JGU recognizes the concepts of mentoring, coaching and networking as important tools to promote young researchers. JGU is therefore striving to strengthen and expand these concepts while focusing on different target groups.
Mentoring is a voluntary counseling commitment without payment. The mentoring relationship consists of a personal exchange relationship that is limited in time and free from hierarchy between a more experienced person (mentor) and an inexperienced person (mentee). This concept’s goal is to support the mentee with respect to his or her personal and professional development. Sharing experiences and know-how as well as providing contacts and access to professional structures, sources of information and networks, are at the heart of the mentoring relationship. Usually both sides profit from this collaboration. Issues such as education, career, reconciliation of family duties and professional activity and free time or even personal development are addressed. To date, many mentoring programs exist at JGU across all faculties focusing in particular on young female researchers.
Campus Mainz Mentoring+ gives an overview of mentoring offers and selected qualification programs of Johannes Gutenberg-University and Hochschule Mainz (in German only).
Coaching is an interactive and individual consultation and support process that may comprise professional and personal subjects. Coaching focuses on a person’s professional role and the client’s current concerns in connection with it. The coach does not present solutions, but the client’s own options for action are developed and the coach provides methodological and structural support. Coach and coachee make a working agreement based on mutual trust, voluntary participation and, of course, discretion. Coaching can be offered to individuals or teams.
Networking within the scientific community is indispensable to a successful scientific career. Moreover, the exchange with other doctoral candidates on professional and/or non-professional issues can also be personally enriching.