Lessons from the road less travelled: student teachers' and newly qualified teachers' experiences of mentoring in the Irish further education and training sector

Abstract

PurposeMentoring processes and relationships can prove crucial to teachers in the initial phases of the teacher education continuum. Limited research exists regarding mentoring in further education and training (FET) in Ireland. This paper attempts to address this gap, illuminating and unpacking the “mentoring stories” of five teachers in FET.Design/methodology/approachThe overall project adopted a narrative approach. Data were collected via in-depth interviews, part of which clearly focussed on participants' lived experience of mentoring. Thematic analysis revealed four overarching themes.FindingsThe themes reveal a spectrum of practices and perspectives on the role of mentors. There are ample instances of collegiality, mutual respect and an appreciation of the professional life stage of the mentee. However, evidently a lack of understanding of who mentors are and what they do persists, leading to some informal approaches and opening up the potential for misinterpretation and misalignment.Originality/valueThis paper sheds light on an area of FET practice that has been relatively unseen before now. It gives voice to those who have experienced mentoring in the Irish FET sector that, to a degree, has seen structural and attitudinal transformations in recent times.