What mentoring support is available?

Mentoring Resources

The IAD has worked with Dr Steve Hutchison (co-author of Coaching and Mentoring for Academic Development) to create a suite of mentoring resources for research staff.  The aim of these resources is to support individuals to consider mentoring as a career development opportunity, from both the mentor and mentee perspective.

They explore what mentoring is and what it is not, the role of the mentee in finding and building mentoring relationships and the skills required in the role of the mentor.  They also include resources for further reading and support. An introduction and four standalone resources have been created; however, these are also complementary to each other.  There are resources specifically for mentees and others for mentors, but we recommend looking at all the resources, regardless of the intended role, to become familiar with both roles in a mentoring partnership. The resources are short in length and can be downloaded.

Mentoring - Introduction: An overview of the structure and content of the mentoring resources (3 pages)

Mentoring - Introduction (PDF)

1. Mentoring - What it is, and what it is not: The first resource provides information on what mentoring is and what it involves for both parties (6 pages)

Guide 1: Mentoring - What it is, and what it is not (PDF)

2. Mentoring - Being a Mentee: The second resource focusses on finding a Mentor and how to get the best out of a mentoring partnership (9 pages)

Guide 2: Mentoring - Being a Mentee (PDF)  

3. Mentoring - Being a Mentor: The third resource supports anyone interested in being a Mentor (16 pages)

Guide 3: Mentoring - Being a Mentor (PDF)

4. Mentoring - Further thinking and reading: The fourth resource provides links to further support to develop thinking on mentoring (2 pages)

Guide 4: Mentoring - Further Thinking and Reading (PDF)

Feedback: We would value your feedback on these resources, whether you have found them useful and if they have supported a mentoring partnership.  If you have any comments, please email: iad.researchers@ed.ac.uk

Mentoring Schemes

Mentoring Circles

Mentoring circles are mentoring sessions in which a small group of postdocs in the University of Edinburgh are provided a mentor. They will allow a postdoc to receive mentoring support alongside the opportunity to meet other postdocs with similar interests, challenges, concerns and who may be at the same stage of their career, therefore finding solutions to problems whilst building connections.

Please find out more in our Mentoring Circles for UoE Postdocs webpage

Local Schemes

Several schools across the University of Edinburgh run local level mentoring programmes.  These are smaller programmes, aimed at researchers in their area. 

If you don’t have a local mentoring scheme, consider setting one up. If you are interested in knowing more about what this would entail, the challenges, successes and systems in place, please read our new setting up a local mentoring scheme resource:

1:1 Support

There are also other ways to get 1:1 Support - we list various opportunities on the following page:

Local Level & External Mentoring schemes and 1-1 support opportunities

Further suggestions

If you know of any other relevant schemes, not listed above, please let us know: iad.researchers@ed.ac.uk