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Membership

Mentoring scheme

Are you working towards Chartered membership or fellowship? To help you get there, would you benefit from advice and support from an experienced IOSH member?

What is mentoring?

What is the mentoring scheme?

Who are our mentors?

How can a mentor help me?

Will it cost me anything to have a mentor?

How will I be able to contact my mentor?

How long can I have a mentor?

I want a mentor – what do I need to do?

I need advice about professional growth but don't think I need a mentor – what should I do?

What would I get out of being a mentor?

What skills do I need to be a mentor?

I want to become a mentor – what do I need to do?

What is mentoring?

Mentoring is the process of sharing personal knowledge, experience and skills with someone less experienced. It's a two-way learning partnership between the mentor and the person being mentored (the mentee), and is ideal for professional growth and development.

What is the mentoring scheme?

The mentoring scheme is for members working towards a new membership category via qualifications, Initial Professional Development (IPD) or Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

If you're aiming to join a new membership category, there might be times when you need support and advice from someone who's more experienced than you. To give you this support, we've set up a mentoring scheme.

Who are our mentors?

Our mentors are all IOSH members. They'll help you with your learning and development needs, and offer you feedback, support and encouragement.

How can a mentor help me?

A mentor can help you:

complete your IPD or CPD process
revise for re-examination after a failed open book exam
get ready for your peer review interview
prepare for Chartered membership
compile and submit a fellowship portfolio.

What you get from being mentored will depend on what you need help with.

Will it cost me anything to have a mentor?

All our mentors are volunteers, so they don't charge for support and advice. If you want your mentor to call you, or travel to meet you, then you'll have to pay their expenses.

How will I be able to contact my mentor?

You can email or phone your mentor. Remember – if you want to meet your mentor, you'll have to pay for their travel expenses.

How long can I have a mentor?

It really depends on what you need. If you need help preparing for a peer review interview, then you may want a mentor for a few weeks. If you need support and advice to achieve Chartered Fellow status, you may need a mentor for longer.

I want a mentor – what do I need to do?

Mentoring is a two-way partnership, so as a mentee you need to be:

eager to learn
open to new ideas
happy to take on board feedback about your skills and behaviour
willing to put the advice of your mentor into practice.

If you'd like the support of a mentor, email Fiona Gelling or phone +44 (0)116 257 3168.

I need advice about professional growth but don't think I need a mentor – what should I do?

If you've got a one-off question that you need a quick answer to, then it's probably best to post your question on our Careers [Forums 8.0] or Study support forums [Forums 8.0]. Forum users will then be able to give you advice.

Branch meetings are also a great place to network with your peers and get support with your professional development. Log in to MyIOSH to find out when your next branch meeting is.

What would I get out of being a mentor?

As well as having the satisfaction of passing on your knowledge, experience and skills to another member, you'll also:

develop your personal, leadership and coaching skills
continue your own professional growth
help IOSH achieve its missions.

What skills do I need to be a mentor?

Mentors need to be:

good listeners
able to give effective feedback
good at setting goals and planning towards achieving them
able to motivate your mentee.

These might be skills that you're already using in your everyday work. If you need to have some training before you can start mentoring, we'll arrange this for you.