The Mentorship Agreement

Overhead photo of four hands of various skin colours clasped together in a squareMentors and mentees alike must appreciate that the maximum time that a mentor can devote to the mentoring relationship will be 30 hours per academic year (September to May). 

A mentorship agreement will be signed between the parties that sets out expectations with respect to matters such as time commitments, norms for communication, and confidentiality. The parties will have a “trial period” during which either can exit the mentoring connection without the need to give reasons or explanation.

It is important for all to appreciate that the mentor’s role is not to pass judgment on the quality of the mentee’s academic work/performance. A mentor cannot, for example, play a role in reviewing or commenting on a mentee’s draft reappointment or tenure dossiers. In the same vein, it should be noted that a mentorship relationship would normally preclude a mentor from serving on their own mentee’s reappointment or tenure committees, due to conflict of interest.


McGill University is on land which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. We acknowledge and thank the diverse Indigenous peoples whose presence marks this territory on which peoples of the world now gather.

For more information about traditional territory and tips on how to make a land acknowledgement, visit our Land Acknowledgement webpage.


Back to top