The primary purpose of this study is to examine what competencies are necessary for
Korean elementary master teachers to work as mentors for beginning teachers. Based on
literature review, five areas of competencies made up of 37 components in total was
constructed, which was cross-checked by 10 education scholars and practitioners. Survey
data, then, collected from 254 elementary master teachers to see their responses to these
competencies. Major results indicate that the master teachers generally agree with the
significance of the competencies proposed by the researchers. Significant gaps, however,
appeared in their responses to the importance of those competencies and to the degree of
preparedness to perform those competencies in practice. In addition, it turned out that
master teachers with longer teaching careers are more likely to have higher level of
preparedness to work as mentor teachers. Based on these results, this study examines how
to assist master teachers to be better prepared to work as mentors for beginning teachers.