Mentorship can be a rewarding experience for both the mentee and the mentor. But how do you figure out if mentorship is for you? Is it a commitment really worth doing?

Many interior designers become mentors for a variety of reasons such as giving back to the industry, reinvigorating their creativity, and pursuing a new purpose in life. Mentorship is a great way to use your experience as a navigation to guide new designers towards success.

But just like any other journey, passion alone won't make you a good mentor. Mentorship requires patience, effort and time in order to build a strong relationship with your mentee. There is mutual benefit from mentorship as you will not only develop your skillset but can help elevate someone else's design profile.

Let's explore what it means to become a mentor for interior designers...

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What do interior design mentors do?

Becoming an interior design mentor is all about inducing growth. Your primary goal is to get to know your mentee, recognise their skillset and improvement areas, and introduce them to the vast range of career opportunities available. Additionally, you're responsible for conducting professional training and creating a development plan for steady progress.

However, the role of an interior design mentor extends beyond guidance. You should aim to become a role model for your mentee by being respectful, taking accountability and staying transparent. By embodying the qualities you wish to cultivate, you motivate them to reach their full potential.

Moreover, mentoring interior designers involves nurturing them to become strong leaders in the industry. Beyond honing their technical expertise, it entails developing their soft skills. With good leadership, effective communication skills and undeniable talent, they're invincible.

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Benefits of becoming a mentor

Mentorships benefit the mentor just as much as the mentees. It fuels your passion for your craft and at the same time, gives your career a whole new purpose.

Here are three reasons why you should become an interior design mentor:

Pass on your expertise

With years of experience in the industry, you have a wealth of knowledge waiting to be shared. Not just in design, but in other areas such as emotional intelligence, networking and building a reputation.

Becoming an interior design mentor lets you pass this stored knowledge to new designers. This keeps your values and experience alive even after decades—even after you've forgotten them yourself.

Build relationships with designers in the new generation

Mentorship also expands your pool of opportunities. As someone who's been by their side during their highs and lows, you get the front seat by the time they reach their goals. A proud mentor moment.

But apart from the satisfaction of seeing mentees succeed, these relationships also birth opportunities for future collaboration. After a few years, your previous mentees could become a high-priority client or a one-call-away fellow interior design expert.

Give back to the industry

Last but not least, being a mentor lets you give back to those who guided you when you were starting out. By nurturing designers who care as much about society as they do about their careers, you contribute to creating a more peaceful and welcoming industry in the future.

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3 types of interior design mentoring

When starting your journey as an interior design mentor, one thing to consider is the type of mentorship you're offering. This will determine the preparations you need to make along the way.

Three types of interior design mentoring:

One-to-one mentorship

One-to-one mentoring is when you and your mentee set a regular weekly or monthly meeting schedule. This type of mentorship is best if you prefer to focus on one mentee at a time.

During every interaction, you identify your mentee's struggle points and recommend actionable ways for them to work around these issues. You'll also brainstorm tailored solutions, track their progress, and provide feedback consistently.

Group mentorship

As opposed to the previous type, group mentorship is when you meet several mentees in one class. The discussions are more generalised and mentees are free to share their works, ask questions, and receive feedback.

Group mentorship is great if you'd like to work with several mentees at once. Or, if you have an existing network of designers who are interested in joining your classes.

Online mentorship

Lastly, you can do remote or online mentorship. Online mentorship often happens through video conferences or emails and is best if you have a tighter schedule or prefer to stay at home.

The agenda is more or less the same as traditional mentoring. Except, it gives you plenty of time to prepare, lets you record your meetings (with consent!), and allows you to work around your mentee's and your schedule easier.

Where to sign up as an interior design mentor

Mentorship schemes you can sign up to now as a mentor.

Built by Us

Best for: BAME advocates

If you're passionate about helping underrepresented groups grow their interior design career, become a volunteer mentor at Built By Us. Built by Us works towards creating a future consisting of a diverse workforce. An industry where everyone is treated equally regardless of race, gender, and belief.

As a mentor, you are asked to devote a fragment of your time to any of the following mentorship programmes:

• FLUID - 12-month one-on-one mentoring
• Shape - 6-month one-on-one mentoring
• Build programme - speed mentoring

Be a volunteer mentor at Built by Us today.

Creative Mentor Network

Best for: Knowledge-hungry designers

The Creative Mentor Network is a great platform for those who are a bit anxious about mentoring. It's normal—everyone starts as a beginner.

To officially become a mentor, you first need to complete eight hours of training to equip yourself with the skills and resources for a better mentorship experience for your mentees. Every week, you will require to commit at least one hour for mentorship.

Mentor training comes with a small fee. However, the knowledge incurred and the satisfaction of seeing your mentees grow make it all worth it.

Start your mentor training with Creative Mentor Network.

Shadow to Shine

Best for: Empathy-driven designers

Shadow to Shine is a passion project that gives everyone a chance to succeed. Whether they're students, professionals, ex-convicts, and so on!

As a volunteer mentor at Shadow to Shine, you are required to complete at least ten mentoring sessions within twelve months. Alternatively, you can request one-off mentoring sessions instead. You'll most likely meet mentees from all stages of life, hence you need to foster a non-judgmental learning experience at all times.

Sign up to become a Shadow to Shine mentor.

The Society of British & International Interior Design (SBID)

Best for: Networking guru

If you're thrilled about meeting the most talented interior design students in Europe, then you should join the SBID Student Mentoring Programme!

This is a six-month-long one-on-one mentorship where you'll be responsible for nurturing one of the promising talents of SBID. Within six months, you'll discuss your mentee's goals and help them obtain the resources they need. This includes experience, network, and exposure to different career paths.

The potential for mentees to become part of your interior design firm may be the cherry on top!

Learn how to become an SBID mentor today.

International Interior Design Association (IIDA)

Best for: Raw talent magnet

IIDA has given over 500 mentorship opportunities to students since 2011. So if you're looking for talented new designers to collaborate with in the future, this is your chance.

IIDA mentors can work with one mentee at a time or request several mentees at once. The pairing is determined on a first come first serve basis and you'll be doing a series of in-person, virtual, and hybrid sessions depending on you and your mentee's availability.

Best part? You don't need to be an IIDA member to join. Enquire now.