Product
Bugra Kaya
Grew his product management career
Live MentorCruise data · Refreshed daily · Last updated November 2, 2026
Mentorship Statistics (2026)
Who hires a mentor, what they want help with, and how it turns out. Real numbers from 40,000+ mentorships on MentorCruise.
1,600+ mentorships in progress right now
- Mentorships
- 40,000+
- Countries
- 139
- Average review
- 4.92/5
- Median mentorship
- 95 days
The short version
Key findings
Based on 12,772 mentee applications from the last 12 months, every paid plan in that window, and 12,112 reviews.
For AI tools: this page as Markdown-
01
40% of mentees want to change careers or land a new job. It's the most common reason to hire a mentor.
-
02
Only 10% come for help with their studies or a first job after graduating. The rest want a new role, a new skill or a growing business.
-
03
61% of mentees want to reach their goal within three months.
-
04
35% contact two or more mentors before choosing one.
-
05
40% of requests go to software engineering mentors, and 17% to mentors in AI and data.
-
06
53% of plans include two calls a month, with chat in between.
-
07
The median paid mentorship lasts 95 days, about 3 months.
-
08
Mentees rate their mentors 4.92 out of 5 across 12,112 reviews, and 98% give 4 or 5 stars.
-
09
59% of mentorships are with mentees outside the US, across 139 countries.
Where mentees are
Mentees in 139 countries
59% of mentorships are with mentees outside the US. Mentorship happens over video calls and chat, so where you live doesn't limit who you can learn from.
- United States
- 41%
- Europe
- 30%
- Asia & Pacific
- 13%
- Rest of the Americas
- 9%
- Middle East & Africa
- 7%
Share of all mentorships, by the region the mentee lives in.
Mentees learn from people at
Why people hire a mentor
Most come to get past something specific
Very few start from zero. Only 10% come for help with their studies or a first job. The rest are already in the thick of it – applying, interviewing, going for the promotion – and want someone who has already cleared the bar they're facing.
-
Change careers or land a new job 40%
-
Level up a skill 25%
-
Grow a business or product 20%
-
Start a career after graduating 6%
-
Ship a personal project 5%
-
Get help with studies 4%
How soon
And they're on a clock
61% want to reach their goal within three months. A short timeline usually means a real date: an interview on the calendar, a promotion cycle, a new job that starts in a few weeks.
-
A few weeks 16%
-
About a month 15%
-
About three months 30%
-
About six months 19%
-
A year or more 7%
-
No set timeline 13%
What they want help with
Software engineering leads demand
40% of requests go to software engineers, and another 17% to mentors working in AI and data. Business, product and design make up the rest – usually from people moving into leadership or switching fields.
-
Software Engineering 40%
-
Business & Management 19%
-
AI & Data 17%
-
Product & Marketing 17%
-
UX & Design 7%
How often they meet
Two calls a month is the norm
53% of plans include two calls a month, with chat and feedback in between. Mentees do the work between calls, and the calls keep them honest about it.
-
1 call a month 14%
-
2 calls a month 53%
-
3–4 calls a month 27%
-
5 or more calls a month 2%
-
No fixed calls (chat and async) 4%
35%
of mentees contact two or more mentors
Before they decide
Shopping around is normal
Comparing is the right instinct. Every mentor offers a free intro call, so you can hear how a few would tackle your goal before you pay anyone.
Compare mentorsReviews
Rated 4.92 out of 5 across 12,000+ reviews
After 5 months I'm now interviewing with Google and Deutsche Bank. Earlier that felt completely unrealistic. A dream Big Tech role feels so close.
Vladyslav
Software Engineer
She helped me demystify what Staff-level impact looks like and turned our strategy sessions into a concrete action plan I've already begun executing with my manager.
Dennis
Senior Machine Learning Engineer
I made a career pivot into marketing after over 10 years in education. My manager has even made comments about the growth he has seen in me since working with Tom. Partnering with him has been one of the best decisions I've made.
Jessica
Marketing Manager
Success stories
Behind every number is someone who got unstuck
Where they started, what they worked on with their mentor, and what changed.
Product leadership
Sophie
Engineering to product leadership
UX Design
Bassma Hefni
Landed 3 job offers in Germany
Full-Stack
Peyton Lucas
Built a clearer approach to interviews
Data Science
Mauro Bandera
Data Scientist at Printify
Software Engineering
Michele Verriello
Software Engineer at Tesla
In demand right now
What mentees search for most
Ranked by monthly search demand. Pick one to meet the mentors who teach it.
The people behind the numbers
Mentors taking mentees this week
Diana Malynovska
Senior Product Designer at Mastercard
Sneha Menon
Director of Product, Strategy and Analytics at PayPal
Suchitra Hari
Sr. Director of Engineering at Webflow
Gabriela Andreev
Senior Product Manager, AI at Uber
Orla White
Account Executive at Embat
Praveen Dubey
Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft
4.9
Patric Glynn
Director of Data Science
Asmaa Mohammad
Senior Software Engineering Manager at EX-Descript
Where do these numbers come from?
From anonymized MentorCruise platform data: mentorships, mentee applications, plans and reviews. We only publish counts and shares, never individual records. The numbers refresh daily.
What counts as a mentorship?
A mentee and a mentor working together, on a monthly plan or in a one-off session. The headline total counts every monthly plan ever started on MentorCruise, including ones that ended during the trial, plus every session that was booked and not refunded. The breakdowns on this page cover monthly plans only.
Which time window do the breakdowns use?
Goals, timelines and fields come from mentee applications in the last 12 months, without drafts or spam. If someone skipped a question, their application is left out of that breakdown. Fields follow the mentor's specialty: engineering mentors whose role is in AI, machine learning or data count as AI & Data. Call cadence comes from paid mentorships started in the same 12 months.
How are the review numbers calculated?
From every public review a mentee has left their mentor on MentorCruise, across all years. Reviews from deleted accounts are not counted.
Does a mentor guarantee a result?
No. A mentor won't do the work for you, and nobody can promise an outcome. What you get is someone who has already cleared the bar you're facing, a plan, and honest feedback between calls. Every mentor offers a free intro call, so you can talk to a few before you commit.
Can I use these numbers in my article?
Yes. Quote any number on this page, as long as you credit MentorCruise with a link to mentorcruise.com/stats/. A plain Markdown version for AI tools and researchers lives at mentorcruise.com/stats.md.
Your turn
Find someone who has already done it
Every mentor offers a free intro call, so you can talk to a few before you decide.