Esther's blog: Citymothers and Cityfathers Mentors Ahoy..

Louisa and I decided I should jump the queue and blog out of turn to draw your attention to the fact the current application window for the Citymothers Mentoring Scheme is now open but is closing in just two days, on Wednesday 19 November.

We have run a pilot Scheme since last summer, which seems to have been going smoothly.  We are therefore pleased to be able to expand our Scheme at this stage, so as to include male as well as female mentors. You may have seen that we have invited Women Ahead, which specialises in business/sport mentoring, to support us in the matching process.  This is to ensure a robust infrastructure enabling our mentoring scheme to grow. 

We’ve had some great comments and endorsements from the current cohort.  One person says she considers the conversations “some of the most helpful” she has ever had on personal and career issues, and another is very grateful for “helping her turn her career around”.  These are pretty significant accolades.  Of course, in other cases it will not be momentous topics, but the day-to-day grind that is under discussion, and rightly too given that for most of us this is the norm.

We currently have well over 150 applications, but with more from mentees than mentors, so we urge potential mentors to apply enabling us to match as many pairs as possible.  Filling out the application form (see below) takes a few minutes and mentors pay nothing to join the scheme.  And we also encourage mentees to apply, for the reasons I explain below regarding the matching process

I’ve been asked by several potential applicants whether they have sufficient experience to be a mentor, and the first answer has to be that it depends on who applies to the Scheme on any particular occasion.  If some mentees are relatively junior in their field, a mid-career mentor may be fine: we can’t tell until we see the full picture when our application window closes.  We can only invite both mentors and mentees to join in if we feel we’ve found you a good match, and that is where Women Ahead are going to be using their considerable experience.  And if you were, for whatever reason, turned down for this window, the scheme membership is dynamic and if you reapply you may be successful next time.  Secondly, you are provided with an e-induction booklet which includes advice about the initial and subsequent meetings, how to have a good mentoring conversations and suggestions for further reading, there is ongoing support from me and other coaching and mentoring professionals in the form of mentoring skills drop-in “surgeries” and I am available on the phone to discuss any further issues.

Assuming you do think you have the skills and experience, what is in it for you as a mentor?  Well, it is flexible (every six weeks or so), not too time consuming (an hour or a little more in person or by skype), a learning opportunity (good listening skills translate into many workplace environments), worthwhile, potentially a good networking opportunity . . .  and most mentors would say that it is also fun. 

For more information about the framework of the Scheme and our Mentoring Code, please log in and go to http://www.citymothers.co.uk/MembersArea/118.htm

Application form links are below:

Mentor Application Form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MentorNov14

Mentee Application Form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MenteeNov14

A very wise person I once discussed my career development with said to me, “just make sure you have lots of interesting conversations”.  Our Mentoring Scheme facilitates just that.  Please do join in!

Very best, Esther

Mentoring Scheme Director

Esther is a member of the Citymothers Steering Committee and runs the Citymothers mentoring scheme. She trained and first made her living as a musician and then worked for over two decades in the City, becoming a partner in her law firm. She now combines legal consultancy, executive coaching, performing the piano, teaching and two non-executive Board positions in what seems to have turned into a third, portfolio career.