The Importance of having a Mentor

Let me introduce to you Mahmood, who came to me as an Apprentice Mechanic around 20 years ago in Gulf Air Bahrain.  He absolved an aviation school in Jordan, did the “equivalent” module Basics there and was issued a “basic” License under Jordanian regulations.

The first thing he said to me that sticks to my mind even today was his introduction.  “I am Mahmood and I want to be a Licensed Engineer like you, will you help me?”  I took an instant liking to the man, boy, he was barely 22 years old, and took him under my wing.

From day one, we developed like a father son relationship, if fact even today, he doesn’t call me by my name, he calls me “father”, or “godfather”, or “Mukhtar” which in Arabic is a name reserved for the mayor of a town, or a village elder.

Mahmood NEVER said no to anything I asked of him and in reciprocation, I NEVER said no to him whenever and whatever he asked from me.

Through hard work and commitment, he got his EASA Licence and when I moved to Australia, I assisted him to also move here and convert to CASA.

Twenty-odd years on, Mahmood is the Base Maintenance Manager of Gulf Air today, he still calls me father and if I called him at 4am - which is very easy to do as I'm in Australia - he will answer the phone.

EVERYONE needs a mentor.  

In this journey of yours, you will have 1,000 questions before your first day on the job.  Who will be there to answer those questions, quickly, accurately and without bias or vested interest?  

Then, during your first 2,3,4 weeks at your first job, you will probably “shadow” someone else and they will be your new mentor, to introduce and to induct you into your new environment.

Mentors really are special people.  They not only provide the answers to your questions, they will protect you, guide you away from harms way before you are in a difficult situation, they will pace you so you don’t get overwhelmed by everything around you, something which may affect your performance at work.  

During our Part 66 journey, we will be offering within the membership the opportunity to be mentored.  Obviously there will be logistic challenges with you being all over the World and we will (all) have to find different methods of collaborating as we go, however I can promise you that having someone to turn to within this unique membership will cut 2-3 years off your Part 66 journey and save you thousands in “lost earnings” through faster qualification. 

Each member receives a personal planner where you will be able to record and plan-out your Part 66 activities and keep yourself accountable, record your progress, plan your next exams and set/check and share your milestones as you go.  We will do our part, in that once a week, you will be receiving a personal  email in relation to your current progress on your current Module; we will know, because we will be monitoring your progress and giving you that push to keep going.  How do we do that I hear you say…..?  Well, aside from helping you plan/log your work, within the membership you will also have:        

1. Access to Modules 1 and 2 to consume and get into good study habits
2. Access to closed-loop tutorials on specific Part 66 Basics-topics
3. Networking and info exchange possibilities via the membership or private
4. Info from experts that are on the Membership panel – guest speakers
5. Advice and Q & A (invitation only) Zoom events
6. Zoom-based study rooms
7. Post-exam advice and feedback
8. Essay exams Preparation and advice
9. Advice on practicals (OJT or SOJT)
10. Advice on job prospects and placement
11. Advice on writing Resumes

and last but not least, a comprehensive mentorship service, which is probably the only thing a college, Training school, Siri or Google can’t provide.  

Mentoring is a very personal thing and also quite a time-consuming exercise for our admin team, so entry into the membership will be staged. To be able to manage this, we will limit the first intake into the membership to 25 spots.  These first 25 membership spots will be offered at a fee of A$29/month and I can tell you now, will not stay at this price in the future.  Once again, I want to reiterate that this is an investment in your future and not only a monetary one, let me give you an example of my everyday life and how it could affect yours:

I literally get 10 private messages a day from people wanting help, exam material, OJT, a job or a reference for a job.  I also want to make it clear that I have no vested interests, I am doing what I do because I want to pass on something, maybe make a few more "Mahmoods" before I retire.  But it’s very hard for me to promote or act on behalf of someone if I barely met them on the internet 15 minutes ago.  I get things like “I have 15 years line-maintenance experience on A320 as a mechanic in “Country X”, please help me get a job in Australia",  "Please help me convert my DGCA license to EASA, or to CASA",  "Please help me find OJT to finish my Part 66 License". 

But how can I promote you if I don’t know you?  If I can see how you operate, you are in the membership, you are active, you ask questions, you participate, you are diligent with your planner, your attitude constitutes that of what a Licensed Engineer should be, then I could grab the phone and call Mahmood at 4am and he would answer with “yes boss, how can I help you?” and then I could maybe say to him “I’ve found someone......"