What is mentoring?

• A more experienced student (i.e. a mentor) provides support to new students or applicants to study at Charles University (mentoring client = mentee).

• Mentor helps mentee to overcome the challenges brought about by their studies or life situations, find their way around their studies or preparation for them.

• The mentee (client) receives support in a new life situation (i.e. at the beginning of studies or during preparation for studies), thanks to which they can better manage their study obligations / preparation for entrance exams.

• The mentor meets with the mentee approximately once a week for an hour (in person or online) and receives renumeration for his/her work (now 150 CZK per hour).

• The mentoring service is completely free for clients (mentees) (students and applicants).

Who can become a mentoring client?

The program is for students from the 1st and 2nd years or applicants to study at Charles University.

• If you have lower economic support from your family (for example, your family receives social benefits).

• If you have come to study at CU from Ukraine

• You are the first in your family to attend university, and your parents cannot advise you on findng your way about the university.

• You are enrolled in a Czech study programme, which is not your mother tongue.

• You left high school a long time ago.

• You may be disadvantaged due to ethnic stigmatization.

• You are a student parent.

• You have already failed your studies once.

• You have an individual study plan.

• You have difficulties in studying.

• You have other reasons.

How do clients evaluate the experience of mentoring?

„Petra helps me with requirements from the study department: how to adjust my study plan and schedule, how to effectively plan my studies, how to eventually get involved in associations, what to expect from certain subjects. She showed me all the important web pages of the faculty and their links, and how to navigate them. It definitely reduces my stress level and my academic results do not suffer thanks to this, so I am very satisfied with the program so far, we have a pleasant informal working relationship and Petra is a very likeable person.“

Sára, 1st year student at the Faculty of Medicine, Charles University

What does the mentee get?

Mentees work with their mentors on, for example, the following topics:

• How studies work, how things are at the faculty, where I can find out what information and what each field deals with

• How to find your way around in the first year

• How to register for new subjects

• How to register for exams

• How to learn effectively

• How to adjust your study plan

• How to adjust your schedule

• What to expect from certain subjects

• How to find your way around the faculty's website

• How to organize your studies in individual semesters

• What to expect from entrance exams

• What to study for entrance exams

• What is it like to study at the selected faculty/selected field

• How to handle it all

What does the mentor get?

• You will learn how professional relationship works and principles of professional communication.

• You will learn to pass on practical experience and information.

• You will learn to understand the client's needs.

• You will have an interesting entry for your CV.

• Financial evaluation (now 150 CZK/hour)

Get yourself a mentor!

If you want a mentor for yourself, contact the mentoring coordinator:

Tereza Smejkalová

tel.: 222 491 759

email: tereza.smejkalova@ruk.cuni.cz

consultation hours: by appointment

• Advice for Ukrainian students

• Mentoring for Ukrainian learners

• Social counselling for Ukrainian learners