FST’s Mentoring Programme has been a core element of our work for the last 13 years and supported many in our sector with direction, development and learning.
Mentoring is a two-way partnership of mutual respect, between someone with experience and someone who is seeking support. The FST Mentoring programme aims to raise
self-awareness, encourage increased self-reflection and support a people-centric approach to working. The skills are transferable and applicable in any walk of life, be it at work or home.
If you have any enquiries please don’t hesitate to contact Fiona McCurdy, Professional Development Manager.
FST Mentees
Would you like some structured support to help you manage change, identify goals or deal with a tricky situation at work?
If so, the FST Mentoring Programme could be for you. We will match you with a trained mentor who has committed to 8-10 sessions of mentoring over a 12-month period, providing you with ongoing support.
This is not a role-to-role mentorship scheme, but instead it is a two-way partnership of mutual respect, between someone with experience and someone who is seeking guidance. It is an opportunity for mentees to achieve success in their work through review and reflection.
As a mentee, it is your role to drive the process and set the agenda, relying on your mentor to support you in trying out new ideas, help you learn from your experiences and challenge your assumptions.
This programme is FREE to FST Full and Individual members. It is open to individuals working in all areas of the performing arts – artistic development, production, audience development, technical, education, and all aspects management and administration.
Associate members can access the programme for a subsidised fee of £200+VAT.
If you have any inquiries don’t hesitate to contact our Professional Development Manager fiona.mccurdy@scottishtheatre.org
Mentee Selection Criteria
We will use the information you provide in the attached form to select mentees based on the following:
- to be able to demonstrate how you would benefit from support in your current role and/or your career development and progression
- the support of your employer / manager
- to be available to meet during working hours for around 8-10 sessions, between August 2023 and October 2024, either online or in person, depending on lockdown regulations and what feels most comfortable for both parties.
- to be willing to travel to the mentor for meetings if necessary and to cover your own travel costs or to arrange meetings on a virtual platform as appropriate.
- You can attend the briefing on 26th June.
In terms of the logistics of meeting with your mentor, any meet up time must be mutually agreed in advance, these can be either online or in person. There must be no pressure to meet up in person, both options are equally viable and it must be respected that everyone has different levels of comfort with meeting/travel at this stage.
Previous Mentees said:
My Mentor was exceptionally skilled and supportive and I benefited immensely from this mentoring. It was a surprising, interesting and thoughtful process and has given me some great tools to use.
Previous mentee
Applications have now closed the next round will open in 2024.
FST Mentors
Being a Mentor is an enriching experience and an excellent CPD opportunity for those interested in supporting others in the sector. As part of the programme, you’ll take part in bespoke training to further improve your management and leadership skills, while contributing to your industry peers’ personal and professional development.
The commitment you make as a Mentor is to attend Mentor training and then, throughout the year, have between six and eight sessions with your Mentee. If you decide to continue mentoring the following year, you will be asked to attend Mentor refresher sessions.
Applications are now closed. The next round will open in 2024.
This new addition to our regular mentoring programme will be for people who would like to be paired with a mentor to discuss a specific issue. Existing mentors will specify which areas they are able to provide assistance and will then work with a mentee over a course of up to three sessions over three months. Role-to-role mentoring will be a lighter touch option, where the mentee will be able to work through a specific problem / task.
Mini Mentoring – Mentees
When you apply, we will match you to a mentor, who has expertise in your expressed area of need, for up to three, one-hour sessions across three months (dependant on the availability of a mentor). These can be done in person or online, depending on the availability of your mentor.
Mini Mentoring – Mentors
If you are an existing Mentor and a current FST Member, please fill in this form to express your interest in the programme:
Mini Mentoring is a year-round programme.
If you would like to become a mentee, fill in the application form. If you are an existing mentor and would like to become a mentor in the Mini Mentoring programme, fill in the form below.
This programme is free to FST Full, Associate and Individual members. It is open to individuals working in all areas of the performing arts, it will only depend on the availability of a mentor for your specific area of need.
Mini Mentoring Mentees Application Form:
Andonella Thomson – Biography
FST Mentoring is run by Andonella Thomson from Kingscavil Consulting. Andonella Thomson began her career as a trainer and worked for many years as Learning & Development Manager at Ernst & Young. She is highly experienced and has worked side by side many business leaders both in the Arts and in other sectors. Her coaching style includes using a wealth of tools and techniques which help people develop new skills and fine tune existing skills, achieving their best potential and finding their way forward. Andonella is a Fellow of the CIPD and has a Certificate in Coaching Practice from Westminster University (recognised by the Association for Coaching). She is also a Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner and holds a B.Ed Hons in English Literature.
The FST Mentoring Programme will draw on Andonella’s experience and she will make sure that Mentors are equipped with the resources to deliver mentoring feel supported throughout the whole journey.