘This is amazing! Do it again. You can sign me up now.’
Apply to be a mentor!
If you are thinking about being a mentor group mentoring is the perfect way to start. Be sure to apply when registrations open on 3rd November!
Further information and application form
[Quotes throughout are from mentors and mentees in Mentoring Circles Programme, Academic Year 2024/25]
