Understanding mentoring of new teachers: Communicative and strategic practices in Australia and Finland

The study examines the practices of mentoring of new teachers in Finland and Australia.•The study's aim was to reflect on how mentors and mentees understood mentoring as a social practice.•Five mentoring categories emerged: opening up, facilitating, counselling, guiding and leading.•Educators need to be more explicit about differing aims, goals and values of mentoring.•Good mentoring is about balancing communicative and strategic action.