Investigating Teachers' Perceptions on the Advisory Role of the Mentor in the Context of the Operation of the School Unit

Teachers have to deal with several obstacles and difficulties in their everyday practice. As research relieves and it is also shown from everyday educational practice, effective management of such issues for both teachers and the school system cannot be undertaken separately by each teacher. Support from a mentor, a teacher with professional experience and knowledge, as well as specific relational and communitive skills and abilities, are needed. In this paper the teachers’ perceptions on the advisory role of the mentor in the context of the school unit is investigated. In order to explore the perceptions of the teachers, empirical research was carried out using questionnaires and interviews with primary educators in the prefectures of Achaia and Heraklion, Crete. The results of the investigation show that effective exercise of the role of the mentor requires a variety of skills and competences such as readiness for assistance, availability of supply, open communication, empathy, active listening, conflict resolution, etc. The acquisition and development of these skills and competences can be achieved through continuous training and mentoring in the context of the implementation of training programs to support the work of the educators.