How it works
FAQ

We will open the applications straight after the 2022 Launch event – keep an eye on our socials for more details, or RSVP here to get all updates delivered straight into your inbox 💌  

You can apply by filling out a mentee application form here. You’ll be asked to fill out a few questions about yourself and your professional journey to help our Assisterhood match-makers get to know you. Be yourself, show a little personality, and have some fun with it!

You’ll be notified of the results of your application via email.

We feel the same, all our mentors are AMAZING! We’ve introduced an option to select your #1 mentor preference, or leave it up to the Assisterhood match-makers to set you up!

Mentee applications close at the end of March – we will give you plenty of notice via socials or email if you are a subscriber. There’s still plenty of time to finalise your application, but we recommend getting this one sent off ASAP (we know how life makes a habit of getting in the way!).

Not at all, work experience is not a requirement to be a part of Assisterhood!

Abso-bloody-lutely! We welcome anyone who has applied in the past to try again, you never know your luck.

Send us a message here, or contact us via our socials and one of our friendly squad will get back to you.

Nope! We’re a not-for-profit, non-political organisation. As our founder Linh often says, Assisterhood is a passion project – one fueled by hard work and a dedication to enriching our community.

Assisterhood runs between May and November and is a year-long mentorship program. Once paired with a mentor, you’ll generally catch up once every month. Of course, every mentorship is different. You might opt to arrange a meeting timetable that works better for your individual schedules. 

Nope! We welcome all ages to apply.

We’re committed to ensuring that Assisterhood is inclusive and accessible to Australians from a range of backgrounds, with diverse perspectives, identities and abilities.

Our goal is to create a welcoming environment for people who share our values of tolerance and inclusivity. We support and welcome members of marginalised groups to our community, including people from marginalised racial or ethnic groups, women and non-binary people, sexual minorities including gay, lesbian, trans, bisexual, and asexual people, disabled people, neurodivergent people, marginalised religious groups, parents and caregivers, and members of lower status or marginalised groups.

We recognise the unique strengths and skills that people with diverse backgrounds and experiences offer, which is why we work with all of our mentees to help to reduce any barriers they may face.

We’d love you to! Drop us a line here and tell us more about why you’d like to become part of the Assisterhood as a mentor.

Communication may be in person, via phone, e-mail, zoom, snapchat, smoke signal or any other form of communication you can think of. It’s best to meet in person, especially when you’re meeting for the first time.

• Backgrounds and interests
• What challenges you might be facing
• What your expectations of the program are
• Set goals and/or timelines for the year
• Identify upcoming dates that might impact the program e.g. holidays or work commitments
• Setting calendar dates for meetups

As much as we try to perfectly pair mentees with mentors, sometimes it takes a bit of work to build a strong connection. After all, relationships take time to grow and trust takes time to build. We’ve put together a few handy tips to help build your relationship and make each meeting meaningful:

 

• Get to know each other! Build a rapport with one another by chatting about personal interests. How do they spend their free time? What books are they reading or what are they working on at the moment? You’ll probably have more in common than you think – which will make it easier to relate when talking about career goals.

 

• Talk about mentoring. Every mentee / mentor relationship is different. Sometimes it helps to understand what each of you want to get out of your meetings. Have either one of you participated in a mentorship program before, or had a mentorship relationship? What did you learn from it? What part of the approach did you like and what would you do differently?

 

• Meet consistently and be reliable. It’s important to honor your commitment to your mentor / mentee. Make sure to show respect for each others’ time and be fully present in your discussions. You’ll get way more out of it if you do!

 

• Communicate often and take action with clear expectations. As a mentee, it’s great if you can act on any suggestions made by your mentee and communicate your progress in between meetings. Having great communication and following through on discussions means you’ll both feel that you’re investing time wisely. 

 

• Be open and honest. Be straightforward with each other and welcome transparency. Be open to all types of feedback and communicate your assumptions, needs, limitations and expectations. Just be yourself and the rest will follow! 

 

If you’d like to get in touch with us about your experience in the program, please reach out to us here.

We host a number of events throughout the year. You can expect an initial kick-off party and a fun-filled end-of-year event. We also offer several informational events available to the wider Assisterhood community, to which mentees and mentors have special access. Keep an eye on your inbox for all upcoming events!

You betcha! Mentorships are encouraged to continue after the official program has concluded. Some Assisterhood mentorships last the duration of the program and some continue well beyond it. Both are great outcomes. No matter if your mentorship lasts one year, or twenty – all of our mentees and mentors are encouraged to get the most out of this incredibly rare opportunity as they can.