Mentoring – the scheme

Our Mentoring Scheme has successfully matched 350 partnerships since its launch in 2016. This popular member benefit makes a real difference to personal success and we’re thrilled the scheme has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Association Excellence Awards 2023 for Best Membership Engagement.

How does mentoring work?

Mentoring takes place within a confidential one-to-one relationship, where Mentors encourage you to collate your thoughts and feelings. The mentoring process is designed to assist you in developing effective approaches to achieving your goals. The relationship lasts for as long or as little as you need – although a period of 6-12 months is often optimum. Though every relationship and career situation is different.

What are the benefits of mentoring?

Working with a mentor can help you to face new challenges, cope with the demands of promotion, invigorate your career, manage changing circumstances and balance the pressures of your working life with your home life. It can also give you greater insight into how to progress effectively.

Mentoring can help you to develop over a substantial period of time and can support you in addressing a wide range of different issues that have the potential to impact your professional life and career development.

Who is a mentor?

Mentors are senior professionals in the field and members of MRS. They want to give something back to their profession, be that their experience, insight, support, ability to offer an additional perspective or capacity to allow you to reflect on your actions.

Mentoring and MRS

Mentoring is beneficial to both you and to your Mentor, who can offer you neutral and objective support. They can support you seeing the bigger picture, enabling you and challenging you as required. Mentoring offers an added perspective that comes from working with someone who has many years of experience and insights into the challenges you may be facing.

At MRS we have been running a Diversity and Inclusion programme for several years, and we are keen to increase opportunity within the sector for less represented groups. We recognise the importance of matching people that have faced similar challenges or have experienced similar environments. There should be no other reason for an individual not to progress in their career other than personal choice or professional competence.  

Who can access the MRS Mentoring Scheme?

The MRS Mentoring Scheme available to all individual MRS Members as a free membership benefit. There is a matching service to ensure you are connected to the right mentor. Places are limited so there can be a waiting list for the scheme. Individuals are allocated places on the basis of location, match and mentoring needs and ambitions, as well as availability.