Principal Mentoring
About the mentorship
Principal Mentoring provides you with support from a trusted former Victorian Government school principal who understands the unique rewards and challenges of the role. Matched according to your specific learning needs and school context, you will lead the partnership to shape your own goals. Your mentor will draw on their first-hand experience to offer tailored insights, guidance and strategic advice as you navigate complex situations.
For detailed information about the Principal Mentoring Program, including eligibility, mentor matching, session delivery, confidentiality and participant support, review our Frequently Asked Questions.
What you'll learn
- Navigate complex leadership challenges. Work alongside an experienced former principal to strengthen decision-making and respond effectively to the unique demands of your school context.
- Strengthen essential operational capability. Build skills in critical school operations, including workforce management, financial oversight and the effective use of data, to support sustainable school improvement.
- Enhance instructional leadership. Refine approaches to teaching and learning that support improved classroom practice, student engagement and learning outcomes.
- Lead and manage school improvement and change initiatives. Use evidence-informed strategies that build staff confidence, collaboration and collective commitment.
- Deepen reflective leadership practice. Engage in structured feedback, professional dialogue and self-reflection to identify areas for growth and enhance overall leadership impact.
Expert mentors
Mentors engaged in this program are highly experienced former school principals with deep expertise in educational leadership, school improvement and principal wellbeing across diverse school contexts. They are selected for their professional credibility, leadership experience and ability to provide trusted, confidential support to principals.
All mentors undertake specialised training aligned with recognised professional standards, including the EMCC Global Competency Framework and Global Code of Ethics, with a strong focus on ethical conduct and confidentiality.
Who should apply
Roles
Designed for Victorian Government school leaders.
This may include:
- school principals
- acting principals at any stage of their career.
Acting principals must be acting for at least one term at the time of registering to be eligible for this program.
School sectors
This program is available to Victorian government school principals
Structure
Delivery
You will have access to 8 hours of mentoring over 8 months.
The program allows you to manage when and how you access support within the 8-month timeframe.
You may choose to have your initial face to face session in your school or online. All subsequent sessions will be held online or via telephone.
Learning outcomes
You will:
- enhance your leadership capability by reflecting on your current leadership practice
- explore new responsibilities and improved performance
- view feedback as an integral part of improving your performance
- acquire new skills and knowledge from your mentor.
Application process
Ensure you provide as much detail as you can when answering the questions, as this information is used to assist with the matching process, and ensures you are matched with a suitable mentor.
It is expected you will be allocated a mentor within 2 weeks of submitting your application.
Fees and support
| Government school | Non-government school | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee per participant | $750 | N/A |
Financial support
Victorian school participants may be eligible for additional subsidies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Principal Mentoring program?
The Principal Mentoring Program (PMP) supports the Department of Education’s Principal Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The program is managed by the Academy in partnership with Growth Coaching International (GCI).
PMP participants are matched with a trained mentor, who is an experienced and highly skilled former principal. Mentors share their expertise as an advisor and a colleague.
The program offers principals timely support from an experienced peer who has a unique understanding of the challenges and rewards that come with this remarkable role.
What are the benefits of participating in the Principal Mentoring program?
Participants consistently report a range of professional and personal benefits from being involved in the Principal Mentoring Program. Feedback highlights that the program provides a trusted space for principals to reflect on their leadership practice and discuss the complexities of the role with an experienced mentor.
Many participants value the opportunity to debrief about challenging situations, explore different perspectives, and strengthen their decision-making and leadership skills. Mentoring also helps to reduce feelings of professional isolation by creating supportive and confidential mentoring relationships.
More importantly, participants often report positive impacts on their personal health and wellbeing. Through mentoring conversations, principals develop a deeper understanding of the importance of maintaining their own wellbeing and how this directly supports their effectiveness and resilience as school leaders.
What is the difference between mentoring and coaching?
Mentoring and coaching are both developmental approaches, but they differ in focus and method.
Mentoring is a collaborative learning relationship where a more experienced professional shares knowledge, skills and insights to support another’s growth. It often involves guidance, experience sharing and role modelling, and is typically a two-way partnership that values mutual learning and diverse perspectives (European Mentoring and Coaching Council, n.d.).
