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Participants Obligations

• Mentoring requires genuine commitment. It takes up little of your time, but you must be mentally prepared to stay in contact all year.
• It is essential that mentors and students understand and discuss their separate expectations for the program. You need to ensure you are both agreed on what the mentoring partnership is about and how it will work.
• While every effort will be made in matching the student and mentor if the students interests and the mentors area of specialty do not coincide, both need to take responsibility for having an open mind. This can be a great opportunity to broaden perspectives and look outside the square

Student Obligations

Students are expected to make the first contact, which is fortunately quite easy! Usually sending a quick introductory e-mail is best, explaining your background and your (realistic) hopes for the mentoring program.

If you do not receive a response after two emails and/or phone messages, please contact your coordinator IMMEDIATELY. Assistance or possible re-matching is available, and no one is to blame.

It is the responsibility of the student to arrange meetings identify 3 possible meeting dates, then send these to your mentor to find the most suitable time. REMEMBER, the programme is intended to be mutually beneficial, but students have the most to gain, so are responsible for driving the relationship.

Before you go to this first appointment think about what you want from the programme. Some questions you may like to consider;

• What is the main goal I want to achieve with this programme?
  e.g. exposure to practical experiences, networking, exploring career path options
• How can I manage my time effectively in order to meet my commitments?
  e.g. regular emails, set meetings to a regular schedule.
• What are realistic and unrealistic expectations?
  e.g. career guidance is realistic, a job is not; support is realistic, report critiques are
  not; a friendly professional relationship is realistic, best friends is not!

Remember that mentors are volunteering to participate in this programme and that being offered a mentor is a privilege. If you fail to demonstrate your commitment to the programme you may jeopardise your own reputation, and that of the API. Be proactive and take initiative.

Mentor Obligations

Your student will contact you seeking to arrange the first meeting. To overcome initial call reluctance we have suggested that they make the initial contact via email to introduce themselves and offer some suggestions as to the time for the initial meeting.

Before that appointment students have been asked to think about what they want out of the programme. It is important for the success of the mentoring relationship that you both discuss and document your expectations and plan how you will meet them.

At this first meeting we would suggest you plan a series of meetings throughout the year with your student. It would be ideal if four of these could be half days where the student has the opportunity to observe the various aspects of you operations as well as some less formal contact like a quick coffee and a chat. Think about what your firm can offer in the way of varied experience.

Students are not always sure or clear about their direction, so be patient, open to difference and provide encouragement and support in their efforts to draw upon your experience and knowledge.

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