Mentoring is a structured process in which a more experienced individual supports the professional and personal growth of a less experienced one, fostering competence through guidance and feedback (Mutiarin, Moner, Nurmandi & Hidayat, 2023). Research highlights benefit for both mentees and mentors, including improved competencies and professional satisfaction (Carstensen & Klusmann, 2021; Richter et al., 2022). In education, mentoring is vital for novice teachers’ adaptation and identity formation (Carstensen & Klusmann, 2021). Lithuanian studies emphasise its role in developing pedagogical and digital competencies (Čiučiulkienė & Mičiulienė, 2019; Morina et al., 2025; Didžiulienė et al., 2025). While digital technologies enable remote mentoring, they require specific competencies. Research on these remains limited (Creswell & Poth, 2018; Tinoco-Giraldo et al., 2020). Methodology. This study adopts a qualitative research design to gain an in-depth understanding of mentor competencies within remote mentoring contexts. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, enabling rich exploration of participants’ experiences and perspectives (Creswell & Poth, 2018). The study involved 12 teachers with mentoring experience, selected through purposive sampling. Data were gathered in 2025. Qualitative content analysis was employed to identify categories and subcategories reflecting participants’ perceptions of remote mentoring. Data saturation was achieved when responses became repetitive and no new relevant insights emerged.

Research problem question: How do mentor competencies manifest in online mentoring? The purpose of this study is o explore the dynamics of mentor competencies in online mentoring.

The results indicate that Lithuanian teachers view remote mentoring as flexible and time-efficient, but less effective than face-to-face mentoring for building trust and relationships. Key challenges include technological issues and reduced mentee engagement, motivation, and attention. Effective remote mentoring requires digital, communication, social, emotional, and adaptability competencies. Despite these challenges, teachers reported positive professional development, particularly in digital skills, online communication, time management, reflective thinking, and empathy.