t.e.a.m. for female doctoral researchers

Training

An essential component are the workshops tailored to the scientific field, which, in addition to leadership and scientific competence, also address personal career planning. The training courses, which usually last one day, are offered by proven experts. In addition, the selection of topics for the workshops is specially designed for the qualification level of the doctorate and is adapted as needed.

Expertise

In order to make the institutional realities of our university and the existing expertise accessible, the Expertise roundtable was integrated as a programme component. Here, experts and executives from the administration and academia of our university are in discussion to provide specific insights into university operations and to give a face to relevant structural areas. In this way, participants become better acquainted with the workings of the institutions most important to their academic careers - for example, the area of research funding and financing.

Alliances

During the networking events, participants meet women who have successfully completed their career paths in culture, politics and business. The perspective of the female guests provides impulses for opportunities outside of academia. In an informal atmosphere, the mentees exchange experiences with professionally experienced women with inspiring biographies.

Mentoring

The core of the programme is the individual mentoring between a professor and a female doctoral candidate of our university. The matching of the mentoring tandems is based on personal selection interviews and profile sheets. The mentoring is not subject-specific, so mentor and mentee do not come from the same discipline. The focus is therefore not on subject content, but on the general conditions of work in science and on the path to a professorship. The mentoring process is jointly designed by the participants on the basis of an agreement on objectives, with the initiative lying on the side of the mentees. The topics covered in regular meetings are diverse: from the informal rules of the game in academia and compatibility issues to the exchange of experiences about the possible career hurdles at various qualification levels.

Participation requires active involvement in the programme. Attendance at the kick-off and closing events must be guaranteed in terms of scheduling. In addition, at least three workshops and two further events (expertise, alliances) must be attended. In order to make this possible, the dates will be announced well in advance, if possible. The mentoring tandem also only offers added value if the participants deal intensively with their own situation and show initiative towards the mentor in arranging appointments and in preparing and following up the meetings. The willingness to participate in the social programme is also a prerequisite.

During face-to-face events, there is the possibility of making use of free childcare. In order to ensure that this can be organized, the programme coordinator will ask about the need for childcare at an early stage of each event. In addition, other needs with regard to accessibility, such as assistance requirements or sign language interpretation, can be specified.

Before the start of the programme, mentors receive a briefing on their role as mentors, if required. At the beginning of each mentoring session, the mentor and mentee then draw up a joint agreement on objectives, which serves as an orientation and control instrument. To establish a successful mentoring partnership for both sides, regular contact between mentor and mentee is recommended. At best, this can take place in the form of personal meetings or digitally and can be supplemented by e-mail exchanges. The intervals between meetings should not exceed three months and should be estimated at one to two hours per meeting.

The mentorship is based on the initiative of the mentee, who encourages regular meetings and prepares and follows up on the content. On the part of the mentor, the focus is on the willingness to take time for the mentee's concerns and to work out solutions in a discursive exchange. If you have any questions about mentoring, please contact the project coordinator at any time.