Released On 07 May 2019
Cityparents Mentoring Scheme 2019 Launch
This year’s Cityparents Mentoring Scheme will be open for applications from mentors and mentees between 13th – 24th May.
Mentor applications are invited from senior-level people who have experience of balancing home life with a progressive career in a ‘City’ profession, or who are sensitive to the issues involved in doing so.
Mentee applications are welcomed from anyone looking for a supportive and confidential space in which they can reflect upon, discuss and devise strategies designed to help them manage their career progression with their work-life balance. Topics might include career development and career transition, or managing a return to work after Parental Leave or an extended career break.
Each year participants stem from a broad range of City professions including law, investment banking, asset management, accountancy, human resources, information technology, regulation and professional services.
Our cross-company scheme provides working parents with valuable 1 – 1 support and has the huge advantage of enabling people to be matched with a mentor from outside their own firm, and even industry if desired. As such participants can broaden their perspectives, expand their networks and trust in the confidential and impartial nature of the process.
How to apply
Applications can be made via our website – application form links will be available here on 13th May. If applicants are successfully matched, mentees are asked to pay a fee of £100. There is no charge for mentors.
Once a match has been made, we ask mentors and mentees to commit to meeting either in person or by Skype, or the equivalent, approximately every 6 weeks for a year.
Launch and timeline
The Cityparents Spring 2019 cohort formally launched with our ‘The Power of Mentoring’ event. Kindly hosted by Mizuho in the City on Wednesday 8th May, the seminar gave potential mentors and mentees an insight into mentoring, answered questions about the practical elements of the Cityparents Mentoring Scheme and offered the chance for attendees to meet others from different companies and to chat about mentoring.
The Online Application window then opens on Monday 13th May and closes on Friday 24th May. Mentees and mentors are asked to complete an application form, are matched by the Cityparents Mentoring Scheme Director and will be notified in mid-June.
Mentees are asked to pay £100 to confirm their place in the scheme; there is no charge for mentors. If we have more mentees than mentors, it is sometimes necessary to refund mentee applicants if a match cannot be made. For more information on the Terms & Conditions of the Scheme please see here.
In the Autumn we will hold a second event that focuses more closely on Mentoring tools and techniques and that, once again, provides members with the opportunity to share their experiences and questions with each other.
Further Information:
The Cityparents Mentoring Scheme: An Introduction and Resource
Cityparents Mentoring Code
Cityparents Mentoring Scheme FAQs
Next Steps
For any questions at all regarding Individual or Corporate Group applications, please contact Sarah Tennant, Cityparents Mentoring Scheme Director, at sarah@cityparents.co.uk. Equally, if you are already taking part this year, or participated in previous Schemes, we welcome your feedback at the same address. We hope to meet you soon!
And finally…
We ensure the quality of the Scheme in several ways:
Applicants need to comply with the Cityparents Mentoring Code, which you can read here. This is based on a variety of relevant Ethical Codes, including those of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council, the Association for Coaching and the British Psychological Society.
Our Mentoring Scheme Director carefully matches applicants, provides support throughout the process and is available to answer queries from mentees and mentors during the 12-month Scheme.
Participants are encouraged to view their first meeting as a chemistry check for compatibility on both sides.
We host regular events designed to bring together members interested in and participating in the Scheme. These events answer questions on mentoring in general and examine tools and techniques in more detail. They also provide a great opportunity for our members to connect with other like-minded mentors and mentees, and for HR professionals considering the value of mentoring within their organisation.
We will seek your feedback on your experience and use this to ensure that the Scheme is meeting its goals, as well as to help inform our approach in future.
About Sarah Tennant, Mentoring Scheme Director
Sarah is an Executive Coach and Facilitator, accredited by the Association for Coaching (AC), working across industries with individuals and teams and specialising in leadership development, career transition and women returners. Her 20-year background in independent consultancy, business development and training have provided her with a strong insight into the challenges, opportunities and requirements faced by organisations, as well as how executive coaching can effectively help individuals and teams to develop, grow and meet these needs. After gaining her coaching accreditation, Sarah established SLT Executive Coaching to provide people facing career ‘pressure points’ with a positive and collaborative space to be heard, reflect and to devise strategies to manage transition points of their careers. In particular, she is a strong advocate for supporting women through career transition points, as well as for helping organisations retain their female talent pool and work towards closing the gender pay gap.