Coaching, by contrast, is a structured, one-to-one conversation focused on enhancing learning and development through increased self-awareness and personal responsibility. Rather than providing advice, the coach supports the individual to generate their own insights and solutions through questioning, active listening and constructive challenge in a supportive environment (van Nieuwerburgh, 2012).
Who will have access to this service?
All Victorian government school principals at all career stages and levels of expertise will have access to this service. This includes both substantive principals and acting principals who are in the role for more than one school term in any government primary, secondary, P-12 or specialist school.
Who are the mentors?
The mentors are experienced and highly skilled, former principals who have undertaken specific mentor training in line with the international accreditation body, the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC Global). This approach recognises mentoring as a 2-way partnership for mutual learning involving the sharing of skills, knowledge, and expertise that always keeps the mentee at the centre of these developmental conversations.
Mentors also complete additional training specific to mentoring school principals, that equips them to recognise emerging health and wellbeing issues and respond appropriately.
How will the sessions be delivered?
Whenever possible, mentoring will commence with a face-to-face session at a mutually agreed location, preferably at the school. Remaining sessions will be held via phone or video, or in a combination of these modes.
Mentees have control of scheduling their sessions to suit their needs throughout the 8-month period and can use their allocated hours flexibly as 30-minute, 1-hour or longer sessions, depending on their individual needs.
How can I register for the program?
Principals can access the mentoring program by clicking the application button, view dates and apply, on this webpage.
Your application will help us match you with a suitable mentor.
How will I be matched to my mentor?
Once registered, principal mentees will be offered a shortlist of 3 mentors to choose from. The shortlist is selected to match the mentee’s context and their identified areas of development or leadership focus.
How many sessions do I get?
The Principal Mentoring program provides up to 8 hours of mentoring over 8 months. The 8 hours are available for you and your mentor to use in the way that you find most appropriate as 30-minute, 1-hour or longer sessions, depending on their individual needs.
Is the program suitable for experienced principals?
Yes, the mentoring program will enhance your role as a principal across the full breadth of your leadership career.
Are mentoring sessions confidential?
Yes. Mentoring sessions are confidential and conversations between the mentor and mentee are treated with care and discretion.
Confidentiality in the Principal Mentoring Program is guided by The Global Code of Ethics developed by EMCC Global and other mentoring and coaching professional bodies. You can find these ethical guidelines via this link: https://www.emccglobal.org/leadershipdevelopment/ethics/
However, confidentiality may need to be limited in certain circumstances to meet ethical and duty-of-care obligations. This may occur if the mentor believes that:
- the mentee has shared information about concerning or unsafe working conditions or their work environment
- the mentee may be at serious risk of, or is currently experiencing, psychological or physical harm related to their work.
In this situation, the mentor must inform the Academy who will take appropriate steps to meet its duty-of-care responsibilities.
Is involvement in the Principal Mentoring Program mandatory?
No. Involvement in the program is not mandatory. However, it is highly recommended for all principals to consider mentoring as a support throughout their leadership career.
Mentoring is particularly valuable for new principals and complements the Evolve: New Principals program, designed for newly appointed, first-time principals.
What happens if any wellbeing issues are identified through mentoring sessions?
Mentors are provided with training to help them identify any health and wellbeing risks and to understand how to respond appropriately. In some cases, this may be a simple conversation or a recommended approach. In other cases, the mentor may refer the mentee to resources available through the Department or other agencies.
See the section on confidentiality for more information.
What information will be provided to the Department?
Information such as contact details may be provided to the Department as outlined in the Academy’s collection notice. See - https://www.academy.vic.gov.au/collection-notice
Can I apply if I’ve done an Academy mentoring program before?
Yes. If you are a past participants of any mentoring program delivered by the Academy, you are welcome to reapply, provided you currently meet the Principal Mentoring Program’s eligibility requirements.
If you are a past participant reapplying to the Principal Mentoring Program, you may request to be matched with your previous mentor, particularly where an established and effective mentoring relationship already exists. Such requests will be considered whenever possible.
I already have a mentor. Can we continue together in this program?
As a participant in the Academy’s Principal Mentoring Program, you will be matched with one of the program’s trained mentors.
How can I be a mentor in this program?
Highly skilled and former principals can register their interest to become a mentor by contacting the Academy. For more information, please visit: Become a Mentor for Principals | Academy
Is there a contact at the Academy?
Principal Programs Unit
Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership
Phone: (03) 7022 1826
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