ABSTRACT
Mentoring is a special type of love relationship that forms between a mentor and their protg. Mentoring was first investigated in the United States in the 1970s. In the 1980s, the United Kingdom became involved in this discussion and the European School of Mentoring was established. Face-to-face mentoring is the most common form of mentoring, a new type of mentoring called virtual mentoring, e-mentoring or online mentoring has emerged. This special type of mentoring is computer-mediated rather than conducted face to face. Virtual mentoring is becoming more popular in practice, research on this latest form of mentoring has not kept pace. The form of mentoring that is based upon electronic communication is called e-mentoring, telementoring, cybermentoring or virtual mentoring. According to Kram, traditional mentoring functions centre around two rubrics: career/professional functions and psychosocial/personal functions. The mentoring function of coaching is dedicated to helping a protg accomplish work objectives.
