Anyone can be a student. From people who are studying or thinking about a career in games to people already working within the industry. Mentoring is a broad term that covers anything you want to learn or talk about; from career advice to learning a technical skill. It also covers things like you need help or advice with your indie game. The possibilities are unlimited. 

Generally someone who is being mentored is classed as a "student." However this person is not always someone currently studying or someone who just finished a games degree course. While many students do fall under this category; "Students" could also be people who are: 

* Looking to transition their careers into games.

* Wanting a professional to review their demo/portfolio. 

* Wanting to learn more technical skills or certain software.

* Needing advise or help with their indie game or project.

* Looking for tangible networking (some people might live in remote areas and want face time over video chat with an experienced game developer)

*  In need of solid career advice and how to get a job in the industry. 

 The list goes on and on. The areas for mentoring are unlimited.

1) Click "Sign up" and create your profile. 

2) Find a suitable mentor and "Request" the amount of hours you would like to be mentored for.  Please include lots of details about what you would like to learn and your goals. Mention your available times and when you would like to start.

3) Wait for your mentor to reply to setup your mentoring session.

Tip: You may wish to try a few different mentors at first. Then you can continue to work with someone you trust and who can help you long term. Consider to setup a weekly or monthly mentoring session with your mentor, so that way you are constantly growing and fast tracking your success. Request more mentoring hours once your hours are completed. 

Any questions? Please email us at support@gamedevmentors.com

Game Dev Mentors is an open platform. So technically anyone can become a mentor. However we strongly recommend that mentors have at least 5 years of professional experience (in the games or film industries) and at least 1 released game or film. (Games can be on any platform; ios, android, pc, console, etc.)

Who am I mentoring? 

Generally someone who is being mentored is classed as a "student." However this person is not always someone currently studying or someone who just finished a games degree course. While many students do fall under this category; "Students" could also be people who are: 

* Looking to transition their careers into games.

* Wanting a professional to review their demo/portfolio. 

* Wanting to learn more technical skills or certain software.

* Needing advise or help with their indie game or project.

* Looking for tangible networking (some people might live in remote areas and want face time over video chat with an experienced game developer)

* In need of solid career advice and how to get a job in the industry. 

The list goes on and on. The areas for mentoring are unlimited. (Maybe even some mentors want help from other mentors.)   

For these reasons it's very important to clearly state on your listing how you can help someone. It's also very important that the student is clear as to what they need help with before you accept their request. You may need to reply to their "request" with some basic questions like: "what is your current experience and what exactly do you need help with? Please give me lots of details so I  can decide if I am the right mentor for you."   

Mentors are in control of their listing and can change any details (including hourly rate) at anytime. Please choose whatever hourly rate makes sense for you and your time. 

Do mentors need to commit to a set number of hours every month? No, mentors have the freedom to accept or deny any mentoring request (please be courteous if you need to deny a request for any reason). It's very hard to predict how many requests you might get every month. Just make sure if you do accept you can deliver what is requested. 

1) After you have signed up to the site. Click the "+ Become a mentor" button at the top of the page. Select your category to create a listing. "Listing Title" will be shown on the main page with the other mentors, so it's recommend to use this title to communicate what you will be mentoring in. For example: "Programming (Physics, Shaders, UI, etc)." It's best to mention a few key areas, or you can simply put something like "Generalist Programmer." Either way it needs to be clear so students can find you.

2) Fill out the rest of the details in your listing, click "save" and you are done ready for students to contact you.

Tip: When creating a listing please include as much information as possible so potential students can have a clear understanding of the types of mentoring you can provide. Make sure to include the times you are available with your time zone. Mention if your times can be flexible, etc. You must also add a main photo and profile photo. These images should be appropriate to your listing, which could be an image of yourself or of projects you have been involved with.  

Game Dev Mentors reserves the right to edit or remove a mentor listing that is of poor quality or doesn't offer anything of value to the community. This covers things like the listing has no photos or no details about what services you are providing. The mentor has no real experience, etc. We will contact you directly if this is the case.

Any questions? Please email us at: support@gamedevmentors.com

To accept payments, a mentor needs to do two things:

1. Connect a PayPal account. 

2. Give permission to Game Dev Mentors to charge a transaction fee. 

(This fee is 15% and is calculated and displayed when you enter your hourly rate as you create your mentor listing. This fee is ONLY taken when a successful transaction has been completed)

Mentors can post a new listing on the marketplace before they have connected their PayPal account. However, they cannot accept payments before connecting their account. If someone tries to make a purchase from a mentor without a connected PayPal account, the buyer will receive a notification encouraging them to contact the mentor about it.

Mentors must have a Business or a Premier account at PayPal. This is required in order to process credit card payments from non-PayPal users. If they don't have a business or a premier account, upgrading their existing account or creating a new PayPal Business or Premier account is quick and free of charge. There are no additional costs involved. 

Note: Premier accounts are not available in every country.

To upgrade to a PayPal business or Premier account, go to http://www.paypal.com/upgrade  

If you are an individual, you might want to select a Premier account if available in your country. Alternatively just enter your own name when PayPal asks for a "business name".

Note that in some countries, PayPal might requires some extra verification: don't hesitate to contact PayPal support to learn more about the details related to such an upgrade in your local area. 

Finally, the Mentors PayPal account must be configured to be able accept payment in USD. Which is the currency used at Game Dev Mentors. It's very easy to add currencies within your PayPal account. 

If you need any assistance with PayPal please contact PayPal's customer support in your county.