Introduction. Currently, the domestic education system faces the problem of a shortage of qualified personnel at all its levels. Pedagogical universities are also in dire need of highly motivated, competent teachers possessing professional culture. One of the ways to train such personnel is the organization of mentoring by university departments, i.e. pedagogical support for the professional development of a future teacher, whose abilities and level of training would allow him/her to work in higher education in the future.

Materials and methods. One of the main research methods used in writing this article is the analysis of psychological and pedagogical literature on the problems of training personnel for higher education, mentoring as one of the current areas of activity of a modern teacher, improving the level of foreign language pedagogical education, etc. The authors also rely on the generalization of effective pedagogical experience and the results of their pedagogical activity as university teachers.

Results. The concept of mentoring is specified in relation to the training of future foreign language teachers. The specifics of mentoring in foreign language education are defined and the main areas of mentoring activity are identified. The main professional and personal qualities that are the criteria for selecting a mentor are presented. The most effective forms of mentoring aimed at securing a young teacher in the teaching profession are proposed.

Discussion. The problems and difficulties of organizing and implementing mentoring activities in relation to future foreign language teachers are identified. Ways to overcome these difficulties are proposed, in particular, a reverse form of mentoring that can satisfy the professional needs of both mentors and mentees.

Conclusion. The results of the study show that the leading principles and technologies of mentoring, already well known in pedagogy, can be extrapolated to the professional training of future foreign language teachers and motivate them to continue working as a university teacher after achieving the required level of qualification. At the same time, the specifics of foreign language education determine the features of the content and organization of mentoring in this area.

Mentoring is one of the most important types of pedagogical activity in training a foreign language teacher and eliminating the personnel shortage in the university;

Mentoring involves psychological and pedagogical support of a future foreign language teacher in his educational, intercultural, professional/quasi-professional and research activities;

The most effective type of mentoring in foreign language pedagogical education is “end-to-end” mentoring, carried out by an experienced teacher throughout the entire period of training of the future teacher: in the bachelor’s degree, in the master’s degree, at the initial stage of his independent professional activity and, possibly, in graduate school. 

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