Mentorship
Four ways to work with me, in Arabic and in English
Twenty five years of moving between the lecture hall, the ministry, the diplomatic file, and the founding of national institutions have shown me the same gap from both of its sides. The research is sound, the best practice is written down, and the guidelines are published, and very little of it survives the first contact with a real market, a ministry corridor, or a family business on the day a decision has to be taken. That distance between what we know and what we are actually able to do is where careers stall and where institutions lose years without noticing, and it tells us how much there is still to develop, personally as much as professionally.
This page sets out the small number of ways I can offer that conversation honestly, given the hours I actually have. Three of them are open by application. One of them is for institutions rather than individuals.
The four tiers
The Majlis
An open session for students, recent graduates, parents thinking about their children’s choices, and anyone deciding what to do next. Arabic one month and English the next, with questions submitted on application and a guest joining every third session.
There is no charge and there never will be.
This is the only tier open to anyone under eighteen.
The Eight Week Programme
Weekly ninety minute sessions across eight weeks, the same evening and the same group throughout, for people roughly five to fifteen years into a working life.
You leave with a written commitment made in front of ten witnesses, which is a stronger mechanism than any certificate.
The fee is shared when a place is offered, and invoiced once it is accepted.
Private Advisory
Twice monthly for senior executives, family business principals and founders carrying a decision that cannot be delegated.
Every enquiry begins with a thirty minute screening conversation.
Fees are quoted individually after that conversation.
Programme Design for Institutions
I design the structure, write the materials, train your internal mentors, and anchor the opening and the closing myself while your own people deliver the middle, which is the only way a programme of this kind survives past its first year.
Engagements are scoped and quoted per institution.
Recent work of this shape includes mentoring for the Gulf Advanced Leadership Institute cohort at the University of Reading, August 2026.
How it works
You apply through the form on this page. There is no open calendar and no instant booking.
I read every application myself, and you will hear back within ten working days, either way.
If the fit is right you receive dates, materials, and, where a fee applies, an invoice.
If the fit is not right I will tell you plainly and suggest the tier that suits you better.
What this is not
Being clear about the limits protects both of us, so here they are without softening.
I do not find people jobs, and I do not pass CVs to employers. The gigs board on this site is the right route.
I do not make introductions on the strength of a single conversation, and I do not write recommendation letters for anyone I have not worked with over months.
I do not advise on visas, admissions appeals, or immigration matters of any kind.
I do not invest, and I do not take equity, finder fees, or commission of any kind at any tier.
I hold an advisory role with Bahrain’s Ministry of Education, so anything involving school students, university students, or public education is offered free of charge and in a group setting, permanently.
Before you apply
Which language are the sessions in?
The Majlis alternates, Arabic one month and English the next. The Eight Week Programme runs in the language the cohort shares, which is stated before applications open. Private Advisory runs in whichever language you prefer, and it is common to move between the two inside a single conversation.
I am under eighteen, can I take part?
Yes, in the Majlis, and only in the Majlis. It is free, it is a group setting, and a guardian name with written consent is required on the application. A guardian is welcome to attend the session, all correspondence goes to the guardian email address, and there is no one to one contact of any kind with anyone under eighteen. The other three tiers are for adults.
Do I need to be from the Gulf?
No. Most participants are working in the Gulf and most examples assume that context, so if you are working elsewhere you should expect the illustrations to sit in this region. The questions people bring travel further than the examples do.
What does the Eight Week Programme cost?
The fee is not published on this page. Apply through the form and you will be told what the next cohort costs, along with its dates, before committing to anything. The Majlis is free. Private Advisory and institutional work are quoted individually. If cost is the only obstacle, say so in your application, because a small number of places are held back each cohort for exactly that reason.
Can I book a single session instead?
No. There is no single session and there is no open calendar on this page. Private Advisory runs across six months because the decisions it deals with do not resolve inside an hour.
How quickly will I hear back?
Within ten working days of applying, either way. I read every application myself, which is the reason for ten days rather than an automatic reply the same afternoon.
Are sessions recorded?
No. Nothing is recorded and nothing is transcribed, and what is said in the room is not repeated outside it. The Majlis question list is circulated in advance, and that is the only material that leaves the session.
Can my company book you to speak instead?
Yes, and that is a separate arrangement. The speaking page sets out formats and availability, and programme design for institutions is the right route if you want something your own people will continue to run after I leave.
Apply
One form for all four tiers. I read every application myself, so answer in your own words rather than in the language of a CV.
Thank you for your response. ✨
What happens to what you send
Your application is read by me and is not shared with anyone else, and it is not used to build a mailing list you did not ask to join.
Applications are kept for twelve months so that the waiting list works across cohorts, and are deleted after that unless you have become a participant.
Sessions are not recorded and not transcribed.
Applicants under eighteen need a guardian name and written consent on the form. All correspondence goes to the guardian email address, a guardian may attend the session, and there is no one to one contact of any kind with anyone under eighteen.
Write through the contact page at any time to see what is held about you or to have it deleted.
The next Majlis is open for applications now. If you are deciding something that matters, that is the room to be in.
Apply for the next Majlis
Dr. Saqer AlKhalifa 