The Expat’s Guide to Finding a Mentor in Prague

No one has it all figured out. Sometimes all of us could use a little guidance and inspiration from another person. One way to do that is through the concept of mentoring. Having a mentor offers to enhance your personal development for little or no cost at all. Isn’t that great?! But where to look when you’re looking for a mentor in Prague?

In the previous blog posts, we looked at what mentoring is and also what to expect from it. Now let’s explore programs and platforms where a working adult can find a mentor in Prague.

Check with Your Employer 

Mentoring programs are very popular now. I feel that mentoring is really the resource that could be tapped into by every company. It doesn’t cost much money and it helps people. It creates a better company atmosphere and people feel cared about. 

Kristin LaRonca Parpel, Executive Coach and Consultant

If you work for a successful, established company, the chances are that they provide some type of mentoring program for their employees. Ask your boss or the HR department how you can get involved.

Examples of companies in Czechia with internal mentoring programs: Avast; Coca Cola; Česká spořitelna; ČEZ; Heineken; IBM; Innogy; Net4Gas… and many others.

Mentoring Programs in Prague

Prague English speaking mentoring programs are targeting specific business areas or genders. To be precise, one program in my selection is focused on start-up owners and the other three only accept women as mentees. If you’re not an aspiring entrepreneur or a female, feel free to skip to the next section.

1. Ment2Grow

Ment2Grow is a mentoring program for B2B start-ups organized by the British Chamber of Commerce. “The ideal applicant for the program is a B2B start-up in an advanced stage of development – a company with a high level of motivation and ambition to take its business to the next stage.” This program is free of charge.

2. Equilibrium

Another mentoring program under the auspices of BCC, with fees ranging from 15,000 CZK to free of charge. Equilibrium is focused on supporting women in business. “The main goal is to encourage women in business and management positions, and also to provide support for those women returning to work after an extended period of time, or for those who just want to restart their career.”

3. Femme Palette

Femme Palette offers various mentoring programs for women. You can explore your career options, get advice on how to grow your business or sign up for a program focused on developing specific skills for Marketing, IT, HR or Design. Price of the programs start at 8,785 CZK.

4. My Odyssey

Odyssey is “the first CEE cross-company mentoring program, where top executives volunteer their time to help talented women in business, non-profit organizations or the public sector, grow personally and professionally. The objective of the program is to help these women reach their true potential.” Price of the program: 6,000 CZK.

Online Mentoring Platforms

Another option to look for a mentor is the numerous platforms that offer to connect you with a person you can bounce your ideas off of. No matter what your professional goals are, there is a program out there that promises to provide you with some inspiration. Check out these 5 mentoring platforms that I selected for you:

1. Find a Mentor

This free self-service tool matches mentees with mentors. When you join, you can build a profile and search the database to find a mentor who has common interests. In addition to one-on-one mentorships, members can also build a group to brainstorm and learn from peers.

2. MENTEE 

Mentoring, Networking and Training for European Entrepreneurs is an EU co-funded project under the Erasmus + Programme of the European Commission. It’s addressing firstly new entrepreneurs who participated in the European Commission’s Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program, but also other aspiring entrepreneurs.

3. Mentor Makers

Mentor Makers is a movement to inspire successful business leaders from traditional and non-traditional backgrounds to offer their time and expertise as mentors in support of entrepreneurs of all backgrounds.

4. MentorCity

This cloud-based mentor-matching service provides mentors for businesses, students, nonprofit organizations, and any individuals who are interested in finding a mentor. Mentees can use a free online registry to find the perfect mentor to meet their needs based on skills, industry, job function, experience, gender, location, and language.

5. SCORE

SCORE specializes in helping small businesses, providing a variety of tools. One of its biggest benefits is its mentor network, which attracts a large number of highly-qualified volunteers. Mentors are available in dozens of different industries, ensuring mentees can find the partners they need to succeed.

Reach out yourself

Haven’t found a program that matches your needs? Then defining what you want in a mentor and reaching out by yourself is another – although much more intimidating – way to find a mentor in someone you truly admire. Some good places to have in mind when considering your potential mentor are:

1. Your existing professional circle

First, it’s critical to know that, to find great mentors, you don’t want to reach out to strangers. That’s not how you’ll find them.

Kathy Caprino, Senior Contributor, Forbes

Try to look for a mentor among people who you already know and, most importantly, who already know you professionally, trust you and believe in your potential. What to do if there isn’t such a person in your circle? Reach out and build the connection first.

“Don’t ask for mentorship, but follow their work, and be helpful and supportive. Give, and give more.”

Kathy Caprino, Senior Contributor, Forbes

2. Networking events
3. Industry meet-ups and conferences
4. LinkedIn key-word-search
5. …or search any other Social Media

If you feel that this is the way you wanna go but aren’t sure how to do it, there are some great articles that lead you through the process. Try: How to Find (and Keep) a Mentor in 10 Not-So-Easy Steps

Here’s to a Successful Search!

This list isn’t the end-all-be-all of mentorship opportunities in Prague, but it’s a solid start. If you know of other great options, I’d love to hear from you. Comment below or hit me up on Facebook.

By the way, if you find these insights useful, consider joining the Prague Actually community. Subscribe to the newsletter and stay in the loop on all things Prague.

Teny Tales

As a copywriter and brand consultant✍️, I help go-getters—whether you’re running a company, working solo, or leading teams—craft messages that resonate, not just fill space.

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