careerMe Mentoring

The ‘Career in Academia’ programme track is aimed at advanced doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and tenure-track and career-track professors who wish to receive support with their academic career planning and development.
Postdoctoral researchers or (tenure-track and career-track) professors at the University of Erfurt act as mentors for doctoral candiates.
For postdoctoral researchers and tenure-track and career-track professors, experienced professors at the University of Erfurt who have held a professorship for at least three years are available to act as mentors.

For mentees:

• Strengthening and guidance at the relevant stage of their career
• Support in achieving individual career goals
• Gaining informal knowledge about structures and processes at the university
• Increasing the chances of a (long-term) academic career
• Insights into other subject areas

For mentors:

• Individual, targeted, yet interdisciplinary support for postgraduate researchers
• Further development of one’s own advisory skills
• Gaining new inspiration for one’s own work
• Reflection on one’s own career path and leadership experiences

The careerMe mentoring programme focuses on personal interaction between mentor and mentee. 
A mentoring agreement, drawn up at the start, serves as the basis for the relationship and sets out both substantive and organisational aspects, such as the frequency of meetings.
Within the mentoring relationship, the mentee takes on an active role.
To ensure optimal preparation for this role, a mandatory coaching with an external coach takes place. Mentors also have the opportunity to take advantage of preparatory coaching.
In the ‘Career in Academia’ programme track, mentors and mentees generally come from different subject areas to promote interdisciplinary perspectives and facilitate an ‘outside perspective’.

The start date of the mentoring is flexible. The programme runs for one year. 

In addition, a networking event is organised at least once a year to encourage exchange with current and former programme participants and to build a lasting network.

Interested individuals may apply as mentees if at least two years have passed since their acceptance as a doctoral student at the time of application, or if they are postdoctoral researchers. In addition, participants must plan to remain at the University of Erfurt for at least one year.

All interested parties must first complete an online application form (see Getting started with mentoring). However, this does not automatically guarantee participation in the programme.

After a successful application, participation in a preparatory coaching session (max. 1 hour) is mandatory (Appointments available from June).

Before applying to be a mentee, please read the guide to learn more about how the mentoring relationship works and your role as a mentee.

You can find the guide here.

1. Application

We use an online application form (see below) to find a suitable mentor for you. The application form serves as the basis for the matching process, in which the topics and content preferences of potential mentees are matched with the areas in which mentors can provide support.

2. Preparatory coaching

While we are searching for a suitable mentor for you, you will participate in preparatory coaching session  (Appointments available from June). During this session, you will receive support in clarifying your goals for the mentoring program and will be provided with comprehensive information about your role as a mentee.
The specified goals will be communicated to the programme coordination so that, based on this information and the details provided in the application form, the matching process can be as precise as possible.

3. Initial contact with your mentor

Following the preparatory coaching and the matching process, you will receive your mentor’s contact details. You should then contact your mentor and arrange an initial meeting.

4. Mentoring Agreement

During the first meeting, you will go through the mentoring agreement together. This involves setting out organisational and content-related aspects and formulating mutual expectations within the mentoring relationship.
You will then send us the agreement (to akademische-qualifizierung@uni-erfurt.de).
The date of signing marks the start of the mentoring relationship. 

5. Individual mentoring relationship

You arrange appointments with your mentor on an individual basis.
The duration is one year. If both parties are interested, the relationship can continue privately.

Please read the privacy policy for careerMe mentoring before applying.

Please fill out the application form that corresponds to your target group.