Coaching or Mentoring? A Guide to Choosing

Since the terms professional coaching and mentoring are often used interchangeably, it is important to clarify the distinction. Moreover, as professional coaches, it is our ethical responsibility to understand these differences and communicate them to those seeking coaching.

The key difference between coaching and mentoring

To briefly summarize the difference between professional coaching and mentoring: A mentor gives advice, while a professional coach does not. As I explain in more detail in this article, the coaching relationship is one of equals. The coach is not an expert or an authority to be consulted; rather, the coach views the client as the expert of their own life and offers support to uncover the answers within. In a mentoring relationship, however, the mentor is an expert in a particular field and is the person the mentee consults for advice.

Seeing the difference through an example

Let’s clarify the distinction with an example. Suppose you are an engineering graduate, but you are uncertain about which career path suits you. In this case, you could seek professional coaching to better understand yourself, explore your strengths, skills, and values, reflect on your options, and make a decision. Let’s say that with quality coaching, you discover that your skills, experiences, and values align very well with becoming a Production Engineer, and you decide to pursue that path. Additionally, through coaching, you realize that you need a mentor in this field. So, after making your decision, you could seek mentorship, asking questions like, “What new skills should I acquire to become a Production Engineer? What training should I take? How do I start looking for a job?”

Using coaching and mentoring together

Coaching and mentoring can be taken simultaneously depending on your needs. What is important is knowing what to expect from each service.

For more detailed information about what professional coaching is and how it differs from other disciplines, you can visit the “What Is Coaching? What You Need to Know” page.