Information for mentees

The Postdoc Academy Mentoring Scheme is open to:

• all postdocs at the University of Cambridge and our partner institutions
• who have started their role at least eight weeks before the start of the mentoring contract
• and have at least nine months left on their contract from the start of the mentoring contract.

Yes, if your contract is confirmed or likely to be extended, you will have the opportunity to tell us this on the application form. We may contact you for more details after you apply.

Mentoring takes place over a nine-month period. This is why we require mentees to have nine months left on their postdoc contract.

There are three cohorts a year: 

• January – September (applications open in October)
• May – January (applications open in February)
• September – May (applications open in June)

We advertise in the Postdoc Bulletin, LinkedIn and the website a few months before the start of each cohort - usually in October, February and June.

Applications are through an online form.

Mentees are expected to:

• Be proactive in initiating and maintaining the relationship with their mentor.
• Be able and willing to commit to the full nine months of their cohort.
• Be available to meet at least three times during the nine-month period – many pairs meet more often than this.

When you apply, you will be asked to tell us about where you work, what you do, your priorities for mentoring and any other information about why you are applying and what you want to get out of the scheme.

We ask mentors a similar set of questions about their experience and the areas they feel most comfortable offering support. We compare your needs with what each mentor offers. Based on this, we look for the most appropriate match for each mentee.

Most matches are made based on several criteria being met, rather than one single overriding priority.

Wherever possible we try to match mentees with mentors in related fields. This isn’t always possible and sometimes the best mentor for you might be selected on other priorities.

For example, if your most important priority is balancing work and family and there is no available mentor in your field with appropriate experience, we might match you to a mentor from a different field who can speak to your specific needs, especially if that mentor meets other matching criteria as well.

We do not match mentees and mentors from the same department.

This avoids potential conflicts of interest and gives mentees the benefit of a broad range of experience.

Many of our mentors are based in Cambridge, but we have mentors from other parts of the UK and from abroad.

No, you cannot choose your mentor. We hand-match mentees with mentors who have registered with us. We aim to match people who do not already know one another.

If you know someone who would make a great mentor, suggest that they apply to be a mentor on the scheme, but be aware that we will not match you with them.

Unfortunately we are not always able to match every mentee who applies. The scheme is often oversubscribed and whether you are matched or not will depend on the availability of mentors who can address your specific needs.

If you are not matched, we encourage you to apply again when we re-advertise, if the length of your contract allows.

Your mentor may be able to support you in one or more of the following areas, depending on what you tell us you need in your application:

• Understanding your career options better, insights into career paths and how to approach the jobs market, and setting realistic career goals. Your mentor will not be able to find you a job or open their contacts book to you.
• Dealing with difficult situations in your current role.
• Helping you tackle areas where your work and personal life coincide, e.g. setting a good work-life balance, balancing work and family, addressing difficulties relating to self-confidence, etc. Note that your mentor is not your counsellor, psychologist or doctor - they can only give you professional advice, based on their experience, about how to navigate the impact of personal issues at work.
• Opening your eyes to ways of thinking and doing which are beyond your current experience.

Either is fine - it is up to you and your mentor to decide what works best.

If you and your mentor are in Cambridge and are struggling to find a space to meet, you can register with the Postdoc Academy to book a space in one of our centres.

While it’s fine to use email to get to know more about each other initially and to set up meetings, we do not encourage mentoring by email. If your mentor only wants to communicate by email and does not want to set up in person or online meetings, please let us know on mentoring.pda@admin.cam.ac.uk.

While most mentoring relationships are very positive, occasionally something does not go as planned. Perhaps unforeseen circumstances make it difficult for you or your mentor to keep up the planned commitment to the scheme. Occasionally, partnerships which look good on paper don’t work out in real life.

If you are unable to keep up the mentoring commitment, please email your mentor, explaining the situation and copying in mentoring.pda@admin.cam.ac.uk. If you do not hear from your mentor as expected, please let us know, so that we can follow up.

If you have any concerns or don’t feel that the match is working for you, please let us know on mentoring.pda@admin.cam.ac.uk. We can try to resolve the issue, and, if this is not possible, may suggest that we re-match you in the next cohort. All correspondence will be treated as confidential, and we will not share anything you tell us with your mentor, except with your consent.

In any of these cases, please don’t wait until we request feedback to communicate with us. Contact us as soon as there is an issue, so that we can help you as soon as possible.

If you miss an application window for our scheme, or you are looking for a different type of support with your development, you can find the following resources around the University:

• Postdoc Careers Service - offer 1:1 appointments for career planning, feedback on applications and preparation for job interviews.
• Staff Diversity Networks - are open to individuals who work for the University, a College or an associated institution and are members of a protected group. They provide networking and social events, and some run their own mentoring programmes.
• Strategic Research Networks and Interdisciplinary Research Centres - provide opportunities to connect with people across the University working on similar research themes in different disciplines.
• Staff Counselling Centre - provide counselling sessions open to all members of staff, you can refer yourself in confidence online. They also provide mental health resources and information about ways to seek support.
• Mentoring Sharepoint - guidance, resources, and information on the various schemes available to both academic and professional services staff.