Career Mentor Agreement

By becoming a mentor within the Career Mentoring (students) and/or the Career Mentoring (alumni), I agree:

1. My profile (first name, summary of work history, role and sector) can be made available to students and recent alumni who are looking for a mentor within the scheme.

2. My email address and telephone number may be shared with my mentee once we have been matched.

3. To complete the mentor training before I start mentoring.

4. To support my mentee in the establishment of their career-related goals and in the attainment of these goals.

5. To maintain regular contact with my mentee by email, telephone and/or via a virtual meeting platform such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Skype (or any other suitable alternative) for the duration of the relationship.

6. To provide feedback to the Scheme Coordinator at points during the mentoring and at the end, as requested.

7. To inform the Scheme Coordinator as soon as possible if there is a problem with my mentee I cannot resolve.

8. To treat as confidential all information that my mentee chooses to share with me. Working in confidence with a mentee means not revealing information to any other person.Exceptions to this include:

If you need to discuss an aspect of your practice or an issue in the relationship in a confidential conversation with the Scheme Coordinator or their Manager, which may require you to share context from the mentoring relationship.
If you believe that a mentee is at risk of causing harm to themselves or to another person, and referral to a third-party is required.
If you believe that a mentee may have committed or may commit an illegal activity and it is necessary to inform the relevant authorities.

Code of Conduct for Mentors

1. Introduction

1.1 The Code of Conduct establishes and maintains standards for mentors when working in a mentoring relationship with mentees within the University of Nottingham’s Career Mentoring scheme for students or alumni.

2. Guiding principles

2.1 Confidentiality must be maintained throughout the mentoring relationship, with ways of working agreed between mentor and mentee.

2.2 A mentor enables a space for mentees to discuss what’s on their mind in relation to a specific career path or role.

2.3 Mentoring relationships must be professional, based on values of integrity, competence and confidentiality.

2.4 The relationship takes place remotely; using email, telephone or via virtual meeting platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype (or any other suitable alternatives) for the duration of the relationship.

3. Confidentiality

3.1 A mentor must treat as confidential all information that their mentee chooses to share with them. Working in confidence with a mentee means not revealing information to any other person; exceptions to this would be:

Discussion of the mentor’s practice or about an issue in the relationship in a confidential conversation with the Scheme Coordinator or their manager, which may require them to share context from the mentoring relationship
If a mentor believes that a mentee is at risk of causing harm to themselves or to another person, and referral to a third-party is required.
If you believe that a mentee may have committed or may commit an illegal activity and it is necessary to inform the relevant authorities.

4. Responsibilities

4.1 A mentor working within the Career Mentoring (student or alumni) scheme in a mentoring relationship must comply with this Code of Conduct.

4.2 A mentor will take account of a mentee’s individual needs, development level and abilities.

4.3 A mentor must be aware of any differences in cultural identity between themselves and their mentee, and of implications for practice which arise from differences.

4.4 A mentor is responsible for agreeing the way they will work with their mentee, through an agreement established at their first session.

4.5 A mentor will not work with a mentee with whom they have a relationship that would compromise their working together in a mentoring capacity, e.g. friendship or sexual relationship.

5. Competence

5.1 A mentor must complete the online Mentor Training (provided by the Scheme Coordinstor) before they start mentoring and engage in further training, as required, for as long as they remain active within the scheme.

5.2 A mentor must be aware of the limitations in their practice, and refer a mentee back to the Scheme Coordinator to find an alternative mentor, where necessary, in order to meet their individual needs.

5.3 A mentor must feel able to withdraw from a mentoring relationship if they identify a situation where withdrawal should be temporary or permanent.

6. Best practice working

6.1 An initial session between mentor and mentee should establish an agreement on ways of working and boundaries.

6.2 A mentor should agree with their mentee the frequency, timing and duration of sessions.

6.3 A mentor should explore at an early stage a mentee’s expectations of their working relationship.

6.4 Tools and techniques may be used by the mentor to enhance a conversation or enable a mentee to express their thinking or feeling, and to meet individual needs. Additional training/tools will be provided throughout the year to mentors via regular updates.

6.5 A mentor must not allow their personal opinions to take precedence over their mentee’s.

6.6 A mentor should seek regular feedback on their practice.

6.7 A mentor should end the mentoring relationship once a mentee has received the help they originally sought, or when mentoring is no longer helping them, or when it is appropriate to refer the mentee to an alternative helping therapy.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact givingtime@nottingham.ac.uk