Information for international mentors

Would you like to support a young woman in her professional development?

Do you work for a company, a university, a research institution, a government agency, an NGO or another institution in the German state of Hesse or in a neighboring region?

Do you speak German and/or English?

Then you can join Mentoring Hessen!

Mentors in ProCareer.MINT guide and support STEM (MINT) students. As a mentor in this line of support, you are a scientist or engineer with at least 2 years of professional experience. Mentors in ProCareer.Doc guide and support doctoral or postdoctoral students. Ideally, you have a doctorate and/or are in a management position with at least 2 years of professional experience. There are no subject-specific restrictions.

In the ProCareer line of support, there are only female mentors. They come from commercial enterprises, research, research management and many other fields of work. Mentoring Hessen cooperates with a number of large companies from various sectors. However, working for one of these employers is not a prerequisite for participation as a mentor.

Only professors from universities and non-academic research institutions take part in ProAcademia and ProProfessur. They support and advance young researchers.

Please contact us before registering. We will be happy to advise you on whether participation makes sense for you. In general, it is not possible to register as a mentor for ProProfessur.

Contact persons for international mentors are as follows:

Students of STEM (MINT) subjects: Dr. Uta Henßge henssge@mentoringhessen.de

Doctoral students: Claudia Miebach miebach@mentoringhessen.de

Postdocs: Dr. Christiane Rühle ruehle@mentoringhessen.de

Prospective professors: Dr. Sarah Wieners wieners@mentoringhessen.de

  

Mentoring Hessen

Mentoring Hessen is a joint project of Hessian universities and universities of applied sciences to advance the careers of women. The aim is to increase the percentage of women in attractive specialist and management positions in both academia and business. With the help of four different lines of support, young women are supported and guided through the decisive phases of their professional development – from student to professor! The close cooperation with renowned companies and research institutions also opens up career opportunities outside of academia.

Through mentoring, training and networking, young women are supported in the decisive phases of their professional development. In each of our lines of support, we offer tailored mentoring that enables both one-on-one support with a mentor and support in a peer group. The training and networking program includes target group-specific and comprehensive workshops and events on soft skills, career strategies and other topics.

Benefits for mentors

  • Reflection on one’s own professional career and meaningful transfer of experiences and informal knowledge
  • Enhancement of consulting and leadership skills
  • Exchange and networking with other women experts in business and academia
  • Ideas and suggestions for one’s own professional development

 

ProCareer.MINT

Target group: Students of STEM (MINT) subjects at universities in the German state of Hesse (Bachelor, Master, State Examination)

Aims: Guidance and support during studies and in transition phases to a Master’s degree, doctorate and career entry into business, academia or the public sector

Mentoring: One-on-one mentoring with experienced mentors from business, academia or administration

Duration: 12 months, starting annually

Available spaces: 145

 

ProCareer.Doc 

Target group: Doctoral students and early postdocs (up to two years after their doctorate) from all disciplines at higher education institutions in the German state of Hesse

Aims: Guidance on post-doctoral career options focusing on business, research or research management and the development of individual career strategies

Mentoring: One-on-one mentoring with experienced mentors from business, academia or administration, combined with peer mentoring

Duration: 12 months, starting annually

Available spaces: 85

Our coordinator Claudia Miebach made a video about Mentoring Hessen. It was originally for the event  Impulse – Getting started and connected in the end of January 2021, an event especially for new PhD students at the TU Darmstadt. Claudia Miebach explains  short and to the point everything you need to know about the lines of support ProCareer.Doc and ProAcademia.

ProAcademia

Target group: Early postdocs (up to two years after their doctorate) and advanced doctoral students from all disciplines offered by universities in the German state of Hesse with the goal of pursuing a career in academia

Aims: Support and qualification for a successful future in academia or non-academic research

Mentoring: One-on-one mentoring with professors from universities or research institutions, combined with peer counselling and workshops for qualification in the scientific community

Duration: 18 months, starting every two years

Available spaces: 33

Our coordinator Claudia Miebach made a video about Mentoring Hessen. It was originally for the event  Impulse – Getting started and connected in the end of January 2021, an event especially for new PhD students at the TU Darmstadt. Claudia Miebach explains  short and to the point everything you need to know about the lines of support ProCareer.Doc and ProAcademia.

 

ProProfessur

Target group: Advanced postdocs, habilitation candidates, associate professors (Privatedozentinnen), junior professors, junior research group leaders from all disciplines offered at universities in the German state of Hesse

Aims: Qualification, guidance, individual career planning and career support on the way to professorship at universities or universities of applied sciences

Mentoring: One-on-one mentoring with professors from universities or research institutions, combined with peer counselling and workshops for qualification in the scientific community

Duration: 18 months, starting every two years

Available spaces: 45

 

Registration

You can register as a mentor all year round. In order to be considered for the next mentoring programs, you must register by January 31st of each year.

With your registration, you can participate in the training programs and networking activities offered by Mentoring Hessen, even if you have not (yet) been placed in a mentoring position.