Mentors and mentees

In the business world, a mentor is usually an experienced businessperson who offers support and guidance to another, more junior person as he or she travels up the career path. Simple. Well, potentially complicated and quite a lot of work as well as being useful, which is why we're running a series about it, but the definition itself is relatively straightforward.

The problem comes when people start talking about what to call the junior person. More specifically, the problem comes when people start talking about what to call the junior person and decide that the best word is "mentee". This is not a real word. At best it sounds like a spearmint-flavoured marine mammal; at worst, like a playground insult for the slowest child in the class.

I prefer protege, on the basis that it may be French but it's definitely a word. I am also pleased to see that there are plenty of other people out there (where "there" equals the internet) prepared to beat the pro-manatee mentee argument to death with a steel-reinforced copy of the OED. Are you a person who is mentored? What do you call yourself? (Please note: answering "Asher" or "Jen" isn't terribly helpful and will be met by deep sighs and muttered comments about obvious jokes).

Below: a manatee, flavour not specified

(Pic from Dr Steven Trainoff)