We are pleased to announce the launch of the FWSA mentoring scheme.

The FWSA Mentoring Scheme aims to foster a strong feminist community that encourages supportive and collegial relationships between members of the Association. The scheme is for FWSA members who have passed their PhDs and are early- or mid-career scholars. They will be paired with a more experienced mentor who is able to pass on advice or share experiences. With academic work becoming ever more precarious and competitive, the aim of the mentoring scheme is to counter this environment with a collective feminist politics and a supportive environment for feminist colleagues. Having received supervisory support during their PhD work, some researchers find guidance at this point of the academic career trajectory to be lacking. In particular, the FWSA aims to support those without institutional support or other sources of mentorship.

Mentees will be introduced to their mentor by email, and we envisage that this will be an informal relationship to provide good counsel. It is a supportive, one-to-one relationship, within a confidential and supportive environment, and based on mutual trust. The mentoring relationship will last for 12 months over the course of the academic year (October-September). We suggest that once mentors and mentees are matched by the FWSA that they mutually agree the expectations of the coming year. Matters for discussion may include job applications, publications and research, career anxieties, academic politics, feminist mobilising in academia, teaching tips, and so on. The amount of contact between the mentor and mentee is flexible, although we would suggest a minimum of 4 meetings (in person, by email, Skype or telephone) in the 12-month period. Mentors and mentees may wish to stay in touch after the mentoring period has ended, but this is not a formal agreement.

See our FWSA Mentoring Scheme page for further details about the the mentor/mentee roles, the 2019/20 cohort of mentors, and instructions for applicants.

Deadline for Applications:  Friday 20 September 2019

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