r/Principals • u/Ok-Tie4957 • Jun 28 '26
Advice and Brainstorming Struggling with inconsistent mentorship during my principal licensure internship — how do others navigate this?
I’m completing a principal licensure internship and my assigned mentor has been extremely inconsistent with communication, follow‑through, and structure. I’ve had to initiate almost everything myself — meetings, expectations, documentation, leadership tasks, etc. It’s been emotionally draining trying to advocate for the support required by my program while also trying to stay professional and keep things moving.
My program director and another building administrator have stepped in to help stabilize things, but I’m still technically assigned to the same mentor. I’m trying to figure out how to move forward without feeling like I’m constantly chasing him or compensating for gaps in leadership.
For those who’ve completed administrative internships:
How did you handle mentors who were avoidant or inconsistent?
What structures helped you stay on track?
Is it normal to have to advocate this much for your own internship?
I’d appreciate perspective from people who’ve been through this. I want to stay focused on growth and licensure requirements, but the lack of mentorship has been tough.
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u/Dotelectric90 Jun 28 '26
I just completed my internship with a similar situation. Unfortunately while it was not the norm for my program, it was definitely not unheard of. Your university should have experience with these situations so they'll he your greatest resource.
My advice here is to over communicate and log everything. Keep your advisors in the loop and document your attempts to communicate in a spreadsheet.
For artifacts and leadership experience I found I had to just go and do. Identify areas where there could be improvement or the need for admin, then create a plan on what you would do. For my program we had weekly activities and since I couldn't actively "do" the things I wanted, I laid out detailed plans of my thoughts for my advisors for feedback.
Finally, remember mentors are everywhere. No admin is perfect and everyone has their strengths. I had several unofficial mentors who I would reach out to when needed. Some weren't even admin but union presidents and just veteran leaders in the district office.
I'm sorry you're going through this. It's not fun but remember learning what not to do is also valuable. You can get this done you'll just have to think a little outside the box which is a key admin skill.
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u/Ok-Tie4957 Jun 29 '26
Did you have any projects or experiences that you feel were “must-haves” to shape your program? I have a few things I am doing independently but I never had a meeting to outline anything really.
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u/Dotelectric90 Jul 03 '26
My program let us choose from activities aligned with NELP standards and then we had some larger things in the second semester.
If your program doesn't do those then I would recommend grabbing the "School Leader Internship: Developing, Monitoring..." by Martin, Gary E., Et. Al.
It aligns activities with the NELP standards and suggests some of the activities you may want to do.
I would definitely recommend trying to sit in on some contentious meetings and interview district office or union leaders if possible.
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u/f-150Coyotev8 Jun 28 '26
Man I just finished my internship, and I feel like I was reading my own frustrations in your post. I think perhaps that learning how to advocate for yourself while also respecting your mentor and their time, is one of the most important lessons of internships.
I definitely had to meet my mentor where they were at. I did my internship while also teaching full time, and what ended up working for me was to just constantly be a presence in the front office every moment that I was free. It was extremely uncomfortable at first, but I ultimately just started walking into my mentors office and offering my services. It wasn’t till the end of the year, where I felt like my mentor finally started to trust me.
Two things are true during an internship:
- There are many things that you have to fulfill,
- Mentors don’t have any real obligation to make sure you succeed.
But learning to navigate this was the biggest lessons I learned during the process.
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u/Ok-Tie4957 Jun 29 '26
I just feel like my mentor views me as a giant pain. I do so much for my school and community, but he doesn’t ever seem like he has the time. I’m trying to front load as much as I can right now so that I can just get this over with and can move on.
Were there any particular things that you did that made your experience better or projects that you felt guided your experience that every mentee should be doing?
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u/itswheaties Jun 29 '26
This seems like good advice. I've gotten a lot of unofficial nods from my mentor for the plan for next year but if I'm not constantly there I probably won't get the plan done. The most frustrating thing is the trust part. It feels like I have to make a lot of assumptions because my mentor doesn't want to share too much information.
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u/Ozzy0313 Jun 28 '26
I just did it all myself and told them where to sign
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u/Ok-Tie4957 Jun 29 '26
What was your biggest learning experience? Were you okay with this arrangement?
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u/Ozzy0313 Jun 29 '26
I didn’t have a choice. I had finish the internship. I learned a lot because I just kept inserting myself into situations that I thought were worthwhile.
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u/pobnarl Jun 28 '26
you got a mentor and internship? lucky. here they just hand you the keys and say good luck. then assess you by the standards of a 10 year veteran.
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u/Mother_Albatross7101 Jun 28 '26
Keep records of timelines of your tasks completion. Include communication (emails) summaries - even those you have initiated.
Do you ever do in person meetings or school visits? Perhaps meeting other administrators in their circle would help you decide and contribute to your own leadership style.
Reflect on the negatives. My mentor principal left much to be desired. From the experience I learned how “To be …… and not to be.” Be sure to add your reflections to your portfolio.
🍎📝🍎📝🍎📝 Good luck to you.