The coaching groups and the mentoring programs both pursue the basic aim of career development and planning.

The aim of coaching is to support the participants in their career planning. Coaching is a supportive, goal-focused, and co-creative process that helps to develop and strengthen skills, overcome challenges, and foster professional growth. The FLP coaching groups are led by professional coaches who have thorough experience and knowledge of the academic context. Coaching groups meet for a defined number of meetings.

The one-to-one mentoring program provides a form of career development support that is more flexible and less formally structured than the coaching groups. Mentors offer guidance and professional, strategic advice and share experiences.

In literature, mentoring is described as more driven by a developmental perspective, centered on the exchange of personal experience. Whereas coaching is described as more “task-oriented”, “short term” and “performance driven”. Even though mentors are not professional coaches, mentors may use coaching methods to support mentees in achieving specific goals.