The OECD states that teachers are central to the quality of the work done in schools, but to achieve this, it is important to ensure that motivated and competent individuals aspire to become teachers. To attract the best candidates to the profession, the same document is clear in stating that decent salaries alone are not sufficient (OECD, 2014). According to the document, salaries demonstrate society's respect and value for teachers, but it is also necessary to provide teachers with the conditions to become autonomous and competent professionals in building a quality school for all students. Consequently, the initial training of young teachers is crucial, but it is unthinkable to consider that this period is sufficient, given the diversity of contexts and students that a teacher encounters in their professional life.

The literature recognizes that it is essential to retain early-career teachers in the profession (Frederiksen, 2020). In fact, the first five years in a school pose multiple challenges for teachers starting out in the profession, and it is during this period that some opt for another profession, exacerbating the teacher shortage experienced in many countries. Accompanying younger teachers at school by an experienced colleague is a strategy that many school boards have adopted to overcome this real difficulty: retaining teachers in the education system.

However, it turns out that this is not the best solution because young teachers perceive it as dispersed and dependent on the teacher selected by the school management to accompany them (Flores, 2021). Induction programs are therefore a potential solution for providing support to novice teachers, but also for allowing teachers with more years of service to reflect on their practice, creating a learning community with positive consequences for the retention of new teachers in the school.

The first aim of this paper is to analyze a structured program for mentor teachers developed as part of a European project. A second objective is to assess changes in the perceptions of mentor teachers when they undergo this program. The research question is how the training of mentors according to a structured induction program translates into changes in the perceptions of mentor teachers about their role with young teachers.

The methodology follows a quasi-experimental approach with two groups of mentor teachers. The experimental group (N=29 teachers) underwent training over three months, while the control group (N=24) had a one-week training course addressing the importance of mentoring in the training of teachers at the start of their professional lives. Both groups answered a questionnaire before and after the training. Regarding the characteristics of the interviewees in the experimental group, 93.1% are female, and 6.9% are male, with at least 21 years of service. In the control group, 79.2% are female, 20.8% are male, and have the same years of service. The questionnaire aimed to assess perceptions and expectations regarding the induction program for new teachers. The questionnaire was organized into six sections: A–Personal information; B–Motivation for the profession and continuation in the system; C–Perception of the induction program based on mentoring; D–Self-assessment of mentoring skills; E–Contributions from the mentoring-based induction program; F–Expectations and concerns about participating as a mentor in the induction program. The mentoring program consisted of three modules, totaling 50 hours, and followed a blended learning format. The first module covered the school as an educational organization, the second addressed conceptions and practices of mentoring, and the third focused on the reflective and collaborative nature of the work of the mentor and mentee. The control group received the training later.

The main conclusion reveals how teachers in the experimental group changed their initial perceptions and redefined the value of their role with future teachers. For example, they emphasized collaboration between teachers from different subject areas and the importance of the collaborative work as an asset for teachers' professional development. Mentor teachers also highlighted that after the training, they felt more empowered to take on new roles within the school community and with different stakeholders. A noteworthy finding is that most respondents in the experimental group expressed a strong inclination to recommend the teaching profession to a young person. Most also indicated full agreement with the idea of becoming a mentor, considering it as a distinctive career option for teachers, providing an opportunity to play a different role within the school and the educational system. Regarding the assessment of mentoring skills, participants were asked about their confidence in facing mentoring challenges. In comparison with the responses obtained in the pre-intervention questionnaires, the majority of respondents reinforced a high level of confidence in various areas, including classroom management, improvement of teaching-learning strategies, work with students with educational needs and/or learning difficulties and/or different backgrounds, assessment and feedback to students, working with parents/guardians and collaborating with other teachers. Finally, in both groups, respondents emphasized agreement that the mentoring program should be mandatory for all mentors and that it should be adapted to the school context.

Cruz, G. B. da, Costa, E. C. dos S., Paiva, M. M. de S., & Abreu, T. B. de. (2022). Teacher induction in review: Concurrent meanings and prevailing practices. Cadernos de Pesquisa, 52, Artigo e09072. https://doi.org/10.1590/198053149072 Flores, M. A. (2021). Necessary but non-existent: The paradox of teacher induction in Portugal. Profesorado: Revista de Currículum y Formación del Profesorado, 25(2), 123-144. Frederiksen, L. L. (2020). Support for newly qualified teachers through teacher induction programs – a review of reviews. In K.-R. Olsen, E. M. Bjerkholt & H. L. T. Heikkinen (Eds.), New teachers in Nordic countries – ecologies of mentoring and induction (Ch. 2, pp. 49–70). Oslo: Cappelen Damm Akademisk. https://doi.org/10.23865/noasp.105.ch2 OECD (2014), “Indicator D6: What does it take to become a teacher?”, in Education at a Glance 2014: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888933120